ECNL moving to school year not calendar

[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.

That isn’t was USSF announced. They announced a BY and SY option, and the SY option is still being decided between 9/1 and 8/1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your mom didn’t think so, and that’s why you were born.

[Anonymous]

Aug. ECNL parents are desperate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aug. ECNL parents are desperate.

Maybe…the SY-nazi-clique has abandoned them….so I can understand why.

[Anonymous]

August parents don’t want their kids to get trapped alone with no one else at grade level. It would be the current August to December trap and the downsides that entails on steroids. Can you blame them for fighting to keep their kids with their grade when a SY format comes? Are they really asking for some terrible, extreme, ridiculous thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

That isn’t was USSF announced. They announced a BY and SY option, and the SY option is still being decided between 9/1 and 8/1.

Read it again and let me know what you think.

[Anonymous]

So many other sports (AAU basketball, travel baseball and lacrosse as examples) provide for more than a 12 month age range for a given enrollment group. Why can’t soccer do the same? And why are parents with summer birthday kids shunned for advocating for it in the soccer context? Kids are getting villainized here based on when they were born and enrolled in school as a little kid and it’s just senseless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many other sports (AAU basketball, travel baseball and lacrosse as examples) provide for more than a 12 month age range for a given enrollment group. Why can’t soccer do the same? And why are parents with summer birthday kids shunned for advocating for it in the soccer context? Kids are getting villainized here based on when they were born and enrolled in school as a little kid and it’s just senseless.

Agree. And just wait for some ignorant moron to start yelling “cheater!” because, well, they’re an ignorant moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:August parents don’t want their kids to get trapped alone with no one else at grade level. It would be the current August to December trap and the downsides that entails on steroids. Can you blame them for fighting to keep their kids with their grade when a SY format comes? Are they really asking for some terrible, extreme, ridiculous thing?

Not all, nothing like those awful July parents… or even the nasty March parents…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

That isn’t was USSF announced. They announced a BY and SY option, and the SY option is still being decided between 9/1 and 8/1.

Read it again and let me know what you think.

“ There is recognition that there are many leagues and clubs at the recreational level who currently organize around the school year – which could mean August 1 or September 1. Organizing around school year should be a local market / member decision”


“ Members and leagues will have reasonable flexibility to choose between birth year or school year for the 2026-2027 season. We are conducting a thorough review of considerations and best practices to equip members, leagues, and clubs with making the right registration choice for the 2026-2027 season. This includes understanding more about the implications between various school year start dates (e.g., 8/1 vs. 9/1) and how to resolve instances where teams organized with different registration calendars want to
compete.”

BY or SY option. And they are unsure which SY option to prescribe….pretty straightforward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your mom didn’t think so, and that’s why you were born.

You also need logic lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your mom didn’t think so, and that’s why you were born.

You also need logic lessons.

You’re right, it was a dumb decision. Yet here you are, and you’re welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Your mom didn’t think so, and that’s why you were born.

You also need logic lessons.

You’re right, it was a dumb decision. Yet here you are, and you’re welcome.

You need anonymous lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

That isn’t was USSF announced. They announced a BY and SY option, and the SY option is still being decided between 9/1 and 8/1.

Read it again and let me know what you think.

“ There is recognition that there are many leagues and clubs at the recreational level who currently organize around the school year – which could mean August 1 or September 1. Organizing around school year should be a local market / member decision”


“ Members and leagues will have reasonable flexibility to choose between birth year or school year for the 2026-2027 season. We are conducting a thorough review of considerations and best practices to equip members, leagues, and clubs with making the right registration choice for the 2026-2027 season. This includes understanding more about the implications between various school year start dates (e.g., 8/1 vs. 9/1) and how to resolve instances where teams organized with different registration calendars want to
compete.”

BY or SY option. And they are unsure which SY option to prescribe….pretty straightforward.

Ehh, I sort of agree but also think there is flexibility in what they decide. If they’re going for a true school year option, it would seem that the release gives a league/association/etc. the leeway to do what they feel is best to accomplish their goal. That’s why it says they have reasonable flexibility with the suggestion of 8/1 and 9/1. But we will see what happens.

[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?

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.

What are you even responding to?