2026/27 Age Group Changes
What Families Need To Know
Beginning in the 2026–27 season, Hillsboro Rush will continue to follow U.S. Soccer’s birth-year registration guidelines for youth age groups, with a small exception at the younger ages. Teams in the U13–U19 age groups will remain birth-year based, allowing players who have trained and competed together for many years to continue developing within established team environments. Preserving these long-standing groups supports consistency, confidence, and strong social connections that are critical to long-term player development.
At the younger ages, Hillsboro Rush will take a more flexible approach. Teams in the U11–U12 age groups will operate within a modified grade-year tryout pool, while U9–U10 teams will follow U.S. Soccer’s youth player age division guidelines for the 2026/27 season. These adjustments are designed to better support players’ social, mental, and physical well-being during key developmental years, while still providing clear pathways as players progress through the club.
For families seeking detailed information about national age group registration standards, please visit the official U.S. Club Soccer age group resource page here:
https://usclubsoccer.org/registration-player-age-groups/
What Is Staying the Same
For the majority of our teams, nothing changes.
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Players U13-U19 will continue to be grouped by birth year
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Teams will stay together year over year
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Development pathways remain consistent
This approach supports long-term growth, strong team connections, and a positive player experience.
U9–U10 Grade-Year Exception
The only age groups that will move to grade-year grouping are:
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U9
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U10
At these ages, school environment and social development play a significant role. Grouping players by grade helps:
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Build confidence
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Support friendships
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Reduce early pressure during key developmental years
All other age groups will remain birth-year based.
Why We Made This Decision
Player development is more than performance on the field.
At Hillsboro Rush, we focus on:
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Social comfort within teams
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Mental confidence and enjoyment
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Physical development at appropriate stages
Keeping teams together whenever possible allows players to grow without unnecessary disruption — both as athletes and as people.
Flexibility for Individual Players
Every player develops differently.
If a player feels they would benefit from competing at their grade-year level, we encourage families to have that conversation with our staff. Individual situations will always be considered with the player’s best interest in mind.
Our goal is development, not displacement
Looking Ahead
This structure allows us to:
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Maintain team continuity
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Support long-term player development
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Create a positive, inclusive environment for all athletes
We believe this balanced approach best supports our players — now and in the future.
These changes are designed to minimize disruption and support a long-term development pathway. As older age groups age out and younger teams move up, the grade-year structure will naturally progress through the club. Players will remain together as they advance, allowing the grade-year model to gradually replace birth-year groupings while maintaining continuity and prioritizing each player’s social, mental, and physical well-being.
FAQs
Age group cut-off periods are shifting from the current calendar year (“birth year”) system — Jan 1 – Dec 31 to a school-year style system — Aug 1 – Jul 31 for youth organizations that are members of the U.S. Soccer Federation
- Better align soccer age groups with the school year, letting kids play with classmates and friends.
- Reduce the number of “trapped” players (those who are out of sync with their school-grade peers).
- Promote more consistent development environments.
U13-U19 team formation will be evaluated at tryouts by birth years per previous chart graphic. Intention to maintain player well being socially, mentally, and physically within each group.
If a player feels the need to stay true to their age group, they would be encouraged to do so. However we want to center our focus around not disbanding groups of players who have played together for a decade
U11-12 tryouts will include players born 1/1/2015-7/31/2016
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