In the Chicago area, I just heard that all academy clubs are changing to birth year (rather than Aug-Jul) for the Spring season. This includes teams below true academy level. (I think Chicago Fire is already set up this way.) Has anyone else heard that? Will everyone else follow, or just use that 5 month age advantage to beat up on the big 3? The NISL web site says "The NISL is NOT Changing The Age Cut Off," so that must have been rumored as well.
I am not in your area, but my DS's MLS club has already started to do this for training purposes. The new U13/14 DA which begins in the Fall goes by birth year, so this is why they are doing it. However, it will only be for the DA teams, the club also will be fielding teams that play in the state-run league and they will still go by the Aug-Jul year.
I heard the Sockers were in the midst of this change last fall, but some players may still "float" between age groups. For the Fire Academy, their 1999 team played in the U14 Group for NISL Premiership (which is still based on school year) while the 1998's played in the U14 division of the NPL (which is calendar year). To the extent teams based on calendar year is a "trend" I doubt it will extend far beyond the academies. For the vast majority of club players, especially at younger ages, so much of the enjoyment for team sports comes from being with class mates and friends.
The US Soccer Development Academy clubs in the Northeast have been doing this for the past few years, starting at U11. These clubs, with their teams in the U11-U15 age groups, play in the Northeast Pre-Academy League.
I have gathered some more info on this. Chicago Fire went to birth year for the fall season, so when they played locally in Premiership, they played "up" 5 months. Now, NISL is allowing birth year teams to play "down" 7 months, so Magic is taking advantage of this for Spring. I hear Sockers is as well, but you can't tell by their team names. So, for example, U13 Premiership for Spring includes both Fire Academy 2000 (playing up) and Magic 1999 (playing down). Likewise, U13 includes Fire Academy 2001 and Magic 2000. Essentially, they've changed birth year from a disadvantage to an advantage, but Fire doesn't yet realize it. It could get really ugly for Fire teams this Spring. Aside to 1GoldenEagle, I'm told that comment was posted on the NISL site to eliminate confusion for the broader NISL audience as this only affects Premiership-level teams.
That doesn't make much sense . Why allow the 7 month players to "play down". Big disadvantage to the teams who are not playing by birth year, results-wise at least. How will the NPL championships, or whatever they are, at the end of the season work?
NPL goes by birth year. U13s are 99s, although boys born in 2000 are allowed to play up, 98s are U14s etc.....
On the other hand, kids can make new friends if they play with new teammates....it sure hasn't stopped parents from club-hopping. Ugly how?
Ugly = mandating allowing older players for only certain club. My kid is U16, so that is Aug. 1996 - July 1997. Birth year 1996 would include January - July of 1996, the oldest players would be 7 months older than the oldest 96/97. 7 months is still a long time in most players' physical development. There are two fair options - switch everyone to birth year, leaving it up to a team whether they want to take only younger players, or force birth year teams to do as they have been doing - play "up" for the players born in August through December of any birth year. Another reason the latter makes sense is aren't the DA teams and their ilk supposed to be BETTER than club teams?
It it obvious that they want to use the FIFA calendar year, if every body goes to the calendar years, is going to help US Soccer to identified talent for inclusion to national Teams, I remember voicing my opinion when my son a 98's , which birthday fell in August nad was consider a 99. While the kids that he was going to compete for a spot at ODP were playing already 11v 11 he was still in the 8v8 field. it will give a fair chance to those coming up to that critical part of our development system.
This is our first experience with Birth Year rule starting ODP, (3/3/98) where our son will play with kids his own age for the first time in many years. It might get scary really fast out there for a lot of kids used to playing down. Noticed on this thread that FIFA goes by Birth Year... Geeze..what are our governing soccer bodies going to allow happen to our kids next....that terrible dreaded three sub rule?...Here on our shores in America? What? Is this indicative of the deadly Euro Mafifa's reach.... extending their football tentacles into our hemisphere's soccer? Run Forest Run.. Close that basket cover Toto. Get me homeland security now! We need Jack Bower to question Blather on his intent.
As opposed to the parent of a child born on July 31st? Just moving the target. And my kid is playing up a year, so a young player who is good enough clearly should not have an issue playing with all the "older kids" who are his or her birth year.
