Anonymous
01/04/2026 09:02
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Participants
The sample consisted of 1417 Division I volleyball athletes, including 1253 women and 164 males. Secondary data from the 2020–2021 school year were collected from the official athletic department websites, including 116 out of the 334 Division I women’s volleyball programs (represented 37% all DI Schools) and 12 out of the 48 combined Division I and II Men’s volleyball programs (represented 25% of all DI/II schools). This represented all the publicly available data at these levels and included, at minimum, each athlete’s birth month and birthday (see Supplementary Data File).
3.1. Participants
The sample consisted of 1417 Division I volleyball athletes, including 1253 women and 164 males. Secondary data from the 2020–2021 school year were collected from the official athletic department websites, including 116 out of the 334 Division I women’s volleyball programs (represented 37% all DI Schools) and 12 out of the 48 combined Division I and II Men’s volleyball programs (represented 25% of all DI/II schools). This represented all the publicly available data at these levels and included, at minimum, each athlete’s birth month and birthday (see Supplementary Data File).
Anonymous
01/04/2026 09:00
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:BTW that article about volleyball is dumb. From the first sentence you can see the authors bias. Instead of letting the data determine the results they defined and opinion and intended to "prove" their opinion with the results..
I looked a little closer. There isnt any data used un the article. The author just cites other authors picking and choosing quotes that support their opinion.
You are lying about the article, big time, because it challenges your whole RAE is false notion.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:57
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
The truth is being misaligned will make it harder just like it'll be harder if you are forced to play up. Both would be an extra hurdle to overcome. Not impossible in either case for the talented/hardest working but it would stymie many others in either situation. Interestingly, with how it's shaking out, we'll have clubs some clubs that go with grade and the oldest and others who make it case-by-case.
Correct being misaligned will make college recruiting much harder. To address there are two options. Play up with your grade or get held back a year in school. Either way you'll align grade in school with level played in club. Most rational people in this situation will choose to play on the correct grade team.
Why go through all the challenges of being an oddball. Just play your kid on a correct grade team from a young age. When it matters they'll be used to playing at the grade level college coaches are looking for.
That doesn't mean you always need to play with your grade though. Especially for girls when they are 14 or 15 they can realign to play with their grade. They will be done growing at that point and the RAE effect is much much less than it is when they are Ulittle ages.
Thats a lot of extra effort just to use rae to justify playing on a grade down on an A team. You dont think these type of players wont piss off correct grade parents? You dont think these type of players wont become a problem for 8th grade teams when they're playing HS soccer for 3 months during the season? You think correct grade teams will welcome a less developed player from a lower grade team?
Club parents see it as a win to still play another season in club intead of lower-level HS.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:50
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
The truth is being misaligned will make it harder just like it'll be harder if you are forced to play up. Both would be an extra hurdle to overcome. Not impossible in either case for the talented/hardest working but it would stymie many others in either situation. Interestingly, with how it's shaking out, we'll have clubs some clubs that go with grade and the oldest and others who make it case-by-case.
Correct being misaligned will make college recruiting much harder. To address there are two options. Play up with your grade or get held back a year in school. Either way you'll align grade in school with level played in club. Most rational people in this situation will choose to play on the correct grade team.
Why go through all the challenges of being an oddball. Just play your kid on a correct grade team from a young age. When it matters they'll be used to playing at the grade level college coaches are looking for.
That doesn't mean you always need to play with your grade though. Especially for girls when they are 14 or 15 they can realign to play with their grade. They will be done growing at that point and the RAE effect is much much less than it is when they are Ulittle ages.
Thats a lot of extra effort just to use rae to justify playing on a grade down on an A team. You dont think these type of players wont piss off correct grade parents? You dont think these type of players wont become a problem for 8th grade teams when they're playing HS soccer for 3 months during the season? You think correct grade teams will welcome a less developed player from a lower grade team?
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:45
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:BTW that article about volleyball is dumb. From the first sentence you can see the authors bias. Instead of letting the data determine the results they defined and opinion and intended to "prove" their opinion with the results..
I looked a little closer. There isnt any data used un the article. The author just cites other authors picking and choosing quotes that support their opinion.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:45
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
The truth is being misaligned will make it harder just like it'll be harder if you are forced to play up. Both would be an extra hurdle to overcome. Not impossible in either case for the talented/hardest working but it would stymie many others in either situation. Interestingly, with how it's shaking out, we'll have clubs some clubs that go with grade and the oldest and others who make it case-by-case.
Correct being misaligned will make college recruiting much harder. To address there are two options. Play up with your grade or get held back a year in school. Either way you'll align grade in school with level played in club. Most rational people in this situation will choose to play on the correct grade team.
Why go through all the challenges of being an oddball. Just play your kid on a correct grade team from a young age. When it matters they'll be used to playing at the grade level college coaches are looking for.
That doesn't mean you always need to play with your grade though. Especially for girls when they are 14 or 15 they can realign to play with their grade. They will be done growing at that point and the RAE effect is much much less than it is when they are Ulittle ages.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:40
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
BTW that article about volleyball is dumb. From the first sentence you can see the authors bias. Instead of letting the data determine the results they defined and opinion and intended to "prove" their opinion with the results..
Anonymous
01/04/2026 08:34
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
The truth is being misaligned will make it harder just like it'll be harder if you are forced to play up. Both would be an extra hurdle to overcome. Not impossible in either case for the talented/hardest working but it would stymie many others in either situation. Interestingly, with how it's shaking out, we'll have clubs some clubs that go with grade and the oldest and others who make it case-by-case.
