Understanding U.S. Soccer Age Group Changes for the Upcoming Season

Yes. While Eastside FC will implement the new school-year age groups across the club, there are two limited situations where a player may be placed in an older age group and allowed to play with an older grade. These exceptions are intentional and designed to support player development, continuity, and long-term success.

1. Players already playing with their school classmates

In some cases, the new guidelines would place a player into a younger age group even though they are already in an older school grade and have been training and competing with that peer group. For these players, remaining with their classmates can support confidence, social comfort, and consistency in their development environment. This exception helps avoid unnecessary disruption for players who are already well-established within an older cohort.

2. Some top contributors/starters on A teams

Some players who are key contributors on A teams may be considered to play up when it is determined that the higher level of challenge better supports their development. These decisions are made thoughtfully, in consultation with the player and family, and are guided by our coaches based on performance, readiness, and long-term growth—not simply age or short-term results. Importantly, no player will be required to play with an older grade; top players may always choose to play in their newly defined age group if that is the best fit for them.

In all cases, exceptions are limited and handled individually. Our goal is to balance alignment with U.S. Soccer’s guidelines while making development-focused decisions that put players in the best environment to thrive. If you believe your child may fall outside of these two situations, we encourage you to reach out and start a conversation with our coaching staff. While exceptions are limited, we’re always open to thoughtful discussions centered on what’s best for a player’s development.

Eastside FC plans team formation with a focus on supporting our premier-level players and maintaining appropriate roster sizes and competitive environments. As age groups rebalance under the new cutoff structure, additional teams may be formed at certain age groups when there is sufficient depth to support a true premier experience.

That said, team creation is not unlimited. Teams are formed based on the number of players who attend tryouts and the overall quality, balance, and sustainability of each group. For players currently rostered on Eastside FC premier teams, there is a strong likelihood that an appropriate placement will continue to be available, provided they attend tryouts and meet team standards. As always, final team formation depends on tryout participation and evaluations.

We understand that coaching changes—or a player moving into a different age group—can naturally raise questions about how well a coach knows each player. We have thoughtful processes in place to ensure evaluations are fair, informed, and consistent.

Player assessments are never based on a single coach’s perspective. Our coaching staff stays in close communication throughout the year, with current and incoming coaches sharing feedback, evaluations, and observations as part of an ongoing player-pool assessment. This helps create continuity and a shared understanding of each player’s development, strengths, and areas for growth.

In addition, players will have opportunities to train together in group sessions with others in their prospective age group in the months leading up to tryouts. These sessions allow coaches to see players in a shared environment and give players time to become familiar with new coaches and teammates. More details on these sessions will be shared soon.

Our goal is to reduce uncertainty and create multiple touchpoints—well before tryouts—so every player is known, supported, and evaluated within the full context of their development.

With the updated age group structure, teams will now include players from two different birth years. To keep team names clear and consistent, we’ll likely indicate both years in the team name while keeping the familiar format for gender and level.

Before and After example of likely team name changes:

• Before: G10 (U16) ECNL – Girls team for players born in 2010

• After: G09/10 (U17) ECNL – Girls team for players born in 2010 and 2009

Additional identifiers, like ECNL, ECNL-RL, Grey, Bellevue, Blue, will continue to indicate team hierarchy within each age group.

The familiar “U” naming convention (e.g., U13, U15) will also remain in use for age-specific contexts, so families and players will still see it in schedules, communications, and tournament listings.

The new two-year age group structure will not negatively impact college recruiting. College coaches evaluate players based on their performance, development, and potential—not the exact age grouping of their club team.

For players already in the club, their body of work over the previous year—training, games, tournaments, and coach feedback—will continue to be the primary factor in college recruiting exposure. For new players, tryouts provide the opportunity to demonstrate skills and fit within the club environment.

Additionally, Eastside FC will continue to provide structured recruiting support through workshops, panels, and guidance for players and families. The new age group system may actually provide more consistent training and development opportunities by balancing teams across two birth years, helping players continue to grow in a competitive and supportive environment.

With the new two-year age group cycle, all players will be required to purchase new uniforms. Because of changes to rosters and age groups, some players may move to a team where other players previously had their same historical number.

We’ve developed a fair and equitable approach for assigning numbers, and details will be shared with families in January.