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Youth Soccer Age Groups: Birth Year or School Year?

Marcos Salles By Marcos Salles Updated 9 min read

Quick answer

For most U.S. girls' leagues in 2026-27, it is a school-year cycle: players are grouped by birth date from August 1 to July 31, not by calendar birth year. US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, AYSO and Girls Academy all made the move. A girl born in March 2013 plays U14, while one born in November 2013 plays U13. Check your club's chart, because ODP still uses birth year.

Two teams of young girls in purple and white soccer shirts stand in two lines and raise their hands for a high-five line after a game
Two girls' teams line up for the post-game high-five. Photo: woodleywonderworks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped).
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If your daughter's team letter says U13 and you cannot tell why, you are not alone. The rule behind those numbers changed this season, and the change is easy to miss. I am not a coach and I am not selling a program, so everything below comes from the organizations that made the rule, read on October 28, 2026. This site is independent and not affiliated with U.S. Soccer, ECNL, Girls Academy or any club named here.

This guide covers what changed, the new chart, what it does to a girl's age group, and the questions to put to your club. For the big picture of levels, costs and leagues, start with our parent's guide to girls' club soccer in the U.S..

What changed: birth year or school year?

For almost a decade, most U.S. youth soccer grouped players by calendar birth year, January 1 to December 31. US Youth Soccer's announcement says U.S. Soccer moved to birth-year registration in 2016 "to align with international soccer standards." From the 2026-27 season, US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer and AYSO group players on a school-year cycle: August 1 to July 31. Girls Academy announced the same move on September 12, 2025.

The first plan, announced in March 2025, was a September 1 to August 31 cycle. In June 2025 the three organizations revised it to August 1 after more feedback, and US Club Soccer says the September date was dropped because of gaps in the Department of Education's school-year cutoff lists. The 2025-26 season was unchanged, so the season now under way is the first one with the new groups.

One detail matters for how you read the news. U.S. Soccer did not order the switch. Since late 2024 it lets each member organization choose among three registration options (birth year, August 1 to July 31, or September 1 to August 31) for the leagues and competitions it runs. The change below is the choice that these organizations made.

What are the 2026-27 age groups?

US Club Soccer publishes both versions side by side. The left column is last season's calendar birth year. The right column is the new birth-date window for 2026-27.

Age group2025-26 (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31)2026-27 (Aug. 1 to July 31)
U82018Aug. 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019
U92017Aug. 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018
U102016Aug. 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017
U112015Aug. 1, 2015 to July 31, 2016
U122014Aug. 1, 2014 to July 31, 2015
U132013Aug. 1, 2013 to July 31, 2014
U142012Aug. 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013
U152011Aug. 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012
U162010Aug. 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011
U172009Aug. 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010
U182008Aug. 1, 2008 to July 31, 2009
U192007Aug. 1, 2007 to July 31, 2008

Age groups for 2025-26 (birth year) and 2026-27 (August 1 to July 31). Source: US Club Soccer, Age Groups page, read Oct. 28, 2026.

The number in the name is the same idea as before: it is the age group the team plays in for the 2026-27 season. What changed is the window of birth dates behind it, which is now twelve months starting in August instead of January. US Club Soccer's 2026-27 season runs from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027, so its age-group window and its season now start and end on the same dates.

Does your daughter change age groups?

It depends on her birthday. A girl born from January to July lands in the group she would have had anyway. A girl born from August to December can end up in a different group. The table below applies US Club Soccer's chart to girls born in 2013, who were U13 in 2025-26. These examples are our reading of the chart, not a club ruling.

Birth date2025-262026-27What it means
March 12, 2013U13U14Moves up one group, as in a normal year.
July 31, 2013U13U14The last birthday in the U14 window.
August 1, 2013U13U13The first birthday in the U13 window, so she plays U13 a second year.
November 12, 2013U13U13Same group, now with girls born through July 2014.

Our reading of the US Club Soccer chart for four birth dates. Check your own club's roster for the final word.

A girl in a white club soccer jersey dribbles the ball in light rain while a defender in a green jersey chases her, with other players blurred behind
A club game in December 2017. The photo does not say which age group these players belong to. Photo: Grey Gibbs, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped).

LAFC SoCal Youth puts it this way on its new age-groups page: players are not "moving up" or "playing down," they are reorganized into a new classification after the 2025-26 season. If a girl stays in the same number, that is the new cycle at work.

Why did youth soccer switch?

US Youth Soccer says the goal is to line players up with their school-grade classmates, which it expects to bring more girls into the sport and keep them in it. US Club Soccer's announcement names two problems it wants to reduce:

  • "Trapped" players: girls who are older for their soccer age group than for their school year.
  • "Force-ups": girls who have to play up to stay with their school friends.

