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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think the disconnect here is that those who say the fall birthday kids lost a year are judging based on the stage their child is right now, where the other camp is looking at the entire possible course of a kid's travel soccer playing career prior to college.  A Fall birthday kid who started at U9 and "missed" U10 due to the birth year change will play 10 years of travel soccer if he sticks with it:  U9, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, U18 and U19.  His January birthday classmate who started at U9 with him but didn't skip U10 will also play 10 years of travel soccer if he sticks with it:  U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18.

It's true that the fall birthday kids move up to bigger fields and 11 v. 11 earlier than they otherwise would, which is unfortunate in my view. [b] It's also true that they might have fewer travel team options their senior year because most of their birth year age group cohort will be in college.  But I don't think this is likely to be much of a problem.[/b]  Even this year, the first year of the change, there were plenty of teams, leagues, and tournaments that offered a U18/U19 group, and I imagine that will become more standard as time goes on.  And I say this as a parent of a DD with a fall '98 birthday, so we've been through it.

On the plus side, as a PP stated, the Fall birthday kids will likely have an easier transition to HS soccer since they will have been playing with and against older, bigger players for many years.

I'd also note that it's a bit odd to assume everyone starts travel soccer at U9.  My youngest and many of his teammates are on their second or third year of U8, while a lot of kids don't start until U10 or older.  There will also be a huge range of experience for those who do start at U9.  Many will have been playing soccer at home and in their communities since they could walk, while others will come to it cold.  That factor, and others like athletic ability and soccer IQ, make a vastly bigger difference than a year or two difference in a travel program.

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You captured the true impact in what I highlighted above.  The birth year change makes your Junior year your last year playing with "your" team if you have a September - December birth year.  For those kids, they'll either be on a reformed or combined team, or not playing at all.  It certainly will not be the same team they came up through HS age with.[/quote]

Players and coaches change a lot over the years and the team you start with at U10 will be dramatically different than the team at U17 anyways. Thinking that 18 kids will stick together through the years is naive.

And yes, the summation accurately reflects the two camps. So laugh at my numbers all you will, they can serve to present quantitatively what that experience gap may be. From U9-U12 the most important thing is to develop technical skills. If you feel your player is behind due to the "lost year" then use the numbers as a metric to shoot for and get that extra work in so that your player can catch up. Time on the ball doesn't need formal club practice.

I can't speak to the lost social aspect but on the technical side you can get that time on the ball back.

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