ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

Because the rec programs in this area are organized by SY. Not sure if that's the case everywhere. Travel and rec tournaments like All-stars are organized using BY. It's the only comparison they can make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

The people chasing after SY are Rec minded is the sentiment

How are they “rec minded?”

They are pushing for little Timmy to play with his cafeteria buddy on the same team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

seasonal season is an interesting spin. Separates from prior school year approach. Do you think they will vary by state? I’m not sure leagues will want that extra admin. He seems to suggest a September cutoff. Between US youth soccer and US club soccer, they are making it clear that this is happening. Not sure why anyone is still debating.

Here we go with the 9/1 cutoff talk again. To echo another poster in a different chat forum, if leagues want to change to SY then let’s fully solve the problem. 9/1 doesn’t fully solve the problem for late kindergarten starts which is a big deal,
common even in states with 9/1 school cutoffs, and science/data/pediatricians/ educators tell parents to do. I am not sure why it’s difficult to understand that 8/1 (or other more creative options like 9/1 to 7/31 with August born kids playing with their grade) is the better cutoff date unless there are some other motives at play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

Probably because of the many SY posts on these pages talking about prioritizing playing with friends. In competitive soccer playing with friends is not a consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

Probably because of the many SY posts on these pages talking about prioritizing playing with friends. In competitive soccer playing with friends is not a consideration.

I can only assume at this point that either you are stupid or deliberately misunderstanding.

The ages this is important is when they are young, not when they are older. Since travel soccer starts u9, one might assume that little Johnny isnt a steel eyed competitor yet.

The goal begin, again, to keep some more kids playing soccer. And again, this is achieved without damaging older kids, and in fact fixes a major structural problem in BY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

Could it be because BY is in line with national and international standards? The most competitive players and teams are interested in a different level than what SY offers. But sounds like there may have to be a BY option too so maybe that’s how things will naturally divide? BY clubs & leagues will draw the most competitive players and SY will be less-competitive and rec-inclined. So hopefully everybody will be happy and find a place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

The people chasing after SY are Rec minded is the sentiment

Seems odd because school year lines up with high school and college. Levels that only a small percent of 8 year olds get to and college is the highest reasonable level for achievement for almost all but a handful or so of kids in the country every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

seasonal season is an interesting spin. Separates from prior school year approach. Do you think they will vary by state? I’m not sure leagues will want that extra admin. He seems to suggest a September cutoff. Between US youth soccer and US club soccer, they are making it clear that this is happening. Not sure why anyone is still debating.

Here we go with the 9/1 cutoff talk again. To echo another poster in a different chat forum, if leagues want to change to SY then let’s fully solve the problem. 9/1 doesn’t fully solve the problem for late kindergarten starts which is a big deal,
common even in states with 9/1 school cutoffs, and science/data/pediatricians/ educators tell parents to do. I am not sure why it’s difficult to understand that 8/1 (or other more creative options like 9/1 to 7/31 with August born kids playing with their grade) is the better cutoff date unless there are some other motives at play.

Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. It is happening. Just bend over, grab your annkles and take it like a man already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

Could it be because BY is in line with national and international standards? The most competitive players and teams are interested in a different level than what SY offers. But sounds like there may have to be a BY option too so maybe that’s how things will naturally divide? BY clubs & leagues will draw the most competitive players and SY will be less-competitive and rec-inclined. So hopefully everybody will be happy and find a place.

MLSN, GA, YNTs will stay BY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

The people chasing after SY are Rec minded is the sentiment

Seems odd because school year lines up with high school and college. Levels that only a small percent of 8 year olds get to and college is the highest reasonable level for achievement for almost all but a handful or so of kids in the country every year.

This is not accurate. SY aligns with the ENTRANCE of HS and College.

[Anonymous]

Someone said something earlier about lacrosse, and I think that’s a great place to look for age cutoff, etc. It made me google their cutoff and this is what it says:

https://www.usalacrosse.com/sites/default/files/documents/Games/USAL-AgeGroupChart-15mo-24-25.pdf

15 month window that allows June/July/Aug to play with graduation year. Makes all the sense in the world and would eliminate trapped players and keeps kids in their grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

The people chasing after SY are Rec minded is the sentiment

How are they “rec minded?”

They are pushing for little Timmy to play with his cafeteria buddy on the same team

It's more than that.

Certain parents want to make youth soccer their social outlet. They want to keep their kids on the same teams as kids in their grade at school which is also a parent social outlet + where they spend their time on the PTA.

All of this is done so they can have a tight social circle. With a tight social circle they can control the team working as a group going as far as telling the coach who makes the team and who doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone said something earlier about lacrosse, and I think that’s a great place to look for age cutoff, etc. It made me google their cutoff and this is what it says:

https://www.usalacrosse.com/sites/default/files/documents/Games/USAL-AgeGroupChart-15mo-24-25.pdf

15 month window that allows June/July/Aug to play with graduation year. Makes all the sense in the world and would eliminate trapped players and keeps kids in their grade.

Absolutely agree this 15-month approach would be a great solution. But US Soccer has already announced two SY options for fall 2026, with SY 8/1 cutoff or SY 9/1 cutoff. While it would be wonderful if additional, “creative” solutions like this were discussed/adopted at the big national meeting in late February, I doubt that happens. In which case 8/1 is the lesser evil of the 2 SY pathways offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't see this posted yet. It's a must watch.

https://youtu.be/Scr1UOywbQI?si=GC9Nno7lCnmasMlQ

No one in this thread is going to listen to that guy as soon as they hear him say stop thinking your 8 year old is going pro.

"We have 2.6 million players and most are playing for fun"

US Youth Soccer is a rec league..

So true. And now add the expected change to playdate soccer and truly it will be entrenching a rec league mentality.

Of course all of youth soccer is rec and playdate soccer as none of the kids in these youth leagues get paid. Its kids playing for fun. Seriously, well adjusted adults know this.

No, a small part of youth soccer is rec and baby soccer. Competitive soccer with older teams is how leagues and clubs get their rankings and status and how they draw in more paying customers at a younger age. But it sounds like if the priority is now going to be on rec playdate soccer then leagues and clubs will watch their competitive teams and players leave. Doesn’t seem like a good business model but at least the kids will all be playing with friends and getting participation trophies.

What are you even talking about? This isn't going to end "competitive" soccer.

Why does the BY crowd say a SY registration is “rec” soccer and not competitive?

The people chasing after SY are Rec minded is the sentiment

Seems odd because school year lines up with high school and college. Levels that only a small percent of 8 year olds get to and college is the highest reasonable level for achievement for almost all but a handful or so of kids in the country every year.

This is not accurate. SY aligns with the ENTRANCE of HS and College.

You need accurate lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone said something earlier about lacrosse, and I think that’s a great place to look for age cutoff, etc. It made me google their cutoff and this is what it says:

https://www.usalacrosse.com/sites/default/files/documents/Games/USAL-AgeGroupChart-15mo-24-25.pdf

15 month window that allows June/July/Aug to play with graduation year. Makes all the sense in the world and would eliminate trapped players and keeps kids in their grade.

Absolutely agree this 15-month approach would be a great solution. But US Soccer has already announced two SY options for fall 2026, with SY 8/1 cutoff or SY 9/1 cutoff. While it would be wonderful if additional, “creative” solutions like this were discussed/adopted at the big national meeting in late February, I doubt that happens. In which case 8/1 is the lesser evil of the 2 SY pathways offered.

I don’t think US Soccer announced those as the exclusive options. I read the release again and it says leagues will have reasonable flexibility to implement birth year or school year options, including as an example 8/1 and 9/1.