Was looking at NISL schedules/divisions today and noticed that there are Premier division teams who in essence will have 2/3 of their kids playing a "year down" from what it looks like. How could this be allowed?
Not directly related, but very interesting because the father lied about his son's age by a year to get a perceived benefit: http://www.latimes.com/news/columno...130322-dto,0,3133186.htmlstory?track=lat-pick One of the interesting parts is that I heard about this kid, and his sister, several years ago, and his dad is still working his magic (getting a LOT for free). What chance does a talented kid whose parents aren't spending 24/7 on their son's image have?
After watching a few Premiership games, it looks to me like most clubs are still Aug-Jul, including Sockers and Raiders. Fire is on calendar year still playing up. Magic is on calendar year now playing DOWN. Campton sure looks like they're doing the same as Magic, but I don't know that for sure.
We are experiencing ODP for the first time this year. DS is a February 2000 baby, and is used to training with 98s and 99s and most of his U13 team are 99s. He is on the 2000s ODP team and the difference between the early and late 2000s is huge. If he makes the U14 DA, he will be back to being one of the youngest again.
Our first year at ODP too. 15's..Wish we started last year. DA's will go FIFA policy birth year at some point. This age swap is great for ODP our kids a 3/3..... Your kid's not playing with any of his team mates same. There was not too much of a trials turnout, I thought with three clubs in the area there would have been thirty to cut instead of considerably less. There are kids on "our" state team not nearly ready for their brutalization at regional. There will be "awkward" scores at each fixture How does one shine for regional under Armageddon? But if he makes it, we saved all that money from not doing it last year. Hope it's free after regional, I forgot to ask. Saw some stat about overall school sport outcomes being mathematical'd in some statistical fashion, to be higher ... and thus an advantage, to be born in first quarter of the year. Maybe it was making the team?
DS's ODP team willl likely be massacred; like your team, there are many just not ready for the competition. Try-outs were a breeze for DS, he was light years ahead of the vast majority of the other boys. We have actually decided to decline the offer of being on the team, the tournament scheduled for them co-insides with a large local tournament that his current team is playing in, and he doesn't want to let his coach and team down by abandoning them to get slaughtered in CA. The club is also using the local tournament to evaluate the players for the DA team, so we were reluctant to have him miss that. It probably wouldn't have had much impact on his chances, they know him well enough, but felt it was important to show club loyalty, even though this was likely his last chance participating in ODP. DS is enjoying the practices though, he is playing CM, and the ODP coach is constantly telling the boys to get it to DS's feet!
Does anyone else think that it is odd / kind of dumb that youth soccer switches the birth cutoff in mid stream like this from Aug 1st to Birth Year? I think either convention is fine but pick one and keep it all the way through the youth levels. I am not aware of any other youth sport that switches like this. Ice hockey is birth year all the way through. As it is I think the early birth year kids actually get a nice little two sided advantage - they play and develop as mid year kids growing up and then are early birth year kids when it is time to try out / play for the DA teams. My son is later in the birth year and I am playing him up this Spring partly because of this reason. He seems fairly good and I do not want him to get a false impression / complacency from feasting on the younger kids. But in general I do not like the idea of playing up and if not for the birth year switch, I would rather he get to play on the same team / league as some of his classmates.
I don't know how it is in other states, but here the leagues run by the state, which is where most/all of the clubs field teams, so where the majority of players play, is calendar year (8/1 - 7/31) and it is what everyone is used to. It is only the program run by US Club Soccer, NPL; and the clubs that participate in the DA that use birth year (1/1 - 12/31). My son is definitely benefiting from being born early in the year, but he is just as competitive in the year above.
I think they need to do it . If the DA's are going to go by birth year then the rest of the country should start going to birth year. My son is an Oct but has has no problem dealing with the change. If you can play you will be able ot play it may be a bit difficult at the early ages but it will all even out in a few years.
The USSF releases regarding youth soccer, boys generally on December 8th and girls last week, suggest the whole country moving to birth year programming. Is anyone aware of a US club soccer mandate on this for all US Club soccer leagues for next year? Has the USYSA spoken on this yet? Do we expect tryouts for 2015-16 season to be affected?