Select Soccer Season Change

OK, so we know that AP is here to stay and that January is the new August. We also know the byes for next season have been given to the oldest kids on the current roster. In doing so, if you have a bb with a Fall birthday, he will skip a year in the shuffle.

The next question is: When do the Select leagues change from Fall/Spring to Spring/Fall? Or will they continue as is?

My understand is that the leagues are remaining the same August -July. Which doesn't correspond with the new Age change.

i wonder how teams/coaches are handling the bye change to prepare for the Fall? Is it time for younger age group to start looking for a new team if they choose not to move up

North Texas needs to keep the rosters locked obviously but should open the contracts up so kids can start practicing with AP teams/groups.

Funny how the AP changes were implemented to add more balance to the players that have historically been behind the curve with Spring bdays, but byes are going with oldest meaning the Spring bdays are the ones having to find new teams for the most part.

What are the bigger clubs doing is a great question.

What's even more WTF is teams comprised of a majority Spring bdays are likely going to lose their coaches due to the byes going up?

ballwork wrote:Funny how the AP changes were implemented to add more balance to the players that have historically been behind the curve with Spring bdays, but byes are going with oldest meaning the Spring bdays are the ones having to find new teams for the most part.

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think the changes were made to prioritize the Spring b-days or add balance.  There is no balance with an age cutoff, the older kids win.   That's just a byproduct of picking any b-day cutoff.  Changes were made to get aligned with rest of the world and force all of the US to align with the current DA and USMNT age cutoffs.   Which, yeah, again...favors the Spring b-days.  

CL is (maybe) 2/3s older kids.  If they give the byes to the younger ages, pretty much every team blows up.   So if you are born in the Spring you would likely be on a new team (of teammates) either way.   This way you can stay on the same team.  With the exact same kids.  And coach.  Or you can go find a new team.   Makes complete sense to go play with kids your own age, but I kind of doubt that there is much future in an "identifying the elite" sense (which is really what this is about, right?) for any Spring kids that could not handle playing up an additional six months.  

ballwork wrote:What's even more WTF is teams comprised of a majority Spring bdays are likely going to lose their coaches due to the byes going up?

yes, if you leave your current team, you are likely going to lose your coach.

I agree CL is 2/3 older kids. In the new system they will flip to 2/3 younger kids. That scenario is ripe for lots of turnover.

But hey, if your bb leaves select and goes PA or DA, guess what it's a new team and new coach anyway.

Teams will be impacted folks and in a big way.

Number13 wrote:

ballwork wrote:Funny how the AP changes were implemented to add more balance to the players that have historically been behind the curve with Spring bdays, but byes are going with oldest meaning the Spring bdays are the ones having to find new teams for the most part.

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think the changes were made to prioritize the Spring b-days or add balance.  There is no balance with an age cutoff, the older kids win.   That's just a byproduct of picking any b-day cutoff.  Changes were made to get aligned with rest of the world and force all of the US to align with the current DA and USMNT age cutoffs.   Which, yeah, again...favors the Spring b-days.  

CL is (maybe) 2/3s older kids.  If they give the byes to the younger ages, pretty much every team blows up.   So if you are born in the Spring you would likely be on a new team (of teammates) either way.   This way you can stay on the same team.  With the exact same kids.  And coach.  Or you can go find a new team.   Makes complete sense to go play with kids your own age, but I kind of doubt that there is much future in an "identifying the elite" sense (which is really what this is about, right?) for any Spring kids that could not handle playing up an additional six months.  

ballwork wrote:What's even more WTF is teams comprised of a majority Spring bdays are likely going to lose their coaches due to the byes going up?

yes, if you leave your current team, you are likely going to lose your coach.

Somebody was "likely going to lose their coaches" no matter which way the byes went.  It's the nature of this AP change.  Some kids have to find new teams (whether in the same club or elsewhere) and probably coaches.  Would it have been less WTF if the Fall kids lost their coaches?

What about Qualifying for Classic this year. Will they have it at the same time as normal knowing those teams won't be near the same? I guess with the boys that's always potentially the case.

layinlow wrote:What about Qualifying for Classic this year.  Will they have it at the same time as normal knowing those teams won't be near the same?  I guess with the boys that's always potentially the case.

I'm assuming you mean Challenge tourneys (i.e qualifying for D3)?   Our DOC said CL told them those would be post-July1.   Which seems like the right way to do it.  So if you have a group with Spring b-days, you could say eff it, drop back an age together and try to qualify for D3 after signing day.

If it would have been the opposite, the older kids would have no choice. At least this way the younger kids can play up if they choose to. Not saying it's right or wrong, but at least there are options this way. Of course, my 14yr old is now going to be a U16 at the start of Fall and he'll lose an entire year of youth soccer.

CCM wrote:If it would have been the opposite, the older kids would have no choice.  At least this way the younger kids can play up if they choose to.  Not saying it's right or wrong, but at least there are options this way.  Of course, my 14yr old is now going to be a U16 at the start of Fall and he'll lose an entire year of youth soccer.  

He will be a U16 in 9th grade. U17 in 10th. U18 in 11th. U19 in 12th. I presume. They have Select soccer at all of those ages. Unless he is a very old 7th grader now.

Which year is he losing? Serious question, as 5/12ths of us are in the same boat. I figure these is some chance Fall birthdays lose half a year of Select soccer if they are now playing a half-season as Juniors and Seniors. But I have no idea what they did at the upper ages in CL.

I didn't realize there was a U18...thought it went U17 to U19...my bad.

Well, there may not be a U18. I don't know. But there is something you can play at U18.

This thread brought up the questions for me.

http://www.txsoccer.info/t15939-classic-official-statement-re-2016-byes-06-and-05-qt

Guessing that perhaps school soccer may end up being on more radars than club over time. Who knows? I just didn't envision this scenario when we started this whole process. Take care.

Yep, Select soccer loses its appeal beyond 10th grade. Maybe your team wants to train and only play in tournaments and showcases.

Actually, if you know 10th grade will be the last full year of select, then switch to HS soccer your freshman year.

Yea. And save $$$$$

finish1 wrote:

Actually, if you know 10th grade will be the last full year of select, then switch to HS soccer your freshman year.

Not sure I follow.   I  mean I understand not wanting to bother with half-season Select, but don't most of us (non DA folk) just play Select and HS (in the years where we choose to play Select)?  

Not sure I have much of a grasp on what the last few years look like here.   Prior I thought was maybe weighing DA vs HS/CL.  Now it seems may just be weighing DA vs HS? I guess at least have a few years to figure it out.