Why did US Soccer make this change? 
This transition is designed to: 

• Better align with school-year registration and player placement, reducing the number of “trapped” players (those caught between the middle school transition to high school due to the old birth year cut-off). 

• Give players a better opportunity to play with their school classmates, which supports social connection, team cohesion, and overall player enjoyment. 

• Support more consistent team building across clubs. 

How will this change affect my child’s current team? 
Team formation will take place based on the new school age year birthdates of August 1 – July 31. For current families, please anticipate roster changes. Generally, the club’s plan is for players to play within their assigned birth year. 

What tryouts should I attend? 
Using the chart above, you can figure out what age group you fall into. You'll provide your birthdate when you register, and we'll automatically place you in the correct pool. Boys U16 and older will attend tryouts in February, boys U15 and younger will have their tryouts in the spring. All girls tryouts will take place in the spring. 

What's your policy on players playing up?
For kids who want to "play up" (play in an older age group), you may request to attend tryouts for that older age group on our registration form. Our coaches will let you know if you've been invited to the tryouts for the older age group. If you do attend tryouts for an older age group, you'll need to attend tryouts for both your current age, and the older age group.

I was born between August 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011, should I tryout during high school tryouts?
If you DO NOT want to play up: Register for Boys 15 and younger tryouts. You will tryout in the Spring.

If you DO want to play up: You will need to register now for High School tryouts and note your interest in playing up on a U16 team. You will also need to try out again in the Spring for your primary U15 squad.

When will the official school age season start? 
New school-age teams will start competitive play late-May/June 2026. For teams that participate in summer tournaments like Surf Cup, they will participate with their new, school-age team. 

See here  for more from Washington Youth Soccer on the changes.

Don't hesitate to contact us at info@albionscwashington.org if you have any unanswered questions, or want to chat to our coaching staff.