Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?
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Anonymous
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Our club put the following on the bottom of the Birthday Age Groups for Fall of 2026. I'm surprised, August maybe is correct.
- For players with an August birthday, the presumption is that such players would play with their current grade, subject to permitted exceptions for players with August birthdays determined by DOC on a case-by-case basis in accordance with club policies. |
Anonymous
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Our club included this in the tryout info. for the older girls (U16-U19). Tryouts for this age group start 12/1 for 2026-2027 season.
NOTE: With the USYS decision to change to a school-year breakdown for team formation, trapped U15 players (those born from 8/1 - 12/31) will remain a U15 player for the 2026-2027 season. These trapped U15 players will be evaluated with the rising U16-U19 players at these sessions. |
Anonymous
What club? Can you share a link? Some posters -- for the sake of trolling -- sometimes invent things. Regardless, some clubs may take this approach -- which is consistent with the freedom and flexibility they have under these rules. |
Anonymous
Permitted exception to do what? |
Anonymous
Thought trapped players were Sep to Dec |
Anonymous
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Just like the other 2 -- where soccer skills, not grade, determines things. https://arlingtonsoccer.com/programs/travel/age-group-transition https://ourcitysc.com/docs/age_group_changes.pdf |
Anonymous
Maryland is September 1st to December |
Anonymous
Yes. Clubs don't want to say straight up "Aug-Sep players have to move down" so they don't lose customers to one another. So they carefully word it and say exceptional circumstance. 
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Anonymous
Actually the opposite. Loudoun straight up said play on age and added, "Generally, play ups will be approved only in exceptional circumstances." |
Anonymous
The good clubs with real coaches are quite fine with losing those customers |
Anonymous
Agree × 1000% Clubs are going to say whatever keeps your kid engaged and you paying. Then once you've paid and can't switch clubs easily they'll announce all the changes one night and the next day and going forward new teams will be implemented. You wont get a choice unless your kid is a superstar, has multiple options at other clubs, and you pay in full. Even then it will take being a squeaky wheel. I bet club docs and top coaches already have 99% of all expected moves already mapped out and ready to be implemented. They're making minimal changes depending on which players from other clubs reach out. For top teams clubs will group by grade and they wont allow older Aug/Sept players to play down. Other teams may or may not allow playing down. Either way it doesnt matter because these are not the players getting recruited to play in college and the teams aren't being defined by the highest level of skill. |
Anonymous
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This post from US Club Soccer back in June implies that they anticipate clubs will do "force-ups" where Aug-Sep players will automatically be asked to play up an age group to be with their school age group. https://usclubsoccer.org/age-group-cut-off-update-for-2026-27-season/
Our child's team of 18 has 5 Aug-Dec players. Three of them will likely be "force-ups" since they are in the older grade with the rest of the team, and the other two will presumably move to the younger age group. Not yet confirmed by the club, but this would lend itself to a consistent approach and could be replicated across dozens of teams. |
Anonymous
Players would be forced to play up if they want to play with school grade friends. And 3 teams so far said only exceptional get to play up an age group so players wanting to play up with their school grade friends seem blocked from doing so. |
Anonymous
How does it imply that? |
Anonymous
The major driver for younger Aug/Sept birthdays playing with their grade is college recruitment. What this means is that A teams will likely be grouped by grade because these are the players most likely to get recruited. Other teams will do what they want. Although over time I bet they group by grade simply because its easier than addressing edge cases all the time. |