Starting in the 2026/27 season, youth player age groups will be organized by school year (Aug 1- July 31) rather than by calendar year (Jan 1-Dec 31).

Earlier this year, the governing bodies of soccer in the US - USYS, US Club, US Soccer – made the decision to shift to the Aug 1-July 31 age group classification.

To align soccer teams with the school year, helping to reduce “trapped” players, i.e., players (usually with birthdates in the last quarter of the year) who continue in high school after the rest of their cohort have moved on to college.

No, teams will remain under the calendar year system through the end of the 2025/26 seasonal year. 

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.