ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

Blah, blah, blah. You make no sense. You're trying to navigate through a broken system and have a bad set of options now that things are changing. I get it. But to suggest that trapped kids aren't trying hard enough. That argument got old 200 pages ago. My DD is like yours. The timing of this is perfect for her. Playing up has been a gift that was forced on her. But as we enter the recruiting years we now have the option of playing up (always an option for anyone) or shining amongst her recruiting class. Not sure which path we'll take in 2026 but it's nice to have options and not be 'trapped' anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our director is talking about forming SY teams and having them play up since 25/26 is now a wash. So the 2012 age group is now Aug 1 2012 to July 31 2013. 2013 is now Aug 1 2013 to July 31 2014

Where do Q3 kids who started school early go under the new approach? For example, October 2013 birthday currently playing U12 and already in 6th grade? The above cutoffs would move them down a soccer year, but that would have them playing with kids a grade below them. Maybe an advantage playing against younger kids, but they’re already used to playing with older kids and moving down would mess up their recruiting cycle.

I don’t feel bad for kids who started school early or late. It’s a problem of your own making.

Did someone ask for your sympathy? I’m just trying to understand if the new system is based on the calendar or actual grade.

Its not based on grade and nobody wants that. They have it in other sports and it quickly incentivizes parents to hold kids back in school by ridiculous amounts. Majority of people want it by school dates either 8/1 or 9/1. If you pushed your kid to start school early then sports is going to suffer big time. I assume most parents know that by know and didn't care back when they were 5 or had tough economic circumstances and needed to start early. I feel bad but in these scenarios, even a very talented kid will struggle to play college ball.

Could they take a gap year between high school and college to get back to the “right” school grade, where they’d compare favorably from an athletic perspective?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

I'm sorry a change in age dates would be such an obstacle for you kid, have you thought about having them switch sports?

[Anonymous]

My kid is a trapped player and before this started I was wondering how everything would play out. This year got really weird because she's in elementary and all her teammates went to junior high. She's one of the best kids on the team but the social part of this was unnecessary and has definitely affected her development. She'll figure it out and she'll be fine. But its clear CY is a mess and I can see why so few Q4 kids make it through the gauntlet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our director is talking about forming SY teams and having them play up since 25/26 is now a wash. So the 2012 age group is now Aug 1 2012 to July 31 2013. 2013 is now Aug 1 2013 to July 31 2014

Where do Q3 kids who started school early go under the new approach? For example, October 2013 birthday currently playing U12 and already in 6th grade? The above cutoffs would move them down a soccer year, but that would have them playing with kids a grade below them. Maybe an advantage playing against younger kids, but they’re already used to playing with older kids and moving down would mess up their recruiting cycle.

I don’t feel bad for kids who started school early or late. It’s a problem of your own making.

Did someone ask for your sympathy? I’m just trying to understand if the new system is based on the calendar or actual grade.

Its not based on grade and nobody wants that. They have it in other sports and it quickly incentivizes parents to hold kids back in school by ridiculous amounts. Majority of people want it by school dates either 8/1 or 9/1. If you pushed your kid to start school early then sports is going to suffer big time. I assume most parents know that by know and didn't care back when they were 5 or had tough economic circumstances and needed to start early. I feel bad but in these scenarios, even a very talented kid will struggle to play college ball.

Could they take a gap year between high school and college to get back to the “right” school grade, where they’d compare favorably from an athletic perspective?

Not sure I follow. If they graduate HS and didn't get recruited, then they take a year off, will their chances improved of getting a scholarship? Not in my opinion, no. The damage is done. If you started your kid in school a year early its a bad strategy for sports. Your kid would need to significantly above average in athletics and an early bloomer to outshine older kids. Doesn't mean it won't happen, its just tough. You could repeat a grade now to get them back on track. I don't advocate for manipulating academics for sports but just throwing out options depending on your priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

Blah, blah, blah. You make no sense. You're trying to navigate through a broken system and have a bad set of options now that things are changing. I get it. But to suggest that trapped kids aren't trying hard enough. That argument got old 200 pages ago. My DD is like yours. The timing of this is perfect for her. Playing up has been a gift that was forced on her. But as we enter the recruiting years we now have the option of playing up (always an option for anyone) or shining amongst her recruiting class. Not sure which path we'll take in 2026 but it's nice to have options and not be 'trapped' anymore.

