Birth Year Movement?

Discussion in 'Youth & HS Soccer' started by GKParent, Jan 4, 2013.

  1. Benny Dargle

    Benny Dargle Member+

    Jul 23, 2008
    LA
    We have some of those types of club-run programs out here in LA, but as far as I know they are all switching willingly because the clubs recruit out of them (especially the early age groups) for the club program and it's easier if the age groups line up.
     
  2. intime

    intime Member

    Sep 6, 2016
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe this has been addressed earlier, but our issue this year for our '02 son was that about half his team played high school, and half are still in 8th grade. This messed up the competition for the fall because high school players were off playing with their respective high school teams. (Next year, ’03 players will contend with the same issue.)

    It will be a problem again for our son in 4 years when half his team has gone off to college. I know clubs can make adjustments, but it seems unnecessary. My impression is that this change was instituted in order to benefit the best of the best who might play in international competition. For the vast majority, playing with your grade level makes more sense given how sports are tied into schools in America.
     
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  3. luftmensch

    luftmensch Member+

    .
    United States
    May 4, 2006
    Petaluma
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It has been covered before, and not all schools work on the same calendar, for example my son is an 02 and his schools organize more or less by birth year, so they're now in a better position than they were before (though California shifted their calendar a few years ago so when those kids get old enough they'll be in the same boat as you).

    Also our high school season is played in the winter, and clubs just take a break during that period, but that wouldn't work with a fall season.
     
  4. mwulf67

    mwulf67 Member+

    Sep 24, 2014
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    I appreciate your frustration and concerns… as a parent of ‘03 8th grader, there was a time when I am was pretty worked up over this issue as well…

    However, after living through it this last fall, my experience wasn’t so bad…not saying you or others couldn’t or didn’t have bad experiences…

    I agree that grade level grouping makes more sense overall, but so far, the new age groups aren’t the complete disaster I had feared…to be honest, the kids just don’t seem to be that bothered by it…
     
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  5. lncolnpk

    lncolnpk Member+

    Mar 5, 2012
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It worked out perfect for my undersize June daughter. The flip size it was a disaster for some of her former teammates which most part was the fault of the coach.
     
  6. RedGK

    RedGK Member

    Jan 6, 2017
    Tennessee
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Let the Development Academy teams worry about Birth Year...but all clubs should go back to school year because of high school soccer. It hurts Seniors who are Sept-Dec Birth months. This is the stupidest change ever. US Soccer doesn't care about typical youth clubs anyways. They only care about DA's
     
  7. luftmensch

    luftmensch Member+

    .
    United States
    May 4, 2006
    Petaluma
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Except that DA leagues have many teams that were once "typical youth clubs," as they've been trying to expand the program where reasonable (plus DA clubs generally have 2nd string teams and lower that play outside of the DA league). And most players on those DA clubs started out with those typical youth clubs before working their way up, and US Soccer is well aware of that fact.
     
  8. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    Now that DA has sunk its teeth into the girls side, I wonder if the smaller/non DA clubs will start their own deal and not have to conform to US soccer division rules.
    Probably a major pain to change it back, but what a mess.
     
  9. nicklaino

    nicklaino Member+

    Feb 14, 2012
    Brooklyn, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    This might be the longest thread ever on big soccer. Stop complaining about birth year movement. It has happened before in the 1980s. Players managed to survive it coaches and parents had heart attacks over it.
     
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  10. mkg3

    mkg3 New Member

    Aug 23, 2016
    Birth year makes perfect sense with or without JK. The whole world of soccer is on birth year. Why should US continue to be an exception? I wish all sports use birth year. Its quite silly to have different cutoff in each sports.

    I recall Little League using May 1 and Soccer was August 1, but NJB was based strictly on grade level and so on.

    For the record, my kid is a Senior in HS and is late November birthday. Most of his classmates are a year or more older than he is. He'll be 17 when he starts college this fall. He is recruited and will be playing college soccer. He's 5-10 and 145 so not big.

    He always played up a year or two and never had any issue.
     
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  11. luftmensch

    luftmensch Member+

    .
    United States
    May 4, 2006
    Petaluma
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When I was a kid in the 80's my local AYSO used two year divisions based on birth year, so each year you'd be playing with kids your own age plus either a year older or a year younger. Then one year they adjusted the ages so my age group got to play two years in a row being the older group, that was nice.
     
  12. Beau Dure

    Beau Dure Member+

    May 31, 2000
    Vienna, VA
    I got alerts for two threads -- this one and another.

    This one is on page 32. The other is on page 100.
     
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  13. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    How do other countries do their school years?
    Maybe soccer can get the USA to make all kids born in 2004 be in 7th grade this year.
     
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  14. lncolnpk

    lncolnpk Member+

    Mar 5, 2012
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I am wondering if there is going to be another year of a lot of people jumping clubs again. I think there will be due to people trying to correct their mistakes from last year,
     
  15. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    I can only speak to my area (NW Illinois). Frankly I think things are settling ELA/FCX/GLSA are set - may get a few kids to Sockers because of DA but not likely many.

