Anonymous wrote:Rip that band aid off yall!

Totally ...

This club -- Sporting Blue Valley which offers MLSN and ECNL in Kansas -- doesn't seem to want to deal with grade at all ... From page 15 of their presentation:

"School Grade is Irrelevant: It is much easier to consider the new age-group
placement as relative to the August 1st cutoff and is not tied to their school grade
level (whether they have been held back or are ahead)."

Page 19

"Can players play up a grade level?
SURVEY - Playing Up
SBV will retain the same policy we’ve always had: A player may play up an age
group only if they make the top team in that older division.
❖ Exceptions: Exceptions are rare and reserved for specific Goalkeeper situations
or to combine two small player pools to form a viable team.
Why we aren't delaying the changes:
❖ We have chosen to "rip the Band-Aid off" rather than kick the can down the road.
❖ While we could artificially keep current teams together by moving everyone to
an older age group, we would eventually be forced to fix it.
❖ We believe it is better to realign correctly now. This avoids years of confusion
and temporary fixes, ensuring every player is on the correct long-term
development path immediately"

https://storage.googleapis.com/msgsndr/YNEbnN...173966b1e3b3b9c2.pdf

Anonymous wrote:https://www.matchfitsurf.com/age-change-faqs

Aswe move toward the 2026–2027 season and beyond, our goal is for teams to be fully aligned with a player’s school grade whenever possible. This provides greater social continuity, roster stability, and a clearer long-term development pathway

Even Match Fit says their national teams will be case-by-case ... The whole grade thing for friends is state/rec in design.

Play-up opportunities on our national level teams will be minimized to safeguard long term player development, competitive integrity, and roster balance. State teams will have greater flexibility.

Any consideration for team placement because of age/grade anomalies will be made collaboratively by the Directors and Coaching Staff. When considering a player to play up, the following criteria will guide the decision – Impact on player development, competition level and recruitment opportunities as well as team needs and roster balance. Guiding Principle – All decisions will prioritize what is best for the player and the overall team environment.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.pennfusion.org/age-group-changes

Age Group Changes FAQs

WILL REGISTRATION NOW BE BASED ON THE PLAYER'S SCHOOL GRADE?

YES, school grade is the main determining factor for team placement.

The vast majority of players will play on the age group that aligns with their school grade (*only if their brith date does not restrict them - ie players can not play ‘down’ an age group).

Selected players may be asked to play in an age group different to their school grade for developmental reasons per the Technical Staff (*only if their DOB allows this).

Keep reading with Penn Fusion ... They're basically case-by-case, too, especially at higher levels vs. rec ...

CAN MY CHILD PLAY UP AN AGE GROUP?

Academy/Travel:

Playing up may be an option for select players, for developmental reasons only.

These ‘select’ players will be contacted by the Technical Staff ahead of tryouts.

Communication will be only initiated by the Technical Staff to families (not in reverse order).

Rec Players:

Players may only ‘play up’ if it aligns players with their appropriate school grade.

Anonymous wrote:Rip that band aid off yall!

Its going to happen everyone knows it. Will be fun torturing age guy with reality for the next 5 months. At what point do you think he'll break and accept it. I'm guessing around July. He's super stubborn and arrogant.

Rip that band aid off yall!

Anonymous wrote:One of the biggest clubs in Texas sent an email to all the parents saying the following:

1. Switch to new birth dates
2. All players will play with their appropriate age category
3. August birthday kids can stay up if they’re a year ahead in school
4. Spring practice will be aligned with the appropriate school year
5. The kids will be sorted to the appropriate level in order to be as competitive as possible as a club
6. The team your kid is asked to train with is the team the club assumes he will be placed with next season, but they will evaluate levels

Anonymous wrote:https://www.pennfusion.org/age-group-changes

Age Group Changes FAQs

WILL REGISTRATION NOW BE BASED ON THE PLAYER'S SCHOOL GRADE?

YES, school grade is the main determining factor for team placement.

The vast majority of players will play on the age group that aligns with their school grade (*only if their brith date does not restrict them - ie players can not play ‘down’ an age group).