I love this thread. OP offers his/her view for his/her situation. New poster comes in with "blah blah blah" says they "make no sense" and in the next sentence says "I get it" (so which is it, do they not make sense or do you get it?). Dont get me wrong, a**hats on both sides make this thread super entertaining and I am here for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

I'm sorry a change in age dates would be such an obstacle for you kid, have you thought about having them switch sports?

There's no obstacle. They are playing their kid up with a class of kids they aren't competing with for scholarships. The obvious answer is to align with their grade but there is ego involved when people say things like "drop down" or "play down" which are nonsense terms for this situation. My DD is in the exact same scenario. When your playing at that level and you were trapped there are other considerations. If you're on a top 5 team in the nation and thriving, you don't want to mess that up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

Blah, blah, blah. You make no sense. You're trying to navigate through a broken system and have a bad set of options now that things are changing. I get it. But to suggest that trapped kids aren't trying hard enough. That argument got old 200 pages ago. My DD is like yours. The timing of this is perfect for her. Playing up has been a gift that was forced on her. But as we enter the recruiting years we now have the option of playing up (always an option for anyone) or shining amongst her recruiting class. Not sure which path we'll take in 2026 but it's nice to have options and not be 'trapped' anymore.

I love this thread. OP offers his/her view for his/her situation. New poster comes in with "blah blah blah" says they "make no sense" and in the next sentence says "I get it" (so which is it, do they not make sense or do you get it?). Dont get me wrong, a**hats on both sides make this thread super entertaining and I am here for it!

This thread will make it to Psychiatry and Psychology seminars

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

Don't try to bring facts to the table. It inconvenient for the BY nutty's that want to believe their kid earned their spot fair and square. Trapped kids aren't at a disadvantage in any way and the world works just fine as it is. Trapped kids just need to work harder is all. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

Two best friends are both college soccer coaches. One on boys side and one on girls side. I asked them about this whole dynamic. They said they 100% know about trapped players because they are usually some of the top players in the recruiting class by virtue of them being good enough to make a top team even though they are on the younger side. So to say they get lost in recruiting is a bit of a fallacy. They both did say it would be easier for them to recruit when all the kids are same recruiting class so they are advocates for the change. They also said ID camps are more important to them for recruiting purposes than watching games (in person or video) because they can control the situation, set up specific match ups, move kids into different positions, run specific drills to determine skills, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

Two best friends are both college soccer coaches. One on boys side and one on girls side. I asked them about this whole dynamic. They said they 100% know about trapped players because they are usually some of the top players in the recruiting class by virtue of them being good enough to make a top team even though they are on the younger side. So to say they get lost in recruiting is a bit of a fallacy. They both did say it would be easier for them to recruit when all the kids are same recruiting class so they are advocates for the change. They also said ID camps are more important to them for recruiting purposes than watching games (in person or video) because they can control the situation, set up specific match ups, move kids into different positions, run specific drills to determine skills, etc.

And once again! Problem solved. No need for change, lol. 20% of recruited kids are January and 5% are from December because Dec kids just need to try harder. Your buddy knows about the Dec kid but for some reason he's not recruiting them. I wonder why...hmmmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

This is 100% true if your kid is a fringe player. Not true at all if they are top half on team. You honestly think a coach goes to watch a top tier team sees a girl they like, realize she is a sophomore, and says to their assistant, dont write her name down for the future, she is only a sophomore and we dont care about sophomores this recruiting cycle. College coaches get paid to find good talent. Now if your kid is spackle then yes they are at a slight disadvantage for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our director is talking about forming SY teams and having them play up since 25/26 is now a wash. So the 2012 age group is now Aug 1 2012 to July 31 2013. 2013 is now Aug 1 2013 to July 31 2014

Where do Q3 kids who started school early go under the new approach? For example, October 2013 birthday currently playing U12 and already in 6th grade? The above cutoffs would move them down a soccer year, but that would have them playing with kids a grade below them. Maybe an advantage playing against younger kids, but they’re already used to playing with older kids and moving down would mess up their recruiting cycle.

I don’t feel bad for kids who started school early or late. It’s a problem of your own making.

