AgePure

I have just created this sign-on on to ask questions regarding the new age pure rule in LHGCL. The forum seems like a good place to ask because it appears that there are some knowledgeable people on here. I noticed some dialogue on it already. I would like some answers that I haven’t been able to find so that my daughter and I can make some informed decisions. It would be great to hear from LHGCL officials. I believe there are LHGCL officials that at least read postings from this site. PM’s would be just fine with me but an official FAQ on their web-site would be even better. I hope I’m not wrong in stating that my some of my questions are not answered on their site yet. I’ll refer to the 00/99 age group because that is what is affecting my daughter.

Currently, and for the most part, the 00’s have a combination of 99 players and 00 players. My daughter is a 99 age pure and a sophomore in high school. If she had been born 30 days later, she would be an 00.

My understanding is that 00’s can move up to 99’s for the coming season, but that 99’s cannot move down to any 00 teams. Therefore, many, if not most of the current 00 teams are moving to 99’s this year so that they can keep their teams intact. And, I know of at least one 00 team going to 99 that will be moving back to an 00 team after next season is over. So, for example, if my daughter were to go to that team this year, she would have to find another team next year. I know some people don’t have a problem with moving teams (according to one post on the forum, the kid will endure the incredible life-altering stress of having to find a new soccer team) but I’d rather she not have to do it again next year.

Another choice would be to find a 99 team that will stay as a 99 team until she graduates high school. But, if that 99 team had some 98’s on it that would now be forced to leave, how will that affect their level of play? I’d like for her to play at a high enough level (D1, D2) and at enough showcases for college coaches to be able to see her. Her choice of study limits her to a few colleges in this region of the country and she likes almost all of those colleges. Most of those are smaller universities, including a couple of D1’s. More than likely, she’ll go to a D2 or D3 university because she really likes those programs, but has attended a D1 camp and the coach seemed to show an interest. Regardless, she is good enough to play college ball at some level and would like to do so, but the deciding factor will be the academic program.

Another, and possibly better choice for us might be to try and get on a 98 team that would then drop to a 99 team the following year. But, again, we would have to ask how many players would be leaving and how many girls are at each age level to get an idea as to whether that team will be very competitive in the slot they are in.

I also overheard one coach telling his parents that LHGCL will create a “bubble team” for 99’s. I’m not sure what that means. However, LHGCL’s site goes from U17 to U19. Why is that? What happened to U18? Is this what the coach’s reference to a bubble team was? Will there now be a U18?

Then, finally, what were the recent playoffs used to determine? I know teams currently at the 00 level were involved with 00 playoffs but they are planning to be 99 teams next year. Several parents told me that teams could pick the age group (00 or 99) that they wanted to play under in LHGCL. What if every D1 00 team decided to play as a 99? How would they decide which original 99 D1 teams and these new 00’s-to-99 teams are actually now D1 teams?