LHGCL - 2016-2017 Age Divisions, QT and Bye Discussion

FriscoSoccer05 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

Soccerzrus wrote:The current aug-dec 05 do not have to find a team to play with, they are the new 05 group that will be for sure qualifying this summer. The Jan-July 05 that are currently playing select will either continue to play up on their current team ( which as of August will be considered an 04 team) or go back down and play with the new 05 AP group. 05 AP are who will be qualifying this summer. Every current select team will keep their bye and move to the next age together. The difference will be that every single team will be classified a year older than they were before.
Current Classification.               August Classification
05.                                             04
04.                                             03
03.                                             02
02.                                             01
Etc. these are all the exact same current teams, they are just having their age group changed. The aug - dec player can continue with the team and play up into the new age of the team, or drop down and play with their AP age group. With these changes it make the current 06 players that are actually 05 August-December the new 05 AP age group. That AP 05 group is who is qualifying for select this summer

Unfortunately, your information is outdated.  It's just that the "new" information has not been published yet.

What was published a couple of weeks back, is that USSF screwed up their original definition of the age matrix ('06's would be U10 in 2016, 05's would be U11, and so on... - that was WRONG).  Now it has been corrected and '06's will be U11's in 2016, '05's U12, etc...

LH made their original decision on how they would handle byes and the switch to AP next summer, based on what USSF/NTX originally published (an is now outdated).  Under that scenario, '06's would not have gone select this summer.  '05's would be holding a full QT for LH U11, and U12 and above would work according to the standard promotion system.  Byes earned from this years U11 play would apply to U12 next year, U12 byes earned from this year would apply to U13, etc...  The byes would essentially move with the OLDEST players from the team's, and it would be up to the individual teams/clubs to decide if they wanted their younger players to continue to "play up" or if they wanted to transition their teams to calendar year rosters.

However, word on the street (and I have been getting a consistent message from the people I have been talking to, and have been reliable sources in the past), is that even with the recent change in the Age Matrix, LH is NOT going to modify their process.

That means that byes earned in U11 play this year, will still apply to U12 next year.  HOWEVER, with the recent "correction" to the age matrix, that means that LH's decision to not do anything differently, actually represents a HUGE change.  U12 will now be '05 AP next year, which means that any Aug-Dec '04's that are currently on U11 in LH, will have to play in U13 next year.  HOWEVER, since the bye their team earns in U11 this year, will be for U12 next year, that means that ALL of those Aug-Dec '04's will be FORCED to find a new team to play on next year, UNLESS the coach wants to forfeit their U12 bye and keep the team together and take their shot at qualifying for U13 D3 via the QT this summer.  

This same process follows for all age groups from U12->U16.  Basically, LH is now essentially "forcing" roughly 40% of their players (all of the Aug-Dec birthdates in each age group) to find new teams next year, as they will not be able to play with the current team they are playing on, unless the team decides to forfeit their current bye in order to try and qualify for D3 in the older age group.

The net is, if any of the Aug-Dec '05's currently playing U10 academy, want to play in LH U12 D1 or D2 next year, they will likely have to go find an existing team that has a bye earned from this year's U11 league play, or be given an existing bye in U12 that their club owns, but has been abandoned by the team that earned it.  Otherwise, any "new" AP '05 teams will likely be competing for a few open spots in U12 D3 for next fall.

The '06's will be the only age group holding a "full blown" QT that will populate D1-D3.

Now, NONE OF THIS HAS BE WRITTEN DOWN AND PUBLISHED YET.  However, depending on who I speak with, this decision is somewhere between 75% certain and 100% DONE DEAL.

The net, is that if this decision is the way it flushes out, expect to see a lot of chaos this spring/summer.  Clubs shuffling rosters, clubs playing "musical byes", small clubs/indy teams making deals with each other and/or joining bigger clubs in order to keep rosters together, and unfortunately, a fair number of teams will just end up imploding because the roster change and uncertainty will just be too much.

All so that we can better serve the fraction of 1% of players that are good enough for WNT consideration...

With this kind of disruption it creates an opportunity.  I would not be surprised to see a JR ECNL league popping up similiar to what SoCal has done.

Lakedad wrote:

FriscoSoccer05 wrote:

bwgophers wrote:

Soccerzrus wrote:The current aug-dec 05 do not have to find a team to play with, they are the new 05 group that will be for sure qualifying this summer. The Jan-July 05 that are currently playing select will either continue to play up on their current team ( which as of August will be considered an 04 team) or go back down and play with the new 05 AP group. 05 AP are who will be qualifying this summer. Every current select team will keep their bye and move to the next age together. The difference will be that every single team will be classified a year older than they were before.
Current Classification.               August Classification
05.                                             04
04.                                             03
03.                                             02
02.                                             01
Etc. these are all the exact same current teams, they are just having their age group changed. The aug - dec player can continue with the team and play up into the new age of the team, or drop down and play with their AP age group. With these changes it make the current 06 players that are actually 05 August-December the new 05 AP age group. That AP 05 group is who is qualifying for select this summer

Unfortunately, your information is outdated.  It's just that the "new" information has not been published yet.

