March 7, which was reportedly, and now official, US club soccer, US youth soccer and American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) have announced that they will switch from the policy of the mandated birth year age group, and become a more flexible policy starting with the 2026-27 season.
US Soccer conducted a survey with members, league and clubs, while also collecting formal feedback from a wider ecosystem. They received more than 15,000 responses from members, league, clubs, coaches, families, and participants.
The main insight of the assessment is described below.
- The ecosystem segment (recreation, competitive, pre-professional) and local considerations must encourage consideration of the time of registration of players (for example, birth year, school year).
- It is not practical or optimal to choose one registration option for all ecosystems given this consideration, especially because we aim to expand the growth and success of games in each community throughout the country.
- There is a recognition that there are many leagues and clubs at the recreational level that are currently organized around the school year – which could mean August 1 or September 1. Organizing around the school year must be a market decision / local member.
Official update will establish a cycle of new age group formation to run from 1 September to 31 August. This was chosen to harmonize as close as possible with the start of the new school year for the majority of athletes throughout the country. While the age group formation cycle will be in harmony with the school year, athletes will still be able to play with older age groups, if desired.
Only in 2017 the year of the birth of the calendar was implemented with the aim of harmonizing US youth football with international soccer standards, however, this disrupted the old practice of grouping players with their school classmates.
With the current hybrid, there will definitely be some disturbances but if player retention increases throughout the country, the federation will feel like the whole ecosystem has benefited.
Contact the author of this story, Nick Webster, at MOC.L1741312097Twot1741312097Ofdlr1741312097become1741312097SNI@o1741312097FNI1741312097
Gaming Hub
A gaming hub can refer to a central platform or space dedicated to gaming, where players can access games, interact with other gamers, and enjoy related content. Here are a few different kinds of gaming hubs you might be referring to:
Physical Gaming Hubs:
Gaming Cafés: Physical locations where players can rent time on high-end gaming PCs or consoles to play popular multiplayer or single-player games.
Esports Arenas: Specialized venues for competitive gaming tournaments where players or teams face off in games like League of Legends, CS
, or Fortnite.
Digital Gaming Hubs:
Steam, Epic Games Store, or GOG: Digital storefronts where you can purchase and play games, join online communities, and access updates and patches.
Game Launchers: Platforms like Steam, Blizzard’s Battle.net, and Xbox Game Pass often act as hubs where gamers can access multiple titles and keep track of their library.
Cloud Gaming Platforms: Services like NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming that allow players to stream games on various devices without needing high-end hardware.
Social/Community Gaming Hubs:
Discord Servers: Dedicated communities for games where players can chat, share tips, and find others to play with.
Reddit Communities: Subreddits dedicated to specific games or gaming news.
Gaming Consoles as Hubs:
Systems like the PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch act as central hubs for playing games, interacting with friends, and even streaming content like Netflix or Twitch.
If you meant something specific by “gaming hub,” let me know and I can elaborate further!
