For those who remember the 2017 age-reclassing, what was it like?

[Anonymous]

The interesting ones to watch in Virginia will be kids with birthdays that fall between 8/1 and 9/30. My 2014 daughter’s team currently has three kids who have birthday’s in that timeframe. All three are fifth graders and solid players (middle of the roster) but would be at the top of the roster should they play “down” with the 2015s (or whatever they’ll be called) next year. Of course, that would mean those three girls would be playing with mostly 5th graders while they’ll be middle schoolers in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a "trapped" kid (he's a freshman in college now.) It was very disruptive. His team (mostly 06s, a handful of 05s) got completely split up. They had been the A team and the 05s got split among the older A and B teams. The 06s were the majority but at least half left to go to different clubs because they felt like they were being demoted and the club didn't want them to play up. It wasn't chaotic or confusing, just disappointing because they had had a nice team.

I think that this one will be much less disruptive because the change will affect fewer kids. I think it will be easier for kids and clubs to be flexible with that small number and evaluate whether it makes sense to play up or move to grade level.

For what it's worth, I think going back to the way it was makes sense for youth soccer. My remaining two travel players are summer birthdays so they will now become the smallest/youngest players but I still think it will help the sport to allow kids to play with classmates.

What do you mean it'll impact less kids, it's going to impact a similar number if the cutoff date is right in the middle of the year. For example, if late 09, now you will no longer be playing with early year 09s and will be joined by early birth 2010s. I don't think it's a big deal but it is going to impact the same account of kids. The solution isn't playing up because then clubs would have to make a ton of exceptions and that is just problematic. Small clubs will be able to allow kids to play up but larger clubs will not have an easy time with it.

[Anonymous]

It was a shit show for about 30 seconds, then it went back to just playing soccer.

[Anonymous]

My 2004 son was moving from rec to competitive and changing clubs at the time, but for him the move was good as he's a 9/1 birthday who wasn't redshirted at school, so he was finally with kids his grade and not the grade below.

And he never was with kids from school once he went competitive, but made good friends on his team. Same with my daughter--her best friends are from soccer, not school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There were not as many issues as with BY to SY. Although many parents still hated the change.

Before Aug 1 to Dec 31 birthdays were forced to play up. Coaches could add them to rosters and just not play them in games. Eventually they'd either get better or filter out.

This time is different because potentially better players who have been playing up can join teams a year younger.

A bench player that never sees the field doesn't affect anyone. A year older player that bumps a starter will cause parents to throw fits.

It's all in the phrasing. There has to be a cut off, school year makes more sense in a country where high school sports are a big deal than birth year (parent of an 8th grade 2010 wondering what their team will look like in the spring)

I don't agree with you and believe what you stated is opinion not fact.


You wanted to know how things went last time and I told you. It was much easier.

BY to SY will cause all kinds of tensions on teams. However 6 months after the change nobody will care.

Easier for who? You? You must not have a trapped player. It was disruptive as hell. Teams were broken up. Change is hard--always is, always will be. But I agree it will settle down in about 6 months and then all will move forward.

I said it was easier because it's less disruptive to move players up an age group because nobody potentially gets cut. You might have bigger than normal rosters and the players moved up might not play but nobody is booted from the team.

Technically moving players down an age group doesn't nessasary mean cuts either but if a new player is way better than the current starter the current starter will get benched and be disgruntled. Their parents will complain and generally be salty.

Plenty of trapped players got cut when they had to ‘move up’ an age group and compete for a spot on a new team against players who had been playing one extra year in club soccer….many wound up quitting or going to another sport…