Middleton United Soccer Club

For the 2026-2027 seasonal year and beyond, Middleton United will use the Seasonal Year age grouping August 1st – July 31st (instead of the Birth Year). This means players will be grouped based on their Seasonal Year rather than their Birth Year.

In early 2025, the governing bodies of soccer in the US - USYS, US Club, and US Soccer - made the decision to shift to the August 1-July 31 age group.

Per US Soccer, this change ensures that all players, both competitive and recreational, have a greater opportunity to play with their friends from school. By aligning with the Seasonal Year, US Soccer is fostering stronger team chemistry, a better player experience, and a more inclusive playing environment!

This change also significantly reduces “trapped players”. A "trapped player" plays in an older soccer age group than their school grade - for example 6th grade Fall birthdays playing with 7th grade Spring birthdays. These players become "trapped" when their teammates transition to high school soccer, leaving the younger player without a club team for half the year.

The 2025/2026 season will be the last one in which WYSA (Middleton United’s governing body) will register players by their Birth Year.  All age groups will stay with their birth year for the 2025/2026 season and move to seasonal registration for the 2026/2027 season.

Not exactly.  While age groups will continue to be determined by birth date, the birth date window will shift from January-December to August-July.  Players attending a grade outside of their age cohort will play in the group that corresponds to their date of birth

The updated age group structure is designed to better align soccer age groups with school-year cutoff dates, ensuring players are grouped more closely with their classmates and peers.  While it may appear that some players are “repeating” an age group, this realignment simply adjusts the calendar to match the school year.  In fact, the additional time in an age group can be highly beneficial - it allows players to further develop their skills, confidence, and leadership before moving to the next level.

Players with birthdays in August through December will be affected by the change, as they will remain in their current age group for 2026/2027.  For example, a player with an October 2016 birth date (current U10) will remain a U10 for the 2026/2027 season.

We generally encourage players to participate within their designated age group to ensure appropriate development, competition balance, and alignment with the new age group cutoff dates.  However, we understand every circumstance is different.  Requests for players to “play up” with an older age group will be reviewed on an individual basis and considered in collaboration with coaches and Club leadership.

Middleton United U5-U14 Recreational (non tryout based) players will form teams based on the new seasonal year structure.  For U11-U18 Competitive players (this includes U10 players trying out for U11 the following year), we will adhere to our current policy for players playing up an age group.

1. The family must submit a request to middletonunited@gmail.com to have their player try out an age group older by May 15th, 2026.
2. Request approved by Club Director based on current coach recommendation along with the player’s physical, psychological, technical, and tactical skills (based on the players at the older age group.)  The Club Director will evaluate the player prior to tryouts either at their current team practice or game.
3. If approved, the player must attend both tryout nights for the older age group and their own age group.
4. The player must fall within the top 5 of the older age group to be placed in the older age group.

Coaches may find more success in bringing new players to their teams that are classmates of their current players. It is highly encouraged for coaches within the same club to collaborate with each other to consider which players may potentially be adjusting to a new team with new teammates

We will do our best to keep recreational teams intact as they move from the 2025/2026 season to the 2026/2027 season.  For those players that will no longer qualify for the team they are rostered to, they will be placed by the following:

1. Buddy request
2. School the player attends
3. Neighborhood the player lives within

Information on registration and tryouts will be published in early 2026

We are here to help every family understand the new seasonal year registration.  Recognizing that change can be difficult, and that families may have additional questions, please direct further questions to our Club Director, Molly Bakker, at middletonunited@gmail.com.