ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So my u14 / 2011 DS can technically move down to the U13 team in this upcoming spring??

We've got to stop looking at this as playing down.
Playing down has a negative connotation.

These are new teams. New records. New lineups.

Maybe this is the opportunity to play with School Year team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So my u14 / 2011 DS can technically move down to the U13 team in this upcoming spring??

We've got to stop looking at this as playing down.
Playing down has a negative connotation.

These are new teams. New records. New lineups.

Maybe this is the opportunity to play with School Year team?

Point taken. But when you've got 2012's playing with 2013's, they're going to see it as playing down an age group. Us, as the adults in the room, can clarify that it's not. When this takes effect and becomes the norm, it won't be seen that way. But, to kids that are in a different grade but within the cutoff (i.e. the Aug/Sept kids who started on the tail end of their school cutoff), they will be playing "down" a grade.

[Anonymous]

They don't have to play down a grade though. That would be a choice and yes would probably be perceived as playing down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don't have to play down a grade though. That would be a choice and yes would probably be perceived as playing down.

Some would have to play down a grade.

[Anonymous]

No they wouldn't. The rules have always allowed you to play up. If you want to play with those in your grade you can. There is no "have" to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No they wouldn't. The rules have always allowed you to play up. If you want to play with those in your grade you can. There is no "have" to.

I think the semantic battle will be whether a choice between, e.g., U14 B team and U13 A team is really a "choice." Some will say that you "have" to play for the U13 team because B teams are unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

If your club does not allow playing "up," (not all clubs allow players or their parents to dictate their team placement or "playing up" regardless of how good the player may be) then the kids would perceive it to be playing down, with a younger grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No they wouldn't. The rules have always allowed you to play up. If you want to play with those in your grade you can. There is no "have" to.

I think the semantic battle will be whether a choice between, e.g., U14 B team and U13 A team is really a "choice." Some will say that you "have" to play for the U13 team because B teams are unacceptable.

Exactly. Playing up depends on whether you can with your current team and club. Of course there will probably be some team in some club that will allow you to play up. But will not be the case for everyone on the team they are currently on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your club does not allow playing "up," (not all clubs allow players or their parents to dictate their team placement or "playing up" regardless of how good the player may be) then the kids would perceive it to be playing down, with a younger grade.

Then you find a club they does. There is choice. You may not like playing on a B team or moving clubs but you can always choose to play with your grade level. Players currently "have" no choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No they wouldn't. The rules have always allowed you to play up. If you want to play with those in your grade you can. There is no "have" to.

I think the semantic battle will be whether a choice between, e.g., U14 B team and U13 A team is really a "choice." Some will say that you "have" to play for the U13 team because B teams are unacceptable.

Exactly. Playing up depends on whether you can with your current team and club. Of course there will probably be some team in some club that will allow you to play up. But will not be the case for everyone on the team they are currently on.

The vast number that will fall into the category of currently later birthday playing with their grade level today that would play with a grade lower than them with the change is extremely small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your club does not allow playing "up," (not all clubs allow players or their parents to dictate their team placement or "playing up" regardless of how good the player may be) then the kids would perceive it to be playing down, with a younger grade.

If this goes through, it changes the logic around letting kids play up to stay with their grade level. Right now it's strictly an ability or a team need decision for the club, but in the future there will be a new social component to consider. It will also make more sense to play up because of potential misalignment issues throughout high school. Time will tell, but more clubs may allow playing up (to stay with class) than currently do. In the kids' eyes, based on the perception I've seen in other sports, any kid playing with the class below them will be viewed as "playing down," even if it's their correct birth day range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your club does not allow playing "up," (not all clubs allow players or their parents to dictate their team placement or "playing up" regardless of how good the player may be) then the kids would perceive it to be playing down, with a younger grade.

Then you find a club they does. There is choice. You may not like playing on a B team or moving clubs but you can always choose to play with your grade level. Players currently "have" no choice.

They do - they can find a club that will grant them a waiver to play in their trapped season with a younger team. They could go to a school that would allow them as 8th graders to play JV soccer so they don't miss out on the spring season.

The point is - there is no great option for either scenario (trapped in the current system, or "purgatory" in the new system) and of course you can find a way to make either work. Going to the proposed SY gets rid of a lot more headaches for a lot more families and clubs, so that makes the most sense. But it doesn't eliminate the headaches and disruption for families of the purgatory kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No they wouldn't. The rules have always allowed you to play up. If you want to play with those in your grade you can. There is no "have" to.

Again...nothing is this simple. (It probably is in your mind since i'm guessing your kid isn't an Aug/Sept kid.) Not everyone is going to get the choice of playing with your grade at your current level due to club rules. Or if they do, it would mean dropping down a level. If you are currently ECNL and the options are to stay ECNL and play with the grade below or go ECNL-RL and stay with your current grade, then the decision isn't simple...it's a tough one. Trapped kids shouldn't be trapped because it isn't fair. So fixing that is a good thing. But this won't be simple for Aug/Sep kids.

[Anonymous]

How will the age brackets be named?

Maybe with school grade ordinal numbers?

Something like Chicago Fire 6th grade, Cleveland Force 3rd grade etc ….

I guess this all U14, U13, U12 naming will go away forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How will the age brackets be named?

Maybe with school grade ordinal numbers?

Something like Chicago Fire 6th grade, Cleveland Force 3rd grade etc ….

I guess this all U14, U13, U12 naming will go away forever.

I suspect they will use graduation year like 2029, 2030, etc.