Information About the Age Cutoff Change for 26-27 Season 

For the 2026 - 2027 season (starting in the Fall of 2026), the majority of youth soccer leagues in the U.S. will be switching from birth year registration (January 1 - December 31) to an August 1 age cutoff (August 1 - July 31). A statement from US Youth Soccer on this topic can be found here for those that are interested. Our league, WYSL, is making this transition.

As an example of how this will impact players: a child currently on the 2015 boys Croton FC Express born on September 7, 2015, would be eligible next year to play for the 2016  boys Croton FC Thunder. The group impacted are those born in the five months between August and December.     

In thinking about how to implement this change, Croton FC considered a number of factors including competitiveness, cohesion of existing teams, and logistic and administrative issues. Different programs will approach this differently.  

Croton FC is going to implement the new August 1 cutoff for new Croton FC players during the 2026-27 tryout process, but we will also allow existing Croton FC players who are impacted (those with a birthday between August 1 - December 31) the choice to try out for their existing team if they’d prefer.  Of course, as with every year, players will still have to earn their spot on the team. This decision was supported by the overwhelming majority of our current coaches.

FAQs on the Change

Why not just implement the new August 1 date across the board?  Each one of our existing teams at Croton FC has its own special culture and bond. In many cases, players have been working as a team, and with their coaches, for hundreds of practices and games over the years. We wanted an approach that allowed that team cohesion to continue.

Do existing players with birthdates from August 1 - December 31 have to try out for their current team?  No - it’s their choice. They can choose to move down to the team currently below them or try out for their existing team. Please note, for those that choose to try out for their existing team, the tryouts may include new players from the team above that are “dropping down” to the current team. In other words, tryouts may be more competitive this cycle for those players that choose to try out for their existing teams.

Can existing players with birthdates from August 1 - December 31 try out for both their current Croton FC team and the Croton FC team below them?  Yes - if an existing player would accept a spot on either team, they can attend tryouts for both age groups and be evaluated for both teams. This would especially be advisable for existing players who are concerned they may not make their current team after the tryout process. 

Why not let new players try out for whatever team they want?  At some point, we need to be in a position as a club where we have a single age cutoff across teams and players. Our approach phases that in, while still attempting to be fair to existing teams. 

What’s the big deal with players playing up an age group? As a general matter, the club philosophy is that allowing players to play up across an entire season negatively impacts the competitiveness of our teams (as that child will be competing with kids potentially 1.5 years older).  We  do encourage our coaches to have some of the stronger players on a particular team guest play with the age group above them where appropriate (e.g., filling in for a game or a tournament).      

Won’t the August 1 cutoff result in kids being split across grades?  Yes. But that is also currently the situation with the birth year cut off and this will be no different. Competitive youth soccer is not organized by grade. The new cut off will better align teams across grades in other parts of the country, but unfortunately it does not match up to our local school cutoffs..  

How do you plan on communicating with existing players to get their preference about what team they’ll be trying out for?  In the registration form for tryouts, there will be a specific set of questions for those existing players born between August and December to share what team or teams they’d like to be considered for. We also expect that coaches will start to have these conversations with parents and players ahead of tryouts.  

I have an existing player at Croton FC with an August - December birthdate. From a soccer perspective, how do I know what age group will be best for my players' development?  Talk to your coach and try to get a sense of their opinion. They’ll only be able to say so much before seeing who comes to tryouts, but they should be able to give you some sense of what might be best for player development.  Among other factors, one might consider size and athleticism (in competing with older kids), along with soccer skills. There may be social dynamics that are important to the decision as well.   

When will tryouts be for the 2026-27 season?  We hope to announce tryout dates in January. As a general matter, we are looking to conduct tryouts for U9 - U12 teams in late-March and early-April, and then will turn to team formation for the older teams later in April.