Single age and Small sided mandates by US Soccer
and Frequently Asked Questions
Upcoming Changes for Youth Soccer
Next year, the world of youth soccer will continue its evolution as all members of U.S. Soccer will begin to transition on two key factors to encourage further youth development.
The first change will be a shift from School Year to Calendar Year for the age grouping of teams, and the second will be the nationwide adoption of Small-Sided games for certain age groups.
"With these initiatives, we're more likely to have players better prepared down the road," said Tab Ramos, U.S. Youth Technical Director and U-20 Men's National Team head coach. "With small-sided standards, what we're trying to do is to help players develop by putting them in an environment where they are constantly involved in the play, and our changes in birth-year registration will make age groups easier to understand, while aligning our calendar with the international calendar."
Leagues and clubs throughout the U.S. are working to evaluate the implementation of this change into their programs. As a member of U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, GSA programs will be required to align with these changes which will impact the structure of some of our teams and programs.
Please note that these changes will have no impact on GSA teams, leagues or tournaments for the current 2015-2016 seasonal year. GSA will transition to Calendar Year age groupings in the Fall of 2016. We anticipate implementing the change to Small-Sided games in the Fall of 2017.
Here is a brief summary of the changes in the GSA programs:
Calendar Year Age Groups (beginning Fall 2016)
Currently there are two age grouping systems for players in the U.S. One is the "School Year" format, which GSA and most other clubs currently use, and the other is the "Calendar Year" format, which is used by the U.S. National Team and training programs such as the Olympic Development Program for girls and boys. In fact, using the School Year format for age groups is widely practiced only in the United States and Canada; all other FIFA members throughout the world utilize the Calendar Year format.
Beginning Fall 2016, GSA Junior Academy, Academy and Select teams will be organized by Calendar Year where players born between January 1 to December 31, as opposed to the School Year where age groups are based on the August 1-July 31 dates, will be placed into one age group. With the change, players will still be allowed to "play up" and play in an older age group, based on an individual player's physical, emotional and skills development. The club will continue to place players on teams based on age appropriate level of play and ability.
For the 2016-17 seasonal year, our age groups will align with the following Calendar Year guidelines.
Small-Sided Games (beginning Fall 2017)
Small-Sided Games are defined as games of fewer than 11 vs. 11 players. As you may know, GSA teams already play a small-sided format through the U12 age group with the view that smaller fields are better suited for younger players and encourage more rapid skills development and soccer insight, as well as simply being more fun.
U.S. Soccer now is standardizing small-sided games and field sizes for youth players to create the proper environment on and off the field for players to develop, particularly in the earliest phases of development. Small-sided game formations will begin at 4 vs. 4 at the U6 age group and progress to 9 v. 9 at the U12 age group and 11 v. 11 beginning with U 13.
The club's Select Committee and technical leadership fully endorse these U.S. Soccer mandates and will provide you with further updates and information in the weeks ahead to address specific programmatic changes and timelines.
Please visit the site below for further information.
Link for US Youth Soccer
GSA Birth Year Changes - Frequently Asked Questions
What is this age group change that everybody is talking about?
Starting with the fall 2016 season, all travel teams throughout the United States will be shifting the birthdates which determine what age group a player falls into. Previously, age group was determined by where your birthdate fell between August 1st and July 31st of a specific set of birth years. Now, age group will be determined solely by birth year.
What does this mean for my son/daughter?
If your son/daughter is born in January through July, they will go up an age group just as any other year. (If they are U13 now, they will be U14 in the fall 2016). If your son/daughter is born in August through December, they will go up 'two age groups'. (If they are U9 now, they will be in U11 in the fall 2016). This may seem challenging at first glance, but remember that every U9 player who was born in August through December in the entire country will be going through the same change. The technical staff will help ease the transitions for all players.
Is my son or daughter still going to be able to play with his or her friends and classmates?
The answer to this depends on a variety of factors. Playing on a team with all of your friends isn't always a reality in the current environment. This is similar to not having all of your friends in the same class or classes at school. Another factor is that the age cutoff used for school registration varies across the country. The placement of individual players on specific teams, as always has been the case in GSA, will be determined by the technical staff. The staff will work to determine the most appropriate placement for each player. Players will have the opportunity to 'play up' if the staff determines that it is appropriate.
Don't you realize that you're breaking up my existing team?
U.S. Soccer recognizes that making these changes can impact existing teams in the short-term. However, players joining and leaving teams is something that already happens regularly throughout country. There are a variety of factors that require teams to evolve and adapt including player’s maturity rates, moving away, focusing on new interests or their soccer abilities differentiating from their peers. Again, both small sided standards and birth year registration support the development of the individual player as a priority over a team success.
Are all clubs in the area doing this?
Yes. All travel leagues and clubs throughout the country will be implementing this. There are many challenges, and the national associations, state associations, leagues and each club are working to implement these changes.
My son is currently a U11 player born in 2004 with the change, he will be a U13 player in the fall. Is he ready for this?
Yes, there will be a change because he will be playing on a larger, full-sided field, but the technical staff will be working with the players to help them through the adjustment period.
How is this going to affect GSA tryouts?
GSA tryouts will be based on birth year. Coaches will have the flexibility to assign players to play 'up' a birth year if they determine that it is appropriate for the player's development.
My son/daughter will be a senior in high school next year, and it appears that all of her teammates in the new age group will be in college. What should we do?
The leagues are still working to finalize their age groups, but most are combining the oldest age groups to address these concerns.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the coming changes for age groups or small-sided games we recommend you reach out to your current coach or director.