ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

After listening, I heard a strong lean toward Sept 1, that it fixes the trapped player problem at a higher percentage than Aug 1.

[Anonymous]

I also heard that there will be organizations that stay BY

[Anonymous]

Finally, I heard them say that US Club, USYS and AYSO will be aligned together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone give me the run down?

they're saying wait until March...for 2026

Sounds like it would have been for the fall of 25' if the socal leagues didn't start having tryouts in Jan.

[Anonymous]

Now ECNL is crying saying they want US Soccer to tell them what to do. l o l

[Anonymous]

Where did that come from? I heard the opposite message

[Anonymous]

First 5 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also heard that there will be organizations that stay BY

MLSN staying birth year. I’m sure they will merge with another youth league or create their own to have a BY feeder system.

Girls Academy will probably stay BY as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After listening, I heard a strong lean toward Sept 1, that it fixes the trapped player problem at a higher percentage than Aug 1.

Is that because of the reverse trap? Meaning most August kids started earlier and are on the younger side rather than the older side?

Because 8/1 would definitely prevent more kids from being trapped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also heard that there will be organizations that stay BY

MLSN staying birth year. I’m sure they will merge with another youth league or create their own to have a BY feeder system.

Girls Academy will probably stay BY as well.

Where did they say this.

[Anonymous]

They didn't say it specifically, but they say

"But I think if you are participating in a league that does not value school sports, then changing may not be in your interest. It may not be for you. If your kids don't play high school, if they're not be in your interest, it may not be for you. You know, if your kids don't play high school, if they're not involved in these things, then you know you may see some of those leagues choose not to change, and that's certainly their choice."

That seems like a clear illusion to MLS Next but boy is that a hard sell for GA where alllllllll the girls play high school soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said trapped players are doomed. The statement was made that BY is systematically dysfunctional for q4 and some q3 players during certain periods of their soccer career.

Don’t waste time arguing with the BY parents who are so blinded by the thought of having to compete with older kids. SY is coming they get one more year and then the party is over for most of those kids.

Isn't someone always older and someone always younger?
Won't SY have a 11 month difference in ages just like BY?

How does this relate to the PP's comment?

We are all BY parents today

Why would people who prefer BY be afraid of competing against older kids, when so many of them want their kids to play up?

Because they are really seeking bragging rights and recognition, not an extra challenge. If you adjust the age group to SY, they are playing with older kids but viewed as "with age." If they play with the same kids across a group divide, that comes with the higher status label of "playing up." Like many of the toxic elements of youth sports, it's all about status-seeking, mostly by the parents.

I love all these assumptions 100% predicated on a false fact that soccer skills, performance, competitiveness are all dictated by birth months

There are many strong q3 and q4 players out there and lots of weak q1 and q2

Also several kids playing up a year.

It all washes out

Are you aware of research showing that it all washes out and birth month has no impact on youth development or are you going with a gut feeling of a random parent of a kid?

The research is what you see on the fields every weekend at ECNL and lower levels of competition.
The differences in average players by birth months isn't that significant when you add decent q3 and q4 to the mix.

RAE at MLS Next and is more pronounced because the best January/February early bloomers are way ahead of November/December late bloomers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They didn't say it specifically, but they say

"But I think if you are participating in a league that does not value school sports, then changing may not be in your interest. It may not be for you. If your kids don't play high school, if they're not be in your interest, it may not be for you. You know, if your kids don't play high school, if they're not involved in these things, then you know you may see some of those leagues choose not to change, and that's certainly their choice."

That seems like a clear illusion to MLS Next but boy is that a hard sell for GA where alllllllll the girls play high school soccer.

Yeah would be really dumb for GA to not let girls play high school. But they can still stay BY and let kids play high school. Same as it is now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They didn't say it specifically, but they say

"But I think if you are participating in a league that does not value school sports, then changing may not be in your interest. It may not be for you. If your kids don't play high school, if they're not be in your interest, it may not be for you. You know, if your kids don't play high school, if they're not involved in these things, then you know you may see some of those leagues choose not to change, and that's certainly their choice."

That seems like a clear illusion to MLS Next but boy is that a hard sell for GA where alllllllll the girls play high school soccer.

Yeah would be really dumb for GA to not let girls play high school. But they can still stay BY and let kids play high school. Same as it is now.

They could, but girls chose ECNL over GA today as is most of the time. It's the way better league. No Q3/Q4 player would chose a trap, so what reason would there ever be to chose GA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After listening, I heard a strong lean toward Sept 1, that it fixes the trapped player problem at a higher percentage than Aug 1.

Is that because of the reverse trap? Meaning most August kids started earlier and are on the younger side rather than the older side?

Because 8/1 would definitely prevent more kids from being trapped.

Agree that 8/1 would prevent more kids from being trapped. But the best solution I saw was posted on this discussion several pages back - Go to School Year with the age range being 9/1 to 7/31, and have August birthdays sorted by the grade that the kid is in.