My assumption is based on experience living in Texas. In Texas, kids that are born in late summer (July and August) typically start school a year later than kids born earlier that same year. Given that scenario, maybe north texas soccer decided to go with July/August as the cutoff to help keep kids in the same grade on the same team.
My guess is ODP and DA are more apt to compete against other countries which use Jan 1, so they need to do the same.
Ok, I asked Al about the ODP/DA the Jan vs Aug-July time frame, and these were his responses. Initially I wrote this to him: oh cool I figured it followed some FIFA mandate of some sort in relation to the International calendar. he replied: You correct, that was a factor. The FIFA International age group for youth use to be August 1. In fact, our ODP program followed the August 1 date while the rest of youth soccer used January 1. Unfortunately, just after Youth Soccer moved to the August 1 date, FIFA moved to the January 1 date and then he wrote back: ODP was always different, it has to match FIFA requirements for international competition any comments, I think it sheds some light.
i'd rather the league season be jan 1- dec 31 like ODP then my december kid would be used to "playing up". now that she is playing up, it is not an issue. not sure if she would make it anyway. NJ 98s are a tough crowd.
Many NJ parents hold their kids back, so August 1 is probably a good cutoff. I wish they used calendar years, but I would suspect it wouldn't matter as most travel teams would be half and half to keep kids in the same school and grade together. It's a completely different issue for young kids who have skill and interest that most don't have, and older kids who play up for convenience or some kind of perceived benefit. Sure, if your kid can play on the best team in the 1 year older age group, that's great, but I see kids choosing between a top twenty U13B team and a top five U12B team.
I've been to some of those games and got my start in travel as an asst on a 98 Girls team, and you are not kidding. travelmom what club does your daughter play for?
If you are a soccer family it's probably best to plan to have your kids in say... September or early October. Kids who are born in August-September have a huge advantage. The odds are against you if you are born in July. It's almost like being forced to play up from the start.
tell me about it, i have one kid who misses cut off by 11 days and another who whose birthday is 2 days before cutoff
well if your going that route, how about just choosing a spouse that was a great player and mating while watching replays of great games. Should technically make for a star from conception
Well duh... On that note, Yao Ming and his wife just had a daughter: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5209545
i just worry for Mia Hamm's kids, they must be so confused what to do with a ball, do i kick it/do i hit it/do i throw it
eh a lot of families plan their ages like that...usually it's around the school year vs. soccer but same idea.
really........... i just cant imagine that ..... thats helicopter parenting to a whole new level maybe thats the point where soccer moms learn to yell out instruction
Ah, not really. Though you were probably joking. At least, I hope you were. I think that it's more important where the kid is born and the environment in which he/she grows up.
Let's not start a "when is it a good time to have kids?" thing. On that note: http://www.nj.com/soccer-news/index.ssf/2010/05/politi_ultimate_soccer_mom_chr.html
Poster DM gave good example of evidence of this. Size is more important in hockey of course but it makes sense. Some players have to adapt to having one or 2 seasons less on the pitch and then face off against a player who has the benefit of 10 lbs and 2 inches because he/she is a year older. Thats a confidence changer at the ulittles. Select coaches get extremely happy when they find they have an August bday in their u9s and they can play them down someday if they need a W.
I was trying to be funny...correlating the screaming on the sideline to screaming in the bedroom...apparently no one got it...or maybe you all are an incredibly serious bunch....
Reviving this thread because I'm interested in this player, Kelly Cobb: http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6923518/alaska-love [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvWrOnf41v4"]ESPNU Campus Connection: Duke Soccer's Kelly Cobb - YouTube[/ame] http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205157470 The thing that strikes me is the whole "big fish little pond" idea. Way more focus on training than "competitive" games. It does appear she played up, and at times on boys teams. But the overwhelming majority of time spent in training and small sided games, mostly with kids not as talented. Only traveling "outside" last two years of high school to be seen by college coaches. Fast forward to NCAA final four as a freshman, U-20 WNT, etc. Of course, you can say this is a unique talent, size and speed contribute to her success. I've heard she spent a lot of time with Coerver trainers as well, and that she was highly motivated to acquire skills. Don't know what the recipe was for that Again, she is probably a unique talent, but the environment is really interesting...She appears to being used to dominating her age group, and playing in lots of mixed age/gender situations. A lot like what Tex described above, a mix of competitive and dominatation. Apology for some hearsay and speculation in this post, it just seems you don't have to play the best (at least consistently) to be the best in this instance.
to go back OT... I have a 14 y/o that we are playing up 2 years into U17. She's not exceptional. She doesn't stand out. She's not fast enough. She's not a lot of things. That's all we're ever told. But she's the engine behind the machine. She has to be challenged and inspired or she gets bored very quickly. She understands every concept being taught to the U17's and can implement them in one go. At U14/U15 she does not succeed the way she does at U17. She's happy again. And she's a starter again.
Yes, it will definitely make him a better player. In fact if he were go back down to his normal level it would be a shame. You must get across to him that struggling now and being challenged now will make him a much better player in the future. Make sure he is practicing on his own time as well. Showing up to the practices and games may be a bit overwhelming if he hasn't been getting in training on his own. He can start at home with some basic techniques. Take a look at this video of at home Soccer skills: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS20u1bwEI8"]At Home Soccer Training Exercises[/ame] Best of Luck. Keep me posted on your progress.