With the change to birth year registration in select soccer there are more conflicts now between club and freshman soccer. Previously it was mainly the 8th graders who had conflicts, but now many 9th graders have conflicts with club soccer in the fall as well. It is especially difficult if there's a conflict over fresham regionals weekend.

 

I don't follow what this has to do with anything. Unless you are in an academy, you would normally play frosh soccer if you are in fact a freshman in high school, regardless of your birth year. CCH has 29 freshmen playing soccer so I doubt this rule change is the reason for so few freshmen playing at Ryle.

edit.

That's a really good point. I know Highlands had a really talented 8th grader choose club over Freshman. As a parent, it would be tough to expect kids to do both as an 8th grader.

 

Or try playing club as a Freshman, while also playing the entire Varsity contest each week.

Or try playing club as a Freshman, while also playing the entire Varsity contest each week.

 

No thank you. EPT on Wed, play CovCath on Thursday as a 13 or 14 year old....yeesh.

Club over freshman soccer all day long. Now that that club has switch to birth year could this be the end of freshman soccer in nky?

Club over freshman soccer all day long. Now that that club has switch to birth year could this be the end of freshman soccer in nky?

 

02s are playing right now. I would imagine that the intent was to give 8th graders Fall games and not to hurt Freshman programs.....but you raise an interesting question. It may not cause the end, but it will hinder the overall numbers.

I don't follow what this has to do with anything. Unless you are in an academy, you would normally play frosh soccer if you are in fact a freshman in high school, regardless of your birth year. CCH has 29 freshmen playing soccer so I doubt this rule change is the reason for so few freshmen playing at Ryle.

 

That sounds like a great situation for CovCath. The numbers should allow the freshman team to be able to accommodate if a player has to miss for a club conflict. Also gives great depth to get through freshman regionals weekend where the two teams who play in the finals maybe playing their 4th game in a 24 hour period.

 

I wasn't referring to Ryle's specific situation, just wondering if missing some of the very best players who choose to play club only in 8th or 9th grade could make freshman teams across the board look a little down. The birth year change did add to the number of players with potential conflicts and possibility for burn-out or overuse injuries (5/12ths of the 9th grade age group -- August through December -- added to that pool with the birth year change). From my perspective, if the kids are healthy, happy and enjoying their soccer it's all good.

Or try playing club as a Freshman, while also playing the entire Varsity contest each week.

 

No doubt. If you look at what would make sense for periodization of play to prevent injury and ensure best long term athlete development (LTAD) doubling up on club and high school is a horrible idea. The peak height velocity (PHV) age for boys is 14 (it's 13 for girls). So during the year when most are going through their growth spurts they are also getting a pounding physically with 3 games and 3 days of training at high school and then hustling off to 2 or 3 club practices and another couple club games each week. Many of the best persevere and come out just fine... and we tend to know and remember their names. But I have also seen kids whose bodies take a beating and they either end up with recurring nagging injuries (hip flexor very common) or their level of play drops off due to overuse or fatigue and it hurts their confidence going forward. I was once a believer in doing both club and high school soccer as 8th and 9th graders... not so much anymore.

I'd love to see the max games for freshmen set at 14 or 16; frosh games played on mostly weekdays; weekends generally left open for club games; and freshmen regionals changed in format to get first two rounds self-scheduled and played prior to the finals weekend so that on finals weekend you could do semis on Friday night and finals and 3rd/4th place game on Saturday on a full sized field (same tournament format for JV regionals, too).

I'd love to see the max games for freshmen set at 14 or 16; frosh games played on mostly weekdays; weekends generally left open for club games; and freshmen regionals changed in format to get first two rounds self-scheduled and played prior to the finals weekend so that on finals weekend you could do semis on Friday night and finals and 3rd/4th place game on Saturday on a full sized field (same tournament format for JV regionals, too).

Never gonna happen. My understanding is they can barely cover the games as is. Add freshman to the weeknights and for get about it.

Never gonna happen. My understanding is they can barely cover the games as is. Add freshman to the weeknights and for get about it.

 

Uh... I was suggesting fewer overall games. Feshmen already play most T/TH weeknights, You just use the games that are scheduled prior to regional to count as your first one or two two rounds of games. Alternately, set an upper and lower division to get rid of 4 games in 24 hours. Alternately do away with freshmen regionals all together. Never-going-to-happen is generally a result of close-minded thinking... and I know you're open minded right?

I too agree that a 16 game schedule would be a perfect fit for the freshman teams to play each fall. The unfortunately is little chance of only playing freshman games during the week though, most freshman teams play the bulk of there schedule on the weekends. Remember schools could care less about club soccer, just the nature of the beast.

 

Freshman/JV tournaments: Would be nice to see on larger fields, but its really a pipe dream to think it could happen. Lack of fields and there availability, and shortage on officials doesn't make this a realistic option. Schools with grass fields wont take the games due to wear and tear, and schools with turf won't field availability enough to pick up the games, and we haven't even mentioned the official shortage. And finally, both boone and kenton counties have the no play on sunday rule which makes the task even harder.

^ I wasn't aware that most frosh teams played the bulk of their schedule on weekends. I thought most of the schools with lights played tri-matches. As for ref availability, I was suggesting overall fewer games AND they currently get the games covered for the tournament at T&C.

I too agree that a 16 game schedule would be a perfect fit for the freshman teams to play each fall. The unfortunately is little chance of only playing freshman games during the week though, most freshman teams play the bulk of there schedule on the weekends. Remember schools could care less about club soccer, just the nature of the beast.

 

Freshman/JV tournaments: Would be nice to see on larger fields, but its really a pipe dream to think it could happen. Lack of fields and there availability, and shortage on officials doesn't make this a realistic option. Schools with grass fields wont take the games due to wear and tear, and schools with turf won't field availability enough to pick up the games, and we haven't even mentioned the official shortage. And finally, both boone and kenton counties have the no play on sunday rule which makes the task even harder.

 

It's not so much a question of whether schools should care about club soccer -- it's a question of whether schools care about the student-athletes who get put in the grinder with too much play. Coaches are, or should be, well aware of how much load is being placed on kids trying to do both high school and club at once. Ignoring the issue or calling it unsolvable doesn't seem like the right response, but I guess it's the easiest response.

I just looked at CCH schedule. If you do not include this weekend and the Freshman showcase, they have had one Saturday game. Al the rest are during the weekdays. Do they do a Freshman Regional for the girls teams? When my daughter played about 4 years ago they did not have a regional.