What was published a couple of weeks back, is that USSF screwed up their original definition of the age matrix ('06's would be U10 in 2016, 05's would be U11, and so on... - that was WRONG).  Now it has been corrected and '06's will be U11's in 2016, '05's U12, etc...

LH made their original decision on how they would handle byes and the switch to AP next summer, based on what USSF/NTX originally published (an is now outdated).  Under that scenario, '06's would not have gone select this summer.  '05's would be holding a full QT for LH U11, and U12 and above would work according to the standard promotion system.  Byes earned from this years U11 play would apply to U12 next year, U12 byes earned from this year would apply to U13, etc...  The byes would essentially move with the OLDEST players from the team's, and it would be up to the individual teams/clubs to decide if they wanted their younger players to continue to "play up" or if they wanted to transition their teams to calendar year rosters.

However, word on the street (and I have been getting a consistent message from the people I have been talking to, and have been reliable sources in the past), is that even with the recent change in the Age Matrix, LH is NOT going to modify their process.

That means that byes earned in U11 play this year, will still apply to U12 next year.  HOWEVER, with the recent "correction" to the age matrix, that means that LH's decision to not do anything differently, actually represents a HUGE change.  U12 will now be '05 AP next year, which means that any Aug-Dec '04's that are currently on U11 in LH, will have to play in U13 next year.  HOWEVER, since the bye their team earns in U11 this year, will be for U12 next year, that means that ALL of those Aug-Dec '04's will be FORCED to find a new team to play on next year, UNLESS the coach wants to forfeit their U12 bye and keep the team together and take their shot at qualifying for U13 D3 via the QT this summer.  

This same process follows for all age groups from U12->U16.  Basically, LH is now essentially "forcing" roughly 40% of their players (all of the Aug-Dec birthdates in each age group) to find new teams next year, as they will not be able to play with the current team they are playing on, unless the team decides to forfeit their current bye in order to try and qualify for D3 in the older age group.

The net is, if any of the Aug-Dec '05's currently playing U10 academy, want to play in LH U12 D1 or D2 next year, they will likely have to go find an existing team that has a bye earned from this year's U11 league play, or be given an existing bye in U12 that their club owns, but has been abandoned by the team that earned it.  Otherwise, any "new" AP '05 teams will likely be competing for a few open spots in U12 D3 for next fall.

The '06's will be the only age group holding a "full blown" QT that will populate D1-D3.

Now, NONE OF THIS HAS BE WRITTEN DOWN AND PUBLISHED YET.  However, depending on who I speak with, this decision is somewhere between 75% certain and 100% DONE DEAL.

The net, is that if this decision is the way it flushes out, expect to see a lot of chaos this spring/summer.  Clubs shuffling rosters, clubs playing "musical byes", small clubs/indy teams making deals with each other and/or joining bigger clubs in order to keep rosters together, and unfortunately, a fair number of teams will just end up imploding because the roster change and uncertainty will just be too much.

All so that we can better serve the fraction of 1% of players that are good enough for WNT consideration...

With this kind of disruption it creates an opportunity.  I would not be surprised to see a JR ECNL league popping up similiar to what SoCal has done.

You are spot on.  FC Dallas and D'Feeters have already posted open tryouts for a 'Pre-ECNL' team on the forum.  I would bet the others aren't far behind.

OLJW wrote:

1. Changing the age deadline will have zero benefit in helping them identify players (that's one of their stated reasons for doing this, moronic, I defy anyone to make a reasoned explanation of that policy/reality disconnect) The only way to identify quality players is to go watch them play, if you think they can play then ask'em when their birthday is. 

jogobonito07 wrote:And college coaches will now be seeing teams almost 50/50 with freshman/sophomores, sophomores/juniors.  

Doubles the workload of programs already stretched for funds.

lovesoccer wrote:They could have handled this so much better when the ruling came down from US Soccer. They could have grandfathered this in. This summer would be AP 05 qualifying. While you would technically have 2 '05 age brackets one would be the grandfathered 04/05 age group playing U12 and AP '05 playing U11. In a few years this would be a none issue.  

soocerdreamzhp wrote:Anyone see the Mav's game last night?

soccer5555 wrote:As others have stated, teams could stay together if LHGCL keeps the byes with the OLDER players from the team.  Does anyone know why LHGCL has decided NOT to do this?  Do they not have a choice for some reason?  

Why leave the byes with the younger players from the team and thereby essentially f orce every team at every age group to have to rebuild?  Most girls want to stay with their current team/coach.  Shouldn't the LHGCL board be representing what the thousands of girls that play for them want?

soccer5555 wrote:As others have stated, teams could stay together if LHGCL keeps the byes with the OLDER players from the team.  Does anyone know why LHGCL has decided NOT to do this?  Do they not have a choice for some reason?  

Why leave the byes with the younger players from the team and thereby essentially f orce every team at every age group to have to rebuild?  Most girls want to stay with their current team/coach.  Shouldn't the LHGCL board be representing what the thousands of girls that play for them want?

Switchfoot wrote:If I was the director of PPL and if LHGCL does in fact leave the clubs bye with the age group and make the teams blow up or qualify D3 then I would implement a complete overhaul and requlify all age groups in PPL. This would allow the already strong teams (LHGCL D1's) teams to stay together with the younger players playing up and give PPL the chance to steal away the market share LHGCL currently has.