Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:47     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
I agree that you have to look at sports across the board. Having had two girls in middle school and high school sports, I can tell you that it's a combination of these things. Many kids (boys included) realize they can't manage school and multiple sports so they start to specialize in one thus dropping the others sports. Two, the clubs have to use their field space and coaches to make way for younger teams so they usually drop some of the lower teams. And this is when ECNL/GA start so you don't see those top teams in NCSL. I can tell you that the numbers decrease every year starting in about 8th grade for all of these reasons and girls still do move around to different clubs. But yes, the competition is much higher as the girls left in high school are the ones that are committed.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:33     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Homework workloads tend to increase around this time (they was a noticeable uptick in 7th grade) so some girls make a choice to cut back the number of sports to focus on academics, especially if they aren’t on a top team (even if they still like playing the sport).
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:27     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Anonymous wrote:For larger clubs isn’t that when teams move to ECNL/GA?


This is the answer. The best girls are playing in a different league.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:22     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
It’s also the age when they may be first team lacrosse, softball, basketball etc…

The gap in your data is looking at just one sport.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:17     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Anonymous wrote:There’s a crazy stat out there about most girls dropping out of organized sports by 12/13.


That’s the age rec sports end in most leagues. If you don’t have the time/money/desire for travel, your options are limited.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 08:05     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Anonymous wrote:It is just the cream rises to the top. And if you want to be part of that cream and continue past U13 with bigger goals , you got to work harder with parent support and get to a top first team. Otherwise, it is better to drop and focus on other things. Playing in a second team or below past U13 is a waste of time unless the kid just wants to use sports to hang out with friends and have fun.

What other reason would there be to play a sport? Notice the word “play”. We play a sport. Play=fun. A job is not fun. We don’t play a job we work a job. Work is not fun. What a strange comment to suggest we drop things that are for fun and play at 13 years old or any age really.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 07:33     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Anonymous wrote:There’s a crazy stat out there about most girls dropping out of organized sports by 12/13.


If you’re not on a top team why pay 3-4k a year to drive sometimes even to *Maryland* (gross) for the privilege of confirming how bad you are. This is America, we play to win or we don’t play at all.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 07:32     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
For larger clubs isn’t that when teams move to ECNL/GA?
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 07:17     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
There’s a crazy stat out there about most girls dropping out of organized sports by 12/13.
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 06:19     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Anonymous wrote:I’ve been scouring the NCSL website and I noticed that starting at about U13, a lot of clubs that traditionally have a lot of levels of teams suddenly drop off and only have one or two teams. Is this due to girls dropping out of the sport or do clubs drop a whole level from the club because the girls can’t compete as well. I realize that team sizes get bigger when they move to 11v11, too. What is the likelihood of changing teams at those teenage ages….like U13, 14, 15, or 16. Is there room for kids who want to continue playing or does it become pretty cut throat and too difficult to make a new team at that age….like changing clubs for example. If the demand is there, does a club fill another level of girls to create a team? Interested in answers from those who have experience or who have witnessed the changes.


This is a cross-sport phenomenon
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 05:47     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Covid blip - all clubs having this problem
Anonymous
Post 02/21/2026 05:35     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
It is just the cream rises to the top. And if you want to be part of that cream and continue past U13 with bigger goals , you got to work harder with parent support and get to a top first team. Otherwise, it is better to drop and focus on other things. Playing in a second team or below past U13 is a waste of time unless the kid just wants to use sports to hang out with friends and have fun.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 23:10     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
It happens in all sports. Puberty hits, those who were good players get past by players who were not as good at younger ages, the parents ruin it for kids, they start thinking about the opposite sex, drugs, drinking, cost.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:55     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
Check EDP to round out your data.

NCSL is on life support.
Anonymous
Post 02/20/2026 22:50     Subject: Decline in female players past U13
I’ve been scouring the NCSL website and I noticed that starting at about U13, a lot of clubs that traditionally have a lot of levels of teams suddenly drop off and only have one or two teams. Is this due to girls dropping out of the sport or do clubs drop a whole level from the club because the girls can’t compete as well. I realize that team sizes get bigger when they move to 11v11, too. What is the likelihood of changing teams at those teenage ages….like U13, 14, 15, or 16. Is there room for kids who want to continue playing or does it become pretty cut throat and too difficult to make a new team at that age….like changing clubs for example. If the demand is there, does a club fill another level of girls to create a team? Interested in answers from those who have experience or who have witnessed the changes.