DCUM Forum

Anonymous

01/21/2026 16:22 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current youngers in ECNL are approximately 25% according to the public data.

With the change, I highly doubt there will be more than 5-10% of grade below playing on any older team. Slightly different in Sept+ and August states but not by much since there weren’t that many kids in those months to begin with.

So grade is going to be a fair proxy if 95% of kids are corresponding to the same grade in school vs 75% as is.

Yes there will be edge cases with hold backs or exceptional players or random school start dates but lets stop governing by minor exception vs the rule.

You arent seeing a bunch of May, June and July holdbacks in ECNL grad year info. Expect at least 10 percent of players off of the more traditional grade year from so many birth months that the only a rule to go grade year would be able to make club soccer grade year. And their just isn't the documentation for grades to make grad year enforceable in any way.

Aug birthdays playing with their grade doesnt have to be enforceable. It works because players get better visability with college coaches and clubs because of player better visibility to college coaches gets more college committments.

Add in that 8th grade teams dont have 9th grade players leaving the team for 3 month during the season to ay HS soccer.

Theres reasons all round to play Aug birthdays with their grade in school.

College visability is much, much less assistant coach coaches with a clipboard scouring the boodunk towns look for that star than responding to player interest. Go watch a college recruiting guide and you will see it is almost all push driven. Youth team rosters are so big that missing a month or so of games for an 8 the grade team won't matter and MLSN1 recruiting is based on tryouts at practice. Just being the best player possible is allow that matters. There's reasons for Aug births to take it case by case depending on what their club allows.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 16:09 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current youngers in ECNL are approximately 25% according to the public data.

With the change, I highly doubt there will be more than 5-10% of grade below playing on any older team. Slightly different in Sept+ and August states but not by much since there weren’t that many kids in those months to begin with.

So grade is going to be a fair proxy if 95% of kids are corresponding to the same grade in school vs 75% as is.

Yes there will be edge cases with hold backs or exceptional players or random school start dates but lets stop governing by minor exception vs the rule.

You arent seeing a bunch of May, June and July holdbacks in ECNL grad year info. Expect at least 10 percent of players off of the more traditional grade year from so many birth months that the only a rule to go grade year would be able to make club soccer grade year. And their just isn't the documentation for grades to make grad year enforceable in any way.

Aug birthdays playing with their grade doesnt have to be enforceable. It works because players get better visability with college coaches and clubs because of player better visibility to college coaches gets more college committments.

Add in that 8th grade teams dont have 9th grade players leaving the team for 3 month during the season to ay HS soccer.

Theres reasons all round to play Aug birthdays with their grade in school.

It also helps boys because if you're playing a grade down level in SY it would be nearly impossible to get recruited to play on a MLSN HG BY team. This is because the BY players would be older and there would be biobanders which are even older.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 16:05 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current youngers in ECNL are approximately 25% according to the public data.

With the change, I highly doubt there will be more than 5-10% of grade below playing on any older team. Slightly different in Sept+ and August states but not by much since there weren’t that many kids in those months to begin with.

So grade is going to be a fair proxy if 95% of kids are corresponding to the same grade in school vs 75% as is.

Yes there will be edge cases with hold backs or exceptional players or random school start dates but lets stop governing by minor exception vs the rule.

You arent seeing a bunch of May, June and July holdbacks in ECNL grad year info. Expect at least 10 percent of players off of the more traditional grade year from so many birth months that the only a rule to go grade year would be able to make club soccer grade year. And their just isn't the documentation for grades to make grad year enforceable in any way.

Aug birthdays playing with their grade doesnt have to be enforceable. It works because players get better visability with college coaches and clubs because of player better visibility to college coaches gets more college committments.

Add in that 8th grade teams dont have 9th grade players leaving the team for 3 month during the season to ay HS soccer.

Theres reasons all round to play Aug birthdays with their grade in school.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 15:42 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our club: current U15 players born after Aug 1 but are in HS will be playing U15 again & those born before Aug 1 but are in 8th grade will be playing at U16. Not allowing dual roster for HS Aug/Sep birthdays.

Parent thought the club would align with the SY but that's not happening: 8th grade parents want their kids to play U15 again and the HS parents want their kids in U16. There are a lot more pre-Aug1 born red-shirts that will be playing with kids 'up' in the next grade. Parents & players are unhappy & the club doesn't give a F.

This is exactly what Ive been saying would happen for over a year. The more competitive the club the more it should translate into college committments. Because of this you'll see Aug birthday players wanting to play up on the correct grade in school team for college recruiting purposes.

Clubs have 2 options to address.

1. Play all August September birthdays on the correct grade in school team from a young age. This sounds difficult but all you have to do is ask players what grade they are in school in addition to a valid birth cert.

2. Dual roster August September birthdays on the grade down team and grade up team at the same time. Then gradually ween them away from the grade down team. By HS they should 100% be playing "up" on the correct grade in school team. This allows collge recruiting to 100% work for all players on the team.

Yey clubs said play on age, best get to play up. They aren't trying to go grade year for you only. And college coaches said to 2 teams and a Facebook chat you forwarded that they don't care the age group of the recruits. Only blackballed from recruiting are those that don't have the right GPA.

This Grade person is either certifiable and a candidate for one flew over the cuckoo's nest, or he's just messing with you for fun

Certifiable/boomer who is guided by gut feelings sans facts, can't seem to understand that his opinion isn't a fact, it's a biased hope and a prayer. Probably retired in a home trying to bulldoze for his granddaughter. Anon forums buggered up by anon like folks.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 15:21 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:Current youngers in ECNL are approximately 25% according to the public data.

