AGE GROUP TRANSITION FAQ

The following chart from the MSYSA outlines age group eligibility for the 2026-2027 season.

Players born in August–December may shift into a different age group than they were previously assigned. See the chart in the question above.

The Club is working diligently to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for all players and coaches. To begin, we are internally auditing all rosters to confirm which age group each player will be eligible for next year.

City Sports Group has affiliates across the country. Different clubs are going through the transitions at different times based on the timelines for their seasons, some as early as December 2025. City Sports Group is collecting feedback and experiences from its affiliates and sharing resources with directors of its affiliate clubs to help the clubs learn from each other.

Social Development: Aligning age group cut-offs with school calendars groups most players with their classmates, helping build stronger bonds and relationships on and off the field which will positively impact the overall player experience and social aspect of the Game.

Increased Continuity and Age Appropriate Opportunities for All Players: Aligning with the school calendars and grouping more players with their classmates works in both directions.

• Reduces the number of “trapped” players who are forced to play in an older age group due to discrepancies between soccer age cut-offs and school year cut-offs. (These are players who are in 8th grade when the majority of their teammates are in 9th grade.) “Trapped” players experience disruptions in their 8th grade year while older teammates play high school in the winter, and again their senior year when the majority of their team graduates and they move to a younger team for their final season.
• Reduces the number of “force ups.” These are players who are forced to play up in an older soccer age group against their biological age if they want the experience of playing with their classmates.

While there is no way to completely eliminate instances of trapped players and force-ups, The August 1 – July 31 is the most effective way to reduce these structural frictions and ensure greater continuity, fair opportunities, and age-appropriate experiences in youth soccer. It places more players in the right place, at the right time, with the right teammates, resulting in both performance enhancing benefits and a more joyful and socially empowering experience.

In some situations players age groups for the 2026-2027 season will result in a seemingly extra year at a level of play (e.g. 3 years at 9v9 instead of 2). Benefits include:

• Promotes Technical Development: Players have more ball contact per game on a smaller field, playing with lower numbers, providing more opportunities to strengthen individual technique. For 7v7 and 9v9 players, this improves preparation for 11v11.
• Physical Benefits: Places late developers who were previously at a physical disadvantage in a more appropriate environment, providing better opportunities to improve in all aspects of their game.
• Confidence Boost and Social Benefits: Repeating a year can improve confidence and encourage leadership skills for players who already have a year of experience at the age group. Creates a supportive learning environment for every member on the team.

Our club policy on players playing up remains unchanged: We believe that generally, it is in the best interest of each player’s individual development to play in their true age group. This philosophy is based on physical, social, and psychological factors. Age-appropriate training and games provide the best conditions to foster development in youth players. As is always the case regardless of age group cutoffs, opportunities to “play up” will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be at the discretion of the coaches and directors based on our assessment of what is in the best interest of each individual player. Coaches and directors will collaborate on decisions regarding inviting players to “play up”.

There will be players whose age eligibility does not match the grade they are in. For example, Frederick County Public Schools’ cut off to start Kindergarten is September 1, or a child born in October may take a test to start Kindergarten early. We will take the grade players are entering into consideration when making invitations to “play up”. A player can not play in a younger age group than their birthday makes them eligible for.

Fortunately this change aligns with City SC’s uniform cycle. We are currently in the second year of a two year uniform cycle, so all players (new and returning) will be required to purchase a new kit for the 2026-2027 soccer year. Uniform cycles are aligned with manufacturer production cycles to ensure that we always have adequate access to product inventory.