Birth Year Format
In 2017, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), of which the SPF Soccer Club is a member of, moved from school year to birth year registration for all competitions. This was done for numerous reasons:
- Every country in the world except the United States and Canada operated by birth year
- The changes aimed to support (and prioritize) player development, and aligned with changes to standards in small-sided games introduced by USSF
- It was easier. Instead of confusion about opportunities available to children dependent on the month of the year they are born in, players can quickly identify their options based off a single parameter - year of birth.
Our Travel Program, Senior Recreation Program and Diamond Academy made the switch to Birth Year in 2017. This decision is in accordance with the USSF standards that we have to abide by as part of New Jersey Youth Soccer (NJYS). All of the leagues we play in require this structure of team formation including EDP, Mid New Jersey and the Suburban Youth Soccer League.
Up through the Spring 2019 season, our Junior Recreation Program has run on a School Year structure, meaning that Divisions and Teams were formed based on the player's school grade. Not making this change when Travel, Diamond and Senior Rec made their change complicated matters over the past 2 years, and was especially apparent when players progressed up through our club and needed to switch Programs (Junior Rec to Senior Rec or Diamond or Travel). This has resulted in a lot of confusion around what programs a player is eligible for.
We are happy to announce that starting in the Fall of 2019, our Junior Recreation Program will move to a Birth Year format. This will make it very clear to parents and players what their options are, and put players on the best developmental path going forward, regardless of whether the player progresses through our Recreation or Travel Programs.
We are one Soccer Club with four distinct Programs, which are now aligned by the same team structure (Birth Year) format. The future is ours!
To learn more about each and every birth year option, simply click on that birth year as listed below. Click here if you have any further questions about this or other important topics pertaining to the SPF Soccer Club.
