FALL 26/27 AGE GROUPS 

Starting in the Fall of 2026, US Soccer is enforcing a change in the cutoff dates in which age groups are structured around. ENCO United is affected by these changes as we are recognized as a Club Soccer Organization, and all leagues in which our teams compete in will be enforcing these guidelines. As we work to make sure we can offer team assignments for as many players as possible, we at ENCO would like to highlight the following:

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• Player Placement: Our primary goal as a club is to minimize "trapped players"—those who might otherwise be left without a team to represent during this transition. This also includes someone who might otherwise be left without a team when the rest of their group are playing High School Soccer.

• Play-Down Policy: Players are ineligible to "play down" into a younger age group. For example, a player whose age places them in U10 is not permitted to play for a U9 team.

• Tryout Requirements: All players must initially try out for the age group that aligns with their birth date under the new cutoff rules. Decisions regarding "playing up" or the potential combination of age groups will be made based on team registration numbers and individual player evaluations.

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Over the last few months we have experienced strong growth throughout our club. This includes new board members, coaches, and players, and we are very happy to welcome all expansion to ENCO. We are excited to provide appropriate placing for all players, both within and soon to be part of, our community. We highly recommend anyone with questions regarding these new parameters contact their player's coach to gain better insight of specifics for their fall placement. Below are the new age group guidelines.