UPDATES FOR 2026/2027

As many of you know, beginning with the 2026-2027 season, youth soccer is moving away from birth year age groups to grade year age groups. It is our priority to make this transition as smooth as possible.


We have gathered information from a number of sources and compiled them for your convenience below. We will continue to add information and an FAQ section to answer questions.

US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and AYSO announced in June 2025 an adjustment to the previously announced age group cut-off decision. For years, teams have been formed using a January 1st to December 31st calendar, known as "birth year" registration. Starting with the 2026-27 season, this will shift to an August 1st to July 31st timeframe, which more closely aligns with a typical school year. 


The primary reason for this major change is to solve the "trapped player" problem. A trapped player is a child whose birthday places them in an older soccer age group than their school grade. This creates a major disruption at two key moments in their youth career. The first is in eighth grade. When their ninth-grade teammates move on to play for their high school teams in the fall, the eighth-grade "trapped player" is often left without a full team to play on for a season. This negatively impacts their development and social experience. The same issue reappears four years later, when players in their senior year of high school can be displaced on their club team by college freshmen who are still in the same birth year age group.


Second, an Aug. 1 age group cut-off best aligns soccer age groups with school year ages, maximizing the number of players who participate in soccer programs with their school-year friends. This alignment has a positive correlation with increased numbers of youth players entering and staying in the sport.


This decision to move to the Aug. 1 cut-off reverts to the same age group cut-off used prior to 2017, when U.S. Soccer mandated a Jan. 1-Dec. 31 timeframe. US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and AYSO – the three largest youth soccer organizations in the country – have remained together in making these decisions, recognizing the importance of consistency across the landscape.


Why is Aug. 1 a better age group cut-off than Sept. 1?

Initially, US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer and AYSO had wanted to use a Sept. 1 age group cut-off instead of Aug. 1. After receiving significant feedback and identifying missing information in Department of Education school year cut-off lists, it has been determined that the Aug. 1 cut-off best reduces misalignment between age and school year. The Aug. 1 cut-off reduces not only the trapped player effect, but it also reduces the number of “force-ups,” a term referring to players in a younger soccer age group but older school year who must play up an age group in order to be with their school-year friends.



ECNL, Girls Academy & MLS NEXT

Both national league platforms, Girls Academy and ECNL (boys and girls programs), will be adopting the August 1 to July 31 age group formation calendar starting in the 2026-27 season. This move is part of a collaborative effort with other major youth soccer organizations to create more consistency across the soccer landscape. MLS NEXT is NOT changing. It will continue to use the January 1st birth year cut-off to align with international professional standards.

SPORTING NEBRASKA UPDATES
  • Sporting Nebraska FC will follow alongside USYS, US Club, AYSO, ECNL & Girls Academy in the transition back to the August 1st to July 31st registration timeframe, which more closely aligns with the typical school year registration.
  • Detailed communication about the club’s process and timeline will be shared on a continual basis with our members to ensure the process runs smoothly.
  • Coordinated training sessions between age groups will begin this winter during the indoor training season.
  • The directors will be working to identify 26/27 coaches and will announce the slate in spring 2026.
  • The age group chart above shows the registration age groups for next year.

FAQs

1. What does the change from calendar year to August 1–July 31 mean for players and teams?

  • How does this new date range affect age group placement?
    The new August 1 to July 31 cutoff is meant to better align with grade levels, but it won’t always match perfectly. If a player's birth date falls within that range, they’ll try out for the team that matches their birth year and date, regardless of their grade level. 
  • For players who are a grade level below most of their teammates, but whose birthdays fall within the August 1–July 31 cutoff, will placement be determined by grade level or by birthdate?
    The idea is to place players in the best environment for their development. Players who are young for their grade year (started school early) can try out for their grade or for their Aug 1-July 31 birth range. For players trying out for the year up, there is no guarantee that they will be selected for a team in the older age group.
  • How does this differ from the old January–December cutoff?
    The change places players in a grade year team, similar to how it was before the birth year change eight years ago. It also eliminates the “trapped player” issue for players in 8th/9th grade and the 11th/12th grade.