Selected players may be asked to play in an age group different to their school grade for developmental reasons per the Technical Staff (*only if their DOB allows this).

For every Penn Fusion there are hundreds of Dcsc's. And being DCUM, the commute to Pa would make it not an option for this thread.

https://www.dcsoccerclub.org/age-group-change

Can players be placed outside their age group in order to stay with their current team?
Players will register for tryouts and will be placed in their designated age group.


Players will not “play up” in an effort to remain with their current team. Players will play on-age in accordance with the updated school-year age cut-off.

Technical staff only can recommend a player play with an older age group if it is clearly in the player’s best developmental interest. This is not the parents or player’s decision.

Please note that the U18 and U19 age groups are combined in our travel leagues and listed as U19.

One of the biggest clubs in Texas sent an email to all the parents saying the following:

1. Switch to new birth dates
2. All players will play with their appropriate age category
3. August birthday kids can stay up if they’re a year ahead in school
4. Spring practice will be aligned with the appropriate school year
5. The kids will be sorted to the appropriate level in order to be as competitive as possible as a club
6. The team your kid is asked to train with is the team the club assumes he will be placed with next season, but they will evaluate levels

Anonymous wrote:https://www.pennfusion.org/age-group-changes

Age Group Changes FAQs

WILL REGISTRATION NOW BE BASED ON THE PLAYER'S SCHOOL GRADE?

YES, school grade is the main determining factor for team placement.

The vast majority of players will play on the age group that aligns with their school grade (*only if their brith date does not restrict them - ie players can not play ‘down’ an age group).

Selected players may be asked to play in an age group different to their school grade for developmental reasons per the Technical Staff (*only if their DOB allows this).

This is beyond Dumb

Players have to play within the League Age Cutoff group based on DOB.
Period

https://www.pennfusion.org/age-group-changes

Age Group Changes FAQs

WILL REGISTRATION NOW BE BASED ON THE PLAYER'S SCHOOL GRADE?

YES, school grade is the main determining factor for team placement.

The vast majority of players will play on the age group that aligns with their school grade (*only if their brith date does not restrict them - ie players can not play ‘down’ an age group).

Selected players may be asked to play in an age group different to their school grade for developmental reasons per the Technical Staff (*only if their DOB allows this).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.matchfitsurf.com/age-change-faqs

Aswe move toward the 2026–2027 season and beyond, our goal is for teams to be fully aligned with a player’s school grade whenever possible. This provides greater social continuity, roster stability, and a clearer long-term development pathway

There is one Matchfit but there's multitude upon multitude of Bethesda's (case by case, nobody forced up an age group.)

Will my player be allowed to ``move up`` with their friends/teammates if they fall into the lower age group?
We generally encourage players to participate within their designated age group to ensure appropriate development, balance in competition, and alignment with the new age group cutoff dates. However, we understand every circumstance is different. Requests for players to “play up” with an older age group will be reviewed on an individual basis and considered in collaboration with coaches and club leadership.

https://www.bethesdasoccer.org/age-group-change/

Will be reviewed to appease you, then your request will be placed in File T 🗑 🚮

Anonymous wrote:https://www.matchfitsurf.com/age-change-faqs

Aswe move toward the 2026–2027 season and beyond, our goal is for teams to be fully aligned with a player’s school grade whenever possible. This provides greater social continuity, roster stability, and a clearer long-term development pathway

There is one Matchfit but there's multitude upon multitude of Bethesda's (case by case, nobody forced up an age group.)

Will my player be allowed to ``move up`` with their friends/teammates if they fall into the lower age group?
We generally encourage players to participate within their designated age group to ensure appropriate development, balance in competition, and alignment with the new age group cutoff dates. However, we understand every circumstance is different. Requests for players to “play up” with an older age group will be reviewed on an individual basis and considered in collaboration with coaches and club leadership.

https://www.bethesdasoccer.org/age-group-change/

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Anonymous wrote:It's obvious that you're a youngers parent and dont understand how olders + college recruiting works (with girls).