Did someone ask for your sympathy? I’m just trying to understand if the new system is based on the calendar or actual grade.

Its not based on grade and nobody wants that. They have it in other sports and it quickly incentivizes parents to hold kids back in school by ridiculous amounts. Majority of people want it by school dates either 8/1 or 9/1. If you pushed your kid to start school early then sports is going to suffer big time. I assume most parents know that by know and didn't care back when they were 5 or had tough economic circumstances and needed to start early. I feel bad but in these scenarios, even a very talented kid will struggle to play college ball.

Could they take a gap year between high school and college to get back to the “right” school grade, where they’d compare favorably from an athletic perspective?

Not sure I follow. If they graduate HS and didn't get recruited, then they take a year off, will their chances improved of getting a scholarship? Not in my opinion, no. The damage is done. If you started your kid in school a year early its a bad strategy for sports. Your kid would need to significantly above average in athletics and an early bloomer to outshine older kids. Doesn't mean it won't happen, its just tough. You could repeat a grade now to get them back on track. I don't advocate for manipulating academics for sports but just throwing out options depending on your priorities.

You’re a Q3 kid who is among the youngest on your current BY ECNL team yet are still good enough to start. Next year you’ll be among the oldest and clearly one of the best players on your SY team. Because you started school early, you’re a junior when your teammates are sophomores, but you manage the recruiting process as if you’re a sophomore, get a D-1 offer at the beginning of your senior year (when your teammates are getting their D-1 offers at the beginning of their junior year), but it’s for a full academic year after you graduate from highschool (when your club teammates are seniors). You graduate a year ahead of your teammates, spend a year taking random college classes at a local school and/or doing an internship, while still playing with your same club team and teammates, then start college the following year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a quick note from a parent of a trapped player (Q4). She is best technical player on her team (top 100 nationally) and one of the most valuable in terms of wins and losses, but she is small. I want the status quo as the other two options are not as good. She can either A) stay on the current team but now there will be even bigger/older girls by an additional 5 months so she could be playing with girls 14/15 months. older or B) drop down and totally outclass her correct grade. Both options worse in my eyes.

Also, I dont think trapped, for recruiting purposes, is a big deal at all. Your club should be advocating for you, you should be advocating for you, you should be attending ID camps, etc. If you use trapped as a recruiting excuse it means you aren't trying hard enough. Period.

For girls it's off. Unless you have a U17 or U19 kid, you have no idea what you're talking about. As a trap youre recruitment window is not the same as the majority of your team. Your coach knows this and will hopefully push the kids in the recruitment window forward because it's their time in showcases. When it is your time, you are on a team of seniors. The colleges you want won't be attending your showcases as a young trap player (a junior) in U19. These colleges are looking for seniors who aren't committed yet, mostly smaller schools. Most U19 can't cobble a team together too because half of them are already committed in ECNL and seniors are busy with school and less committed to their team. We in this situation now. U17 isn't any better.as a trap player. Sure, you're playing with kids in the recruitment window, but you aren't . You have a wait another year. SY is best if the end run is recruitment. And ECNL is all about college. This change needs to happen in spring for tryouts so trapped kids are in their window for recruitment. It's more complicated for trap players.

Two best friends are both college soccer coaches. One on boys side and one on girls side. I asked them about this whole dynamic. They said they 100% know about trapped players because they are usually some of the top players in the recruiting class by virtue of them being good enough to make a top team even though they are on the younger side. So to say they get lost in recruiting is a bit of a fallacy. They both did say it would be easier for them to recruit when all the kids are same recruiting class so they are advocates for the change. They also said ID camps are more important to them for recruiting purposes than watching games (in person or video) because they can control the situation, set up specific match ups, move kids into different positions, run specific drills to determine skills, etc.

And once again! Problem solved. No need for change, lol. 20% of recruited kids are January and 5% are from December because Dec kids just need to try harder. Your buddy knows about the Dec kid but for some reason he's not recruiting them. I wonder why...hmmmmm.

Because they are not good enough I suppose? So now you are arguing RAE, not trapped player dynamics? News flash, RAE doesnt change with an artificial birth date range. So now it will be 20% September and 5% August in the future? Try to follow along. Trapped player is a different thing than RAE. A good player is a good player regardless of when they were born.