Reply to ECNL moving to school year part 2

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don’t think this will be a one size fits all approach. I have 3 ECNL clubs in my area and all are taking different approaches to this.

Full change for all players no playing up, will allow some kids to play up depending on coaches decision, will let Aug-Dec players who are grade above play up to stay with school grade team (if they are at the level to make the team).[/quote]
Its hard because rational people see that kids want to play on teams with other kids that are their grade in school. Age guy wants plastic trophies and doesnt care what his kid would prefer.

Coaches are stuck in the middle. They know that Aug birthdays playing on the team thats their grade in school is the way to go. But the play downers are always looking to ways to cheat by playing their kid down against younger players. Which makes things difficult.[/quote]

Cheat? You must be trolling.[/quote]
If you actually read the statements put out by US Soccer, USYS, US Club, Etc everyone said the same thing. The decision to change back from BY to SY is occurring so more players can play on teams with other kids that are the same grade in school. I believe "grade level cohort" was the exact term used. The theory behind the change was that if more players played on a team that is their grade in school it would translate into higher levels of participation.

Once the change fron BY to SY occurs a weird quirk will happen where some Aug birthdays will become "trapped" in the opposite way that players were trapped in BY. But this is easily addressed by playing Aug birthdays on their correct grade in school team because you can always play up if needed.

Seems clear to me that US Soccer, USYS, and US Club think Aug birthdays should play on their correct grade in school team. Not down on a team with players that are all a grade lower in school.[/quote] Colorado Rapids offers the reasons they went age groups instead of grade year.  Fair, consistent and safety are offered. Feel free to ignore at the expense of your intelligence.

Will players be organized strictly by their school grade? 
No. Players will be organized by "School-Year Age Groups" (August 1-July 31), not by their specific academic grade.

Here is the difference: While the new system will naturally align most players with their classmates, "Grade Level" is an academic designation that varies from family to family (due to children starting school early or late, repeating a year, or varying state enrollment dates).

"School-Year Age Groups" use a strict national birthdate range (August 1 to July 31). This ensures a nationwide consistent, fair, and objective standard for safety and competition, regardless of a player’s individual academic path.

Why are teams organized by the August 1–July 31 date range rather than strictly by "Grade Level"? 
While the new age group system is often referred to as "School Year" because it aligns better with school grades than the calendar year, we will use the nationwide age groupings of August 1st to July 31st date range for safety and fairness.

We cannot organize strictly by "Grade" because grade levels are variable, whereas birth dates are factual. Organizing strictly by grade can create significant risks:

The Age Gap Risk: Because kids start school at different ages, are held back, or skip grades, a single grade level can include children whose ages span 2+ years.
Physical Safety: We already see significant physical differences within a standard 12-month age gap. If we were to widen that window to 24+ months (as seen in strict grade-based grouping), the physical disparity becomes dangerous. A "held-back" 13-year-old competing against a young 11-year-old in the same grade poses a real safety concern.

Developmental Fairness: When age gaps widen beyond 12 months, the disparity in talent and physical maturity widens considerably. Keeping the grouping within the August 1–July 31 window ensures players compete with and against peers of similar physiological, emotional, and social maturity.[/quote]

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