2. Why did Sporting Nebraska choose to move to the new birthdate of August 1–July 31?

  • What were the main reasons behind this decision? We are following the guidelines of USYS, US Club, AYSO, ECNL and Girls Academy. 
  • Is this change meant to better align with grade levels, player development models, or other regional and national programs?
    The decision to move away from Jan. 1 was driven by concern for “trapped players” and “force‑ups.” Trapped players are athletes whose birth dates place them in a soccer age group older than their school year.
    (From US Club Soccer) “An Aug. 1 cut‑off also aligns more closely with the American school year, allowing players to compete alongside friends they see in class. US Club Soccer explained that this alignment has a positive correlation with increased participation. Reverting to Aug. 1 restores the pre‑2017 system and reduces the number of trapped players and “force‑ups”, a situation where children must play up an age group to stay with their school‑grade peers. Importantly, officials emphasized that no cut‑off will eliminate all mismatches because school start dates vary by state. They also pointed out that the choice of cut‑off date has no developmental advantage or effect on the relative‑age phenomenon. US Youth Soccer added that the move to Aug 1 is meant to be more inclusive and better reflect players’ social and individual needs.”
  • What benefits does the club expect this to bring to players, coaches, and teams long term?
    Long term we feel that our players and teams will continue to grow and develop as strongly as they always have. This change puts players back with the majority of their grade level peers, allowing players to stay together both in the 8th/9th grade and 11th/12th grade years. 


3. Are all other clubs switching to the August 1–July 31 system too?

  • Will other local, regional, and national clubs also transition?
    Clubs are allowed to choose what they would like to do, but as far as we are aware, will clubs participating in the sames leagues we do will be moving to the new age group format.
  • How will scheduling and competition work if some clubs switch and others don’t?
    Because the format for all programs our teams participate in are moving to this system, any team participating in ECNL, GA, NYSL, etc… will need to play adhering to the Aug 1 - July 31. That means if a club chooses to keep teams as they are, then those teams will need to play in the age groups based on the oldest players on their team. 


4. When will this change take effect?

  • Will it be implemented for the next tryout cycle or the following season? This will be implemented for the 26/27 season, starting at tryouts in June 2026.
  • Will there be a phase-in period to allow current teams to finish the year under the old format?
    Teams currently in the 25/26 year that might have games in June or July (playoffs, state cup, regionals, etc…) will finish out their season as normal. The new teams will not take effect until the official start of the 26/27 season.


5. What happens to players who are playing in their correct birth year but are a grade level below their teammates?

  • How will this impact players who will still have a senior year of high school after their final club season ends?
    It is the belief that they will combine the U18/U19 so this will not be an issue for those U19 players. 


6. Can my child stay with their current team by “playing up”?

  • Will players have the option to remain on their current team, even if that means playing in an older age group?
    As in the past, players are allowed to try out for the team above, BUT these decisions will need to go through the directors of coaching. Please note, players that play up, they will be “trapped” in that 8th/9th grade year (similar to what is happening to the younger U15 players with the current birth year format). These players will not have a team for the spring season, basically forfeiting a season of play. 
  • What are the club’s guidelines or limits for playing up under the new structure?
    Every situation is different. There is no set guideline to how this will work out. The plan is to place players in their “best” developing environment. 


7. What if two players on a restructured team have the same jersey number?

  • Will players be required to purchase new jerseys?
    If there are players with the same number we are looking at a few options on how to work through this. We have contacted our uniform distributor. We will also look at additional options we can work through in house. Once we go into a new uniform cycle in 27/28 numbers will again be aligned. 


8. Will the club adjust the number of teams at each age group?

  • How will rosters be managed to ensure spots for existing players affected by the change?
    We are hoping to keep rosters to the current size allowed, u8-10 (10-12) players, u11-12 (14 - 16) players, u13-19 (18-22) players.
  • Will additional teams be created or existing teams merged to accommodate the shift?
    The Club will accommodate the needs of each player pool/age group.


9. Are all programs under Sporting Nebraska changing to the new birthdate cutoff?

  • Will this change apply to all levels of play within Sporting Nebraska, including Recreational, Academy, GA, and ECNL programs?
    Yes, we will make this transition across the board.
  • Will any programs or age groups remain on a different system? No, that is not our plan at this time.


10. How will this change be communicated and explained to families?

  • Will there be a club-wide info session or visual chart showing how current teams shift under the new structure?
    We will continue to send out information throughout the year to keep families updated, and may hold age group or team meetings as needed.
  • Can the club provide examples to help families understand?
    We have the graph on our website. US Soccer also created a link for you to put in your player’s birth date to confirm their appropriate placement.


11. Who can families contact with questions?

  • Will there be a designated club contact or age-group director available to help explain individual scenarios?
    We will do the best we can to explain everything on our website. For direct questions, families can reach out to the Directors of Coaching. Boys: Karl Ostrand, KOstrand@sportingnebraskafc.com. Girls: Alex Mason, AlexM@sportingnebraskafc.com. 


12. What happens if a year(s) have extreme uneven splits in either total numbers or talent pool?

  • Will adjustments be made and how?
    We expect very few issues in this sense. Our staff have taken great care to go over the current player pools. Our current numbers with any incoming new players to the club will continue to keep all age groups at a very competitive level.