Age Group Change Resources
Background
USClub Soccer (alongside most other youth soccer sanctioning organizations) has decided to switch back to a school-year based age group system beginning in the 2026/27 season.
NorCal believes that we have an ability and a responsibility to help our clubs navigate this change in the most effective way. A well organized and implemented process will minimize the negative impact on your club and on the youth soccer ecosystem as a whole.
We also believe that each club has the right and responsibility to communicate this process directly to their families as they see fit.
Resources for Clubs
Age Group Change Comparison Tool – Upload your player roster from GotSport to see immediately which players will be affected by the Age Group Change
Step by Step Guide – A description of the steps that we recommend that clubs take in determining and communicating their plan.
Options for handling the Age Group Change – A description of the different options club may choose to address the age group change alongside their benefits and drawbacks.
Resources for Families
Here are a set of resources that are designed for each club to use as they choose.
- Send them out to your stakeholders as they are
- Edit them to suit your club’s specific needs
- Ignore them entirely
Why the Age Group Change? – An explanation of the history and reasoning behind the change.
Parent FAQs – Some FAQ’s for families
