How will the age groups be constructed? Will my child be able to play with their grade even if they have a late birthday?

Earlier this year, US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) have announced that they will be transitioning away from a mandated Birth Year age group policy, and into a more flexible policy which was recently outlined by U.S. Soccer, starting with the 2026-27 season.

Recently, they’ve announced an official update which will set the new Age Group Formation cycle to run from September 1 – August 31. This was selected to align as closely as possible with the start of a new school year for the majority of athletes around the country. While the Age Group Formation cycle will align closely with the school year, athletes will still be able to play up with older age groups, if desired.

As an Academy, we will depend on our Program Director and his trainers to determine the best course of action for each group. If the trainers feel we are able to create a team by Grade and have them play up in an age level where they can be competitive, we will certainly consider that option. There may also be cases where our trainers do not feel it will be in the best interest to have players play up, in which case we will adhere to the US Soccer guidelines.

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