Patriot FC

PLAYING UP GUIDELINES

Patriot FC recommends that most children play with their birth-year team. We feel this provides the ideal environment for social and soccer development. We also recognize that advanced players may benefit by playing in an older age group. Patriot FC will allow players to try out for a team that is one (1) birth year older. Before making this decision players and families should speak with their coach and our Director of Coaching to see if playing up is the right decision. Players who try out for a team are NOT guaranteed to be offered a roster spot.

Players who are interested in playing up are required to attend at least one (1) tryout for their birth-year team. This will allow the club to understand the landscape for each age group and help tryout evaluators determine the best fit for each player.

For the 2017-2018 season, there will be two (2) tryout dates for each age group. Players are encouraged to attend all tryout sessions for the team(s) they want to play on. For example, a player who wants to play up could attend up to four (4) tryouts; two (2) for their birth-year team & two (2) for the year older.

PLAYING UP CONSIDERATIONS

“Can my child ‘play up?” is a common question that parents ask. We ask you to review the information below while considering if playing up is the best thing for your child:

We expect age groups to trend toward age pure for the 2017-2018 soccer year
Teams will likely NOT consist of the same players as last year – especially at the younger ages
Is playing up the right thing for my child’s soccer and social development?
Depending on when your child was born they will be between 12 and 23 months younger than the oldest players. See tables below for age group information.

2017 - 2018 AGE GROUP MATRIX

AGE GROUP	BIRTH YEAR	BIRTH DATE RANGE		SCHOOL GRADE	FIELD PLAYERS
U7	2011	1/1/2011	12/31/2011	K - 1st	4v4
U8	2010	1/1/2010	12/31/2010	1st - 2nd	4v4
U9	2009	1/1/2009	12/31/2009	2nd - 3rd	7v7
U10	2008	1/1/2008	12/31/2008	3rd - 4th	7v7
U11	2007	1/1/2007	12/31/2007	4th - 5th	9v9
U12	2006	1/1/2006	12/31/2006	5th - 6th	9v9
U13	2005	1/1/2005	12/31/2005	6th - 7th	11v11
U14	2004	1/1/2004	12/31/2004	7th - 8th	11v11
U15	2003	1/1/2003	12/31/2003	8th - 9th	11v11
U16	2002	1/1/2002	12/31/2002	9th -10th	11v11
U17	2001	1/1/2001	12/31/2001	10th - 11th	11v11
U18	2000	1/1/2000	12/31/2000	11th -12th	11v11
U19	1999	1/1/1999	12/31/1999	12th+	11v11

PLAYING UP AGE DIFFERENCE

This table outlines the age difference between a child born in each month with the oldest players in the ‘playing up’ age group. For example, a child born in June who decides to ‘play up’ will be 17 months younger than the oldest players on their team and the teams they play against.

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
12 mo. younger	13 mo. younger	14 mo. younger	15 mo. younger	16 mo. younger	17 mo. younger	18 mo. younger	19 mo. younger	20 mo. younger	21 mo. younger	22 mo. younger	23 mo. younger