Not a mystery, pretty basic, as Eastside said, "College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team."

https://www.eastsidefc.or.../agegroups

And then their are multiple guides like this recent one helping players realize that they need to do a bunch to initiate and maintain communication and how to get noticed. "For players aspiring to play soccer at the collegiate level, understanding the recruiting process is essential. One of the best ways to engage with college coaches and build relationships is through college ID camps."

https://www.dcxiproject.com/post/how-to-get-recruited-to-play-college-soccer

There are a bunch of guides and they all point out that you being proactive is recruiting.

This is it. You impress at an ID camp and the coach says, tell me where/when I can watch you at the next showcase. So, getting to the showcase where you both will be at is critical. Not all teams/clubs can get you to that showcase.

And they go to the Showcase only to find Aug birthdays playing down. Then immediately move on to the next player.

When you start playing college soccer, don't you start playing with others who are three or four years older? So why would one year make a difference?

Wait!
What?

In college the kids don't play on grade?

Thats why college coaches will ignore Aug birthdays that choose to play down. If you cant handle playing with your grade in High School you definitely wont be able to handle playing against players 3-5 years older and 3-4 grades older in. college.

Pretty simple.

100% correct age troll just wants a way to play down. College coaches see through the Trojan Horses that aren't good enough to play with their grade.

Nice parroting your own post.

Only can play down in MLSN. College coaches don't care about kids ages or their teams. They take the best players whether transfers, internationals or HS regardless of their team. Beyond puberty, the differences in age groups have shrunk. Evaluators know how to evaluate, don't you worry.

Yes they do know how to evaluate. Which is why they'll pass on the play downer trojan horses.

Expect they said they wouldn't pass on recruits based on their age group or team. It's why they take recruits from transfers, foreign, good club teams and bad club teams. They recruit the player, who reaches out to them, not the team they play on.

If you cant play on a team thats your grade is school you wont be able to compete in college. Pretty simple.

If I was a college coach I wouldn't recruit Aug birthdays choosing to play down a grade.

This must have been what college coaches told FC Copa which is why they made the decision to group all Aug birthdays on their grade in school team.

"If I was a college coach" but you are not you are a random non coaching parent.

The smart bet would be to side with Bethesda, NVA, Loudon, Coppermine etc. over getting kids to college rather than FC Copa. Heck, even FC Copa said college coaches don't care what age group kids are in.

I'm a normal person that knows through experience playing sports that players choosing to be misaligned playing on a grade down team 99% of the time aren't any good.

You have confirmation bias and selective attention making your judgements based on experience flawed and in compatible with actual science and research. Also, biobanders play soccer in college and no other group can choose to play down.

You are the type thats always looking for an excuse, takes shortcuts. and blames everyone else because of delusional perceived "shortcomings" or things you didn't get out of life.

Nobody cares, you will get pushed to the side and ignored once clubs switch to SY.

Thank you for conceding with a a final crying "parents just don't understand" lash out without offering any new info.

No just you. parents understand why August birthday players should play on the team thats their grade in school.

Since school grade teams dont exist in club travel soccer, are you talking about robotics team?

Ok pedantic

Yes grade in school exists in club soccer. In fact getting more players to play on teams with their grade level cohorts was listed by all major leagues as the reason for switching back from BY to SY.

Which major leagues are you talking about?

THE Major League, MLS Next, is BY

Anonymous wrote:https://www.matchfitsurf.com/age-change-faqs

Aswe move toward the 2026–2027 season and beyond, our goal is for teams to be fully aligned with a player’s school grade whenever possible. This provides greater social continuity, roster stability, and a clearer long-term development pathway

Which coach picks his roster pool or game day roster based on school grades? 😂😂

Yeah, let's skip the soccer needs of the team and worry about making 3 parents happy hahaha

https://www.matchfitsurf.com/age-change-faqs

Aswe move toward the 2026–2027 season and beyond, our goal is for teams to be fully aligned with a player’s school grade whenever possible. This provides greater social continuity, roster stability, and a clearer long-term development pathway