Anonymous wrote:You think you can sneak by all the rules and do your own thing. This might work when kids are young but there are repercussions and eventually you'll be forced to align into a standard. Assuming that you want your kid to participate in things like High School or College.

The gist of the original post is that ECNL is moving to school year, 8/1, limited playing up for best, latitude to play up on secondary teams to play with friends as stated in league and club announcements.

College coaches told clubs they don't care about your age group, they take the best players from transfers to International to kids on good youth teams and bad youth teams and have to evaluate them all, like they do now.

No repercussions for playing on age in fact it's beneficial. Oldest have best shot of becoming best and youngest best shot of quitting based on the relative age effects. Cumulative benefits of being the best adding up over the year (the Matthew Effect) gives players the best chance to be their best and least chance to quit when older and the physical differences among the kids in age groups decreases to a minimal amount.

The fact that you are trying to convince others to make uniformed decisions based on your opinion shows how much you need that August girl of your DD's team and don't have the best interest of August kids.

It's a week or so from March, top teams have been created, it's over.

You think you can sneak by all the rules and do your own thing. This might work when kids are young but there are repercussions and eventually you'll be forced to align into a standard. Assuming that you want your kid to participate in things like High School or College.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Facebook thread with parents reporting that clubs are communicating Aug Sept birthdays will be rostered on their grade in school team.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipsforsocceracademy/posts/25881460424815047/

Who's the bigger fool

The parents or the club?

There's no grade in school leagues

College is 100% grade if players intend to play in college they'll need to align to grade in school groupings. Specifically what this means is college coaches are comparing potential recruits against all other players that are in their graduating year or grade in. school.

The owner of the biggest fool trophy has stepped forward to claim their reward

I guess no kids playing up or Sep - Dec kids or Homeschooled kids or International transfers are being recruited by colleges today 😆

All the examples you provided have a defined graduating year assuming that they "graduated" from whatever they want to call "school". This needs to occur before attending college a players freshman year. College admissions will need to establish some form of education level which equates to a graduating year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Facebook thread with parents reporting that clubs are communicating Aug Sept birthdays will be rostered on their grade in school team.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipsforsocceracademy/posts/25881460424815047/

Who's the bigger fool

The parents or the club?

There's no grade in school leagues

College is 100% grade if players intend to play in college they'll need to align to grade in school groupings. Specifically what this means is college coaches are comparing potential recruits against all other players that are in their graduating year or grade in. school.

The owner of the biggest fool trophy has stepped forward to claim their reward

I guess no kids playing up or Sep - Dec kids or Homeschooled kids or International transfers are being recruited by colleges today 😆

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Facebook thread with parents reporting that clubs are communicating Aug Sept birthdays will be rostered on their grade in school team.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipsforsocceracademy/posts/25881460424815047/

Who's the bigger fool

The parents or the club?

There's no grade in school leagues

College is 100% grade if players intend to play in college they'll need to align to grade in school groupings. Specifically what this means is college coaches are comparing potential recruits against all other players that are in their graduating year or grade in. school.

Anonymous wrote:Another Facebook thread with parents reporting that clubs are communicating Aug Sept birthdays will be rostered on their grade in school team.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipsforsocceracademy/posts/25881460424815047/

Who's the bigger fool

The parents or the club?

There's no grade in school leagues

Another Facebook thread with parents reporting that clubs are communicating Aug Sept birthdays will be rostered on their grade in school team.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarshipsforsocceracademy/posts/25881460424815047/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/31 and younger

I think you meant...

I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/1 and younger

Thank you, you are correct.

I think if you add a lower bound to the eligibility "window" when it doesn't really exist some people get into a mindset that below that lower bound isnt eligible when in actuality they are.

Anonymous wrote:I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/31 and younger

I think you meant...

I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/1 and younger

I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/31 and younger

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So I guess the gist of the original post is that ECNL is moving to school year[/quote]

Yes
From 1/1 cutoff to 8/1 cutoff

All else remains the same[/quote]
I like this way of describing BY and SY. If players can play up why define a lower bound?

BY = 1/1-12/31 and SY = 8/1-7/31

Is the same thing as..

BY = 1/1 and younger and SY = 8/31 and younger

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When the world is flat guy (aka school grade) is congratulating himself for winning the argument that club teams will use nonexistent groupings, you know it's definitely time to close shop

Reality is right here.

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

As we 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.

As a coach, I would love to have a solid team, then have some parent come demand I take his kid with 3 left feet to play up so he/she/they can be with their school friends

If a player isnt good enough to play on their grade in school A team then they play on their grade in school B team. Pretty simple

Just didn't work out that way.

If you can't play up, you don't and then you make the highest level team you can in your age group. The way it's always been.

ECNL said 8/1 and they couldn't add grade criteria because their is no official paperwork that can verify grades across the US and ECNL can't put teams in some states at a disadvantage based on school start years.

This one has been over for about a year now. 8/1, best play up if they are good enough, college recruiting not hurt because you just have to max your skills which is often from playing on age and then market yourself to colleges, like now anyway when the time comes.

School Grade Bot doesn't care about logic or reality

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When the world is flat guy (aka school grade) is congratulating himself for winning the argument that club teams will use nonexistent groupings, you know it's definitely time to close shop

Reality is right here.

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

As we 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.

As a coach, I would love to have a solid team, then have some parent come demand I take his kid with 3 left feet to play up so he/she/they can be with their school friends

If a player isnt good enough to play on their grade in school A team then they play on their grade in school B team. Pretty simple

Just didn't work out that way.

If you can't play up, you don't and then you make the highest level team you can in your age group. The way it's always been.

ECNL said 8/1 and they couldn't add grade criteria because their is no official paperwork that can verify grades across the US and ECNL can't put teams in some states at a disadvantage based on school start years.

This one has been over for about a year now. 8/1, best play up if they are good enough, college recruiting not hurt because you just have to max your skills which is often from playing on age and then market yourself to colleges, like now anyway when the time comes.

Anonymous wrote:So I guess the gist of the original post is that ECNL is moving to school year

Yes
From 1/1 cutoff to 8/1 cutoff

All else remains the same

So I guess the gist of the original post is that ECNL is moving to school year