What is changing?
The three largest youth soccer organizations in the country—US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, and AYSO—have agreed to move away from the current birth-year system (Jan 1–Dec 31) and return to a school-year system (Aug 1–Jul 31) for forming teams.
This means players will now be grouped more closely with their classmates in school, rather than strictly by birth year. This is a return to the system used before 2017, when U.S. Soccer moved to birth-year grouping to align with international standards. After years of feedback from clubs and families, the decision was made to switch back.
Why is this change happening?
This is a nationwide decision made after extensive feedback from clubs and families across the country. The main goals are to:
- Keep players with their school classmates and friends
- Reduce “trapped players” -- those whose birthdays cause them to be separated from grade-level peers at key transitions like 8th grade or senior year
- Improve overall player experience and retention
- Create a more consistent system across all youth soccer organizations
When does this take effect?
- No changes this current season (2025–2026)
- The new system begins with teams formed for Fall 2026
What does this mean for Sandpoint Strikers?
Sandpoint Strikers FC will be fully adopting this change, in alignment with US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, AYSO, and all clubs in our region.
This is not a club-specific decision—it is a nationwide change required for league participation, and every club in our area will be implementing it the same way.
How will this affect tryouts?
Because this change begins in Fall 2026:
- Upcoming tryouts will be based on the new age group system (Aug 1 – Jul 31)
- Players will attend tryouts according to their new school-year age group