    CL Force is in trouble - their old DOC who was there for years left and the new DOC (good guy and coach) is yet to have a contract. Plus with Eclipse and DD now working together, there is a possibility that Eclipse may now move into the Crystal Lake Inferno territory - so Sockers/Inferno/Eclipse all in the Force' back yard. Definately some changes there.

    No where else really - out by me.

    Some clubs already made changes - FCU separated there u12 A girls team already and moved down to AB - that's one example I have seen.

    We also had 3 small clubs merge over the winter because with the age split they would not have been able to support teams - not enough players.

    What do you see happening?
     
  16. lncolnpk

    lncolnpk Member+

    Mar 5, 2012
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In my daughter's age bracket 2005, a lot of girls in my area went to play 04 and are re-thinking this move.
     
  17. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    A lot of the girls or a lot of the parents who are talking in front of the girls?

    My 2005 could not be happier - best group of kids ever and the parents are just fantastic! Even more so, she is 6 months younger then the next youngest player on the team. Therefore she's leaving not only from the coaches but also from the older players as well.
     
  18. Timbuck

    Timbuck Member

    Jul 31, 2012
    Development Academy caused a big shake up in so cal.
    OC strikers didn't get DA- 8 of their coaches left
    Pateadores has been a strong boys program, but not as strong on the girls side. Pateadores was given DA status and they have a line around the corner at tryouts.
    Some top level players have stepped back and are deciding to play with friends instead of 4 days a week in Academy.
     
  19. lncolnpk

    lncolnpk Member+

    Mar 5, 2012
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    it just banter I have heard that parents are rethinking of playing their daughter up.

    My 05 loves her club and coach. I wish we would have been there from the start.
     
  20. Beau Dure

    Beau Dure Member+

    May 31, 2000
    Vienna, VA
    Yeah, big domino effect in Northern Virginia as well. The girls are being shaken up because some are going DA and some aren't. The boys are going through a smaller shakeup because of the new ECNL.

    You'd think it would only affect elite players, but it doesn't. Coaches move. Some players shift because they don't want to be in leagues that have games four hours away. And so on.

    I picked the wrong time to have kids.
     
  21. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    Definately interesting. Like I said if it was not for the team and parents - I don't think it would be so easy.
     
  22. Magic Sponge

    Magic Sponge Member

    May 13, 2000
    Nashville, TN USA
    The change is coming for our rec league this fall. It is causing much consternation. I would guess that select players and families may grumble a bit but ultimately stick with the sport. Young rec players may be different. They have less love for the game and more interest in playing with their buddies.
     
  23. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    I was just told this was going to roll out to Rec play this year?

    Kids better be prepared to play in mixed boys and girls leagues.
     
  24. MonagHusker

    MonagHusker Member

    Liverpool FC
    United States
    Feb 25, 2016
    Omaha, Nebraska
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I haven't read much of this thread though it is one of those hot topic issues for our rec teams. We first heard about it two years ago. We have three girls playing -- the older two are on the younger side of their grades and the youngest playing is on the older. The oldest was on an established team, so she would go where the team went, even if playing up. The next oldest we felt wouldn't benefit much for moving back to the smaller side games, so intended to play her up. The last was entering at the perfect time we thought, not encumbered by past teams/experiences.

    So fall 2016 rolls around. The oldest is still in U10 though technically I think they should have been U12 and that again played out in Spring. Most opponents seemed the same, so rule must have been lifted. Our youngest got on a mixed grade team. Fall was fine, in spring they must have put us in a different division, but our coach wondered if we were mostly playing the next "grade" up.

    Finally, our middle player was eligible or U8, we requested U9, but she ended up on a hybrid U9/10 team. So we fielded mostly a bunch of 2nd graders against 3rd and 4th graders. It was rough and somehow they mixed it up again in the spring. Sure in the spring, we had kids in the next grade up as secondary. So those girls actually played up, though went in a team filled with girls younger! Of course, the secondary got the prime pick of positions for some reason. Our 3-0-3 formation where the three forwards do everything and the three defenders sit around the box didn't help.

    We knew there would be growing pains and accepted it. We think we have it figured out for 2017/18: U12, U9 likely, and U8. Some parents don't seem to be getting it and are convinced their girl that is technically U10 with new matrix should be U9 because that is the "3rd grade team." In the end, the rec organization decided to revert back to grade level (though would have to honor the new age matrix in games vs other clubs).

    It didn't seem like rocket science whether I liked the idea or not. Though as my wife said, as long as they are consistent and nobody has any advantages based on one team following/not following the rules.

    Whew...
     
  25. VolklP19

    VolklP19 Member+

    Jun 23, 2010
    Illinois
    Why did you feel all of your daughters should play up?
     

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