With the change, I highly doubt there will be more than 5-10% of grade below playing on any older team. Slightly different in Sept+ and August states but not by much since there weren’t that many kids in those months to begin with.

So grade is going to be a fair proxy if 95% of kids are corresponding to the same grade in school vs 75% as is.

Yes there will be edge cases with hold backs or exceptional players or random school start dates but lets stop governing by minor exception vs the rule.

You arent seeing a bunch of May, June and July holdbacks in ECNL grad year info. Expect at least 10 percent of players off of the more traditional grade year from so many birth months that the only a rule to go grade year would be able to make club soccer grade year. And their just isn't the documentation for grades to make grad year enforceable in any way.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 15:16 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:Midwest large club, age group is already becoming a blood bath.

One team is looking like only 5-6 holdovers from this year. Not the rule but all of our top teams are looking at significant turnover.

This will be the found Jesus moment for so many parents of Aug- Dec births wanting them to stay with their old teams. When you realize that 7-8 from the bench get replaced with 7-8 new starters, the flex of wanting to play up will go away. Smaller, lower tier local clubs will probably have a tiny bit of loyalty though.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 15:11 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:Current youngers in ECNL are approximately 25% according to the public data.

With the change, I highly doubt there will be more than 5-10% of grade below playing on any older team. Slightly different in Sept+ and August states but not by much since there weren’t that many kids in those months to begin with.

So grade is going to be a fair proxy if 95% of kids are corresponding to the same grade in school vs 75% as is.

Yes there will be edge cases with hold backs or exceptional players or random school start dates but lets stop governing by minor exception vs the rule.

25 states have an enrollment date of 8/31 or 9/1. 6 states have an enrollment date of 7/31 or 8/1. So if half of the country starts enrollment in September, why does youth soccer use a cutoff that aligns with only 6 states? If anything choosing 8/1 as the SY cutoff is letting the minority dictate things.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 14:43 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Midwest large club, age group is already becoming a blood bath.

One team is looking like only 5-6 holdovers from this year. Not the rule but all of our top teams are looking at significant turnover.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 14:39 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:Here's the point - if my 2011 is playing with sophomores, and the recruiters are at the showcase to recruit juniors, then they are not going over to other fields that are likely far away to just see my one kid playing because he happens to be a junior. This is why you want your kid playing with their grad year - because recruiters are typically focused on one grad year at a time. If he was super special maybe they would go out of their way, but that's not going to be the case most of the time.

This is 100% correct

Anonymous

01/21/2026 14:39 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our club: current U15 players born after Aug 1 but are in HS will be playing U15 again & those born before Aug 1 but are in 8th grade will be playing at U16. Not allowing dual roster for HS Aug/Sep birthdays.

Parent thought the club would align with the SY but that's not happening: 8th grade parents want their kids to play U15 again and the HS parents want their kids in U16. There are a lot more pre-Aug1 born red-shirts that will be playing with kids 'up' in the next grade. Parents & players are unhappy & the club doesn't give a F.

This is exactly what Ive been saying would happen for over a year. The more competitive the club the more it should translate into college committments. Because of this you'll see Aug birthday players wanting to play up on the correct grade in school team for college recruiting purposes.

Clubs have 2 options to address.

1. Play all August September birthdays on the correct grade in school team from a young age. This sounds difficult but all you have to do is ask players what grade they are in school in addition to a valid birth cert.

2. Dual roster August September birthdays on the grade down team and grade up team at the same time. Then gradually ween them away from the grade down team. By HS they should 100% be playing "up" on the correct grade in school team. This allows collge recruiting to 100% work for all players on the team.

Yey clubs said play on age, best get to play up. They aren't trying to go grade year for you only. And college coaches said to 2 teams and a Facebook chat you forwarded that they don't care the age group of the recruits. Only blackballed from recruiting are those that don't have the right GPA.

This Grade person is either certifiable and a candidate for one flew over the cuckoo's nest, or he's just messing with you for fun

Anonymous

01/21/2026 14:39 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

You are correct, unfortunately theres a very determined (Virtginia state employee with unlimited time on their hands) troll that responds over and over trying to spin things that don't align with reality.

Just like the justification of kids playing with other kids their grade which was the entire reason for changing from BY to SY. You dont want Aug birthdays playing on a grade down team. You're just exchanging one issue (trapped BY players) for another. Which btw is corrected by Aug birthdays playing up with their grade in school.

Anonymous

01/21/2026 14:38 Subject: Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?

Anonymous wrote:

Ok, so lets tie this back to, “ Trapped/Re-aging Families, How are you having the conversation?”

The responses on this board really show a clear lack of understanding of anything related to this age change and college recruiting - wow, impressive to misunderstand so many things.

I'll attempt a real response because I currently have an August child who is in the correct grade (in this case, 9th) and with the age change, would fall into an age range with primarily 9th graders in the fall. His current coach has expressed that he can stay with his school year team despite his birthday (so will play with 10th graders in the fall as he will be in 10th). He is likely trying out at one or two other clubs - one of the requirements will be that he will only try out for clubs that would allow him to play with his grade. It does not do him any good to play with kids in a grade lower for a variety of reasons including the physical and mental challenges and recruiting. In addition, the whole idea of the change was so kids can play with their school grade. I could quote at least five different references to this in the US soccer/US club soccer communications. I acknowledge there will be clubs that disregard the goal and focus on their own selfish goals, but that does not in any way help my kid.

I do agree that playing with your school grade is definitely helpful if you attend showcases where coaches can see you play. If you are playing with a lower grade, there's a good chance coaches will not have an opportunity to watch and they already have too many players to see. Having said that, it's 2026 and your best bet at getting a coach to watch you is to email them and then attend their specific ID clinic.