ECNL moving to school year part 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think that only happens if the parent pushes it. Besides, a B team is either RL or USYS, which might have different guidance (if any). The only Aug players who make it to an ECNL team will be those who already would play up anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

It is not, they call it seasonal year. Everyone is just misspeaking on this forum and focusing on irrelevant arguments. https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-review/player-registration

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think that only happens if the parent pushes it. Besides, a B team is either RL or USYS, which might have different guidance (if any). The only Aug players who make it to an ECNL team will be those who already would play up anyway.

Yes this was strongly hinted to. Everything they said was around player ability defining which team they would be placed on. However I dont see a situation where a club would go out of their way to place an Aug birthday on a grade below them first team. They would be kept with their grade and place on the second team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

It is not, they call it seasonal year. Everyone is just misspeaking on this forum and focusing on irrelevant arguments. https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-review/player-registration

Directly from your link...

Localized Decision-Making | Player registration should reflect the unique characteristics of local participants (e.g., school year timing)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

It is not, they call it seasonal year. Everyone is just misspeaking on this forum and focusing on irrelevant arguments. https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-review/player-registration

Directly from your link...

Localized Decision-Making | Player registration should reflect the unique characteristics of local participants (e.g., school year timing)

The "seasonal year" wordings you're reading were chosen by US Soccer because they dont want to color or imply anything into member leagues decisions. It's like telling people you drive a car vs saying you drive a Ford.

But the 8/1 decision made by USYS and now wade and confirmed by ECNL is definitely called School Year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think that only happens if the parent pushes it. Besides, a B team is either RL or USYS, which might have different guidance (if any). The only Aug players who make it to an ECNL team will be those who already would play up anyway.

Yes this was strongly hinted to. Everything they said was around player ability defining which team they would be placed on. However I dont see a situation where a club would go out of their way to place an Aug birthday on a grade below them first team. They would be kept with their grade and place on the second team.

No, they will totally do it, if that Aug player is good enough. They want to win more than anything else. They'll only place that player on a higher team if they are good enough.

[Anonymous]

If my Aug kid plays with the new age group and is placed on the 2nd team we are changing clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think that only happens if the parent pushes it. Besides, a B team is either RL or USYS, which might have different guidance (if any). The only Aug players who make it to an ECNL team will be those who already would play up anyway.

Yes this was strongly hinted to. Everything they said was around player ability defining which team they would be placed on. However I dont see a situation where a club would go out of their way to place an Aug birthday on a grade below them first team. They would be kept with their grade and place on the second team.

No, they will totally do it, if that Aug player is good enough. They want to win more than anything else. They'll only place that player on a higher team if they are good enough.

And they will still pull them down to the younger team for wins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

It is not, they call it seasonal year. Everyone is just misspeaking on this forum and focusing on irrelevant arguments. https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-review/player-registration

Directly from your link...

Localized Decision-Making | Player registration should reflect the unique characteristics of local participants (e.g., school year timing)

The "seasonal year" wordings you're reading were chosen by US Soccer because they dont want to color or imply anything into member leagues decisions. It's like telling people you drive a car vs saying you drive a Ford.

But the 8/1 decision made by USYS and now wade and confirmed by ECNL is definitely called School Year.

This says seasonal year, it will be seasonal year. Local clubs will follow the league. https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/2025/03/05/us-youth-soccer-us-club-soccer-and-ayso-returning-to-seasonal-year-age-group-formation-in-2026/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think a key thing to remember is they call it seasonal year and not school year. That said, they are unlikely to enforce your school year but just adjusting the calendar year (aka seasonal year) to 8/1-7/31. This will address the theory of kids getting held back to get a leg up.

No idea what you're talking about.

This is nowhere close to what I heard.

Its called School Year

It is not, they call it seasonal year. Everyone is just misspeaking on this forum and focusing on irrelevant arguments. https://www.ussoccer.com/ecosystem-review/player-registration

Directly from your link...

Localized Decision-Making | Player registration should reflect the unique characteristics of local participants (e.g., school year timing)

The "seasonal year" wordings you're reading were chosen by US Soccer because they dont want to color or imply anything into member leagues decisions. It's like telling people you drive a car vs saying you drive a Ford.

But the 8/1 decision made by USYS and now wade and confirmed by ECNL is definitely called School Year.

This says seasonal year, it will be seasonal year. Local clubs will follow the league. https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/news/2025/03/05/us-youth-soccer-us-club-soccer-and-ayso-returning-to-seasonal-year-age-group-formation-in-2026/

Directly from your link...

Aligning with the school-year calendar is a return to a policy in place prior to a 2016 U.S. Soccer decision to move to birth-year registration (January 1 – December 31). The change was made in effort to align with international soccer standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my Aug kid plays with the new age group and is placed on the 2nd team we are changing clubs.

So you're willing to change clubs just to play down? Pathetic.

Just hold your kid back in school for wins if this is your plan. Sounds like you're desperate enough to do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They hinted that players will be placed on the correct team. They specifically avoided anything Aug specific. However I got the feeling they would put an Aug birthday on a B team with their grade before letting them play down on a lower grade team.

I think that only happens if the parent pushes it. Besides, a B team is either RL or USYS, which might have different guidance (if any). The only Aug players who make it to an ECNL team will be those who already would play up anyway.

Yes this was strongly hinted to. Everything they said was around player ability defining which team they would be placed on. However I dont see a situation where a club would go out of their way to place an Aug birthday on a grade below them first team. They would be kept with their grade and place on the second team.

No, they will totally do it, if that Aug player is good enough. They want to win more than anything else. They'll only place that player on a higher team if they are good enough.

And they will still pull them down to the younger team for wins.

Small clubs might when they're youngers.

Big clubs wont want to deal with the hassle and will just group all players by grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my Aug kid plays with the new age group and is placed on the 2nd team we are changing clubs.

So you're willing to change clubs just to play down? Pathetic.

Just hold your kid back in school for wins if this is your plan. Sounds like you're desperate enough to do this.

It's NOT playing down. If you can get on an ECNL/GA/MLSN team for your age group, you'll do it. Grade has nothing to do with it.