Yes. The current system was adopted around 10 years ago to align with international standards for how youth national teams are formed. It was hoped that it would give the United States an edge when competing on the international stage.

But, there was a problem–trapped players. Take, for example, our 2011s this season. The oldest 2011s are freshmen in high school, and the younger 2011s are in 8th grade. This creates a situation where a little over half of the players would be gone in the fall (boys) or spring (girls) playing high school soccer, sometimes leaving too few players to form a team for the remaining 8th graders.

Switching back to a “school year” calendar will fix this issue.

Not exactly. While age groups will continue to be determined by birth date, the birth date window will shift from Jan- Dec to Aug-July. Players attending a grade outside of their age cohort will play in the group that corresponds to their date of birth.

It’s important to understand they’re not “moving down”. Everyone is making this change, and while they’ll now be at the older end of their team, they’ll still be playing their correct age.

That said, we will still continue to evaluate every player’s needs individually, just as we do now, and will provide opportunities to “play up” on a case by case basis.

You can reference our Age Group Chart HERE

Or, visit the US Soccer age group calculator HERE

We are here to help every family understand and feel understood. Recognizing that change can be difficult, and that families may have additional questions, please direct any further questions or concerns to:

Eclipse Admin Director:

Katie.milne@eclipseselect.org

ECNL Girls Director: Alex.munoz@eclipseselect.org

ECNL Boys Director: cleo.huitron@eclipseselect.org