US Club Soccer says a January 1 cutoff creates the most trapped players, and gives eighth graders and high school seniors on January 1 teams as examples. It also says no cutoff fixes everything, because school-year cutoffs differ by state and county. It adds, in its own words, that "there is no soccer developmental benefit to any specific age group cut-off." So the change is about fitting a girl's team to her school calendar, not about making her a better player.

U.S. Soccer says it reviewed more than 15,000 responses, and it lists one finding that matters to parents of older girls: regardless of the registration choice, players "will need to be scouted based on their birth year." The age group on the roster and the birth year a scout reads are not the same thing.

Do ECNL, Girls Academy and ODP follow the same cycle?

  • US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer and AYSO: yes, August 1 to July 31 from 2026-27. In US Youth Soccer, that covers its league and cup competitions, including National Championships, Presidents Cup and National League.
  • Girls Academy: yes. Its September 2025 announcement says registration and team formation run August 1 to July 31 from August 2026.
  • ECNL: I did not find a separate ECNL announcement. ECNL's parents page links to US Club Soccer's age-division matrix, and that matrix uses August 1 to July 31 for 2026-27. Ask your club to confirm the ECNL age group in writing.
  • ODP: no. State association FAQs that reproduce the national guidance say ODP groupings are "unchanged" and continue to use January 1 to December 31 birth year. That is why the 2026 Girls ODP National Select Teams, which our pillar guide mentions, are listed by birth year.

Recreational leagues, school teams and local clubs outside these organizations can set their own rules, so a girl can have one age group in her club and another in her school or park league.

Can she play up, and what about the oldest teams?

Georgia Soccer, which publishes US Youth Soccer's guidance for its members, answers both. In US Youth Soccer's own competitions, no age exceptions are granted, players can play up under the competition's rules, and play-downs are not permitted. The U18 and U19 groups stay combined as one U19 group in those leagues and cups. Other leagues have their own rules, so ask the league, not just the club.

How do you find your daughter's age group?

Use the tool U.S. Soccer built for this, then check it with the people who run her team.

  1. Run her birth date through the U.S. Soccer age group tool. It shows the groups under all three cycles. U.S. Soccer calls the results "a guide" and asks families to confirm with the club or league.
  2. Ask the club which cycle each of its programs uses. Recreational, club, ECNL or Girls Academy, and ODP can differ.
  3. Ask where she sits in the window. A girl born in August is the oldest in her group, and one born in July is the youngest.
  4. Ask what the season will cost. Fees are set by level and club, and our girls' club soccer cost guide shows what real fee sheets list.

Where does this guide fit in the series?

This is one of the parent guides in our Girls' Youth Soccer section. The pillar, Girls' Club Soccer in the U.S.: How It Works for Parents, explains the levels, and the ECNL vs. Girls Academy guide compares the two top leagues. The chart is a snapshot from October 2026, and we will update it if the organizations change the rule. You can read about the person writing it on the About page, and how we check sources on How we write. If the 2027 Women's World Cup is what got your daughter interested, our tournament schedule is the place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Is youth soccer age based on birth year or school year in 2026-27?

For US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, AYSO and Girls Academy, it is a school-year cycle: players are grouped by birth date from August 1 to July 31. Calendar birth year, January 1 to December 31, was used through 2025-26. ODP still uses birth year.

What age group is my daughter in for 2026-27?

On the US Club Soccer chart, U13 is August 1, 2013 to July 31, 2014, and U14 is August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013. Find her birth date in the chart, or enter it in U.S. Soccer's age group tool and confirm the result with your club.

Why did youth soccer change from birth year to school year?

US Youth Soccer says the goal is to line players up with their school-grade classmates. US Club Soccer names two problems it wants to reduce: "trapped" players, who are older for their soccer group than for their school year, and "force-ups," who must play up to stay with school friends.

Will my daughter move up or down an age group?

Not necessarily. Using the US Club Soccer chart, a girl born from January to July 2013 moves from U13 to U14 as in a normal year, while one born from August to December 2013 stays in U13 for a second year. LAFC SoCal Youth describes this as being reorganized, not moving up or down.

Do ECNL and Girls Academy use the new age groups?

Girls Academy announced the August 1 to July 31 cycle for 2026-27. ECNL's parents page links to US Club Soccer's age matrix, which uses the same cycle, but I did not find a separate ECNL announcement, so ask your club to confirm.

Does ODP use the school-year age groups?

No. State association FAQs reproducing US Youth Soccer guidance say ODP groupings are unchanged and continue to use January 1 to December 31 birth year.

Can a girl play up an age group?

In US Youth Soccer's own competitions, players can play up under the competition rules, but play-downs are not permitted and no age exceptions are granted. Other leagues set their own rules, so ask the league.

Sources

Marcos Salles

Marcos Salles

Founder and editor, WoSo Arena

I live in Salvador, Brazil, one of the eight host cities of the 2027 Women's World Cup, and I spent five years in the United States, where girls' and women's games filled the parks and school fields of Los Angeles. Every article starts from official sources, listed at the end.

How we write

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