Correct being misaligned will make college recruiting much harder. To address there are two options. Play up with your grade or get held back a year in school. Either way you'll align grade in school with level played in club. Most rational people in this situation will choose to play on the correct grade team.
Why go through all the challenges of being an oddball. Just play your kid on a correct grade team from a young age. When it matters they'll be used to playing at the grade level college coaches are looking for.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 00:44
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:College coaches will notice your grade and won't care about your club age group, which was already established.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."
This is an interesting video. Toward the end they talk about the concerns of "trapped" players and basically say, just make sure you tell them that when you reach out/email and be specific about what field and when, and if they're interested at whatever showcases and you'll get seen.
I have a trapped player who has been trapped for 8 years. It's a PIA. In the future there will be fewer trapped players. that is a good thing. For those who are trapped the benefits come at younger years--you get pushed playing with older players. By U-16 it is a detriment because you miss exposure opportunities being misaligned in your grad year (the one exception might be if you are the top .0001% who is better than all the older kids. Either way, you have to put in a lot more work and effort with colleges. Its not insurmountable, but its work and explanation and confusion with college coaches who presume you are a grade older. That can help at times, but then you have to keep that interest alive for 12 months. Critically, as a U-19, your trapped kid will be screwed in spring which should be the height of your recruiting process (boys), or the tail end for girls....but when all your team checks out because they either decided not to play college soccer or because they are committed. Your team isn't eligible for key college showcases or tournaments in spring as a U19. Its not automatic that you simply join as a starter on the team 'down' in spring as they already have a full roster... so have a plan now for college recruiting so that you don't miss out on those 6-12 months.
Anonymous
01/04/2026 00:08
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
RAE exists in college volleyball, even with all the different cutoffs. ... Chaos Caused by Different Cutoff Dates: Relative Age Effects and Redshirting in Collegiate Volleyball in the United States... https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/2/53#sports-13-00053-t001
"No matter the confusion caused by the numerous cutoff dates for school in the United States, RAEs are prevalent in men and women’s volleyball when accounting for the school cutoff and athletic timing. This provides an unfair advantage to those born closer to their state’s cutoff date. Though these individuals are affected by two dates (club and school), our data suggested the following: (1) Women’s school group did follow the expected RAE pattern of Q1 > Q2 > Q3 > Q4, with the on-time athletes having stronger RAEs. There was no significance associated with redshirting. (2) The on-time club group showed AT was a significant contributor to RAEs. (3) RAE in the school men’s group was only significant for the OT men. There was no significance associated with redshirting (4) There was no significant findings related to the club cutoff. Overall, the school cutoff date seemed to be predominant, as shown by the fact that about half of the men were affected by two cutoff dates five months apart, but only RAEs related to the school cutoff date were present. Additionally, women were found to have stronger significant distributions when comparing the school and club data as a whole and for OT athletes. It is important to acknowledge there may be unintended consequences when adapting the existing age group structures; thus, it is important to ensure that such attempts are evaluated before being widely implemented. That being said, continuing to investigate ways to reduce RAEs, including redshirting, is necessary. For volleyball to continue to grow in popularity in the United States and around the world, the goal should be to even the playing field at early ages for all who want to be involved in the sport."
"No matter the confusion caused by the numerous cutoff dates for school in the United States, RAEs are prevalent in men and women’s volleyball when accounting for the school cutoff and athletic timing. This provides an unfair advantage to those born closer to their state’s cutoff date. Though these individuals are affected by two dates (club and school), our data suggested the following: (1) Women’s school group did follow the expected RAE pattern of Q1 > Q2 > Q3 > Q4, with the on-time athletes having stronger RAEs. There was no significance associated with redshirting. (2) The on-time club group showed AT was a significant contributor to RAEs. (3) RAE in the school men’s group was only significant for the OT men. There was no significance associated with redshirting (4) There was no significant findings related to the club cutoff. Overall, the school cutoff date seemed to be predominant, as shown by the fact that about half of the men were affected by two cutoff dates five months apart, but only RAEs related to the school cutoff date were present. Additionally, women were found to have stronger significant distributions when comparing the school and club data as a whole and for OT athletes. It is important to acknowledge there may be unintended consequences when adapting the existing age group structures; thus, it is important to ensure that such attempts are evaluated before being widely implemented. That being said, continuing to investigate ways to reduce RAEs, including redshirting, is necessary. For volleyball to continue to grow in popularity in the United States and around the world, the goal should be to even the playing field at early ages for all who want to be involved in the sport."
Anonymous
01/03/2026 23:37
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:College coaches will notice your grade and won't care about your club age group, which was already established.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."
This is an interesting video. Toward the end they talk about the concerns of "trapped" players and basically say, just make sure you tell them that when you reach out/email and be specific about what field and when, and if they're interested at whatever showcases and you'll get seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrqUSNtRbfw&t=2s
Anonymous
01/03/2026 23:31
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
College coaches will notice your grade and won't care about your club age group, which was already established.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups
"The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."
Anonymous
01/03/2026 23:30
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
The truth is being misaligned will make it harder just like it'll be harder if you are forced to play up. Both would be an extra hurdle to overcome. Not impossible in either case for the talented/hardest working but it would stymie many others in either situation. Interestingly, with how it's shaking out, we'll have clubs some clubs that go with grade and the oldest and others who make it case-by-case.
Anonymous
01/03/2026 23:17
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.
Not even close to the dumb idea of playing down a grade and thinking that college coaches wont notice.
Anonymous
01/03/2026 23:12
Subject: ECNL moving to school year part 2
Anonymous wrote:As the oldest, August players have the highest chance to play in college under SY.
Except for any Aug players forced to play up because of grade. Then, they become the youngest. So stupid of an idea.