AGE GROUP GRAPH

Why are we changing and what it means for the players

Primary Goals

• Keep friends & classmates together
• Improve player retention
• Better alignment with school schedules & social development
• Reduction of ‘trapped’ players
• Place players in environments that truly fit their development.

This change is more about long-term participation rather than short-term competition.

Our goal is to be as transparent as possible.
As always, we do our best to identify top-performing players at each age and level and provide those players with appropriate challenges.

What Does Not Change
Our commitment to:

• Individual development
• Creating appropriate challenges for players
• Positive team environments

How will SVU operate under school year registration

Key operational decisions

• Teams will be organized primarily by the new registration birth range
  (Aug 1 – July 31) This will be the default age group, unless communicated by the SVU Technical Staff. 
• Rosters will be built with:
  • Player development level
  • Team competitiveness
• We will maintain flexibility where appropriate
• Our Philosophy comes first.
  We build teams around player development, shared principles, and a consistent style of play across all ages and levels. This will stay consistent through the age group changes.

Decisions will be based on:

• Technical & tactical readiness
• Physical development
• Psychological confidence
• Long-term pathway (not short-term wins)

What Will NOT Drive Decisions

• To be clear, decisions will not be based on:
  • Parent pressure
  • League standings
  • Short-term results
  • “Keeping teams together at all costs”

Our responsibility is to the player’s future, not just the current season

How this Affects Team Formation

Team Formation Process

1. Evaluate players holistically
   1. Informal group trainings in the Winter & early Spring
   2. Formal tryout process (late Spring)
   3. Coach Evaluations throughout the season
   4. Assessments by the Technical Staff throughout the season through team and supplemental programming.
2. Build competitive teams
3. Create clear developmental pathways across teams
   1. ‘Development Players’

What Families Can Expect

• Communication from our Directors
• Thoughtful placement decisions
• Opportunities for feedback and questions

What We Ask

Partner with us by:

• Keeping an open mind
• Trusting the development process
• Asking questions early and constructively
• Supporting all players and teams positively

This change will be disruptive.

• Teams will look different.
• Some players will shift teams.
• It will be uncomfortable at first.
• The disruption is real, and it is ok to acknowledge it

The SVU leadership is human, and to that end, do make mistakes. We ask for your understanding as we move through this process together. If we feel like we’ve made a mistake, we’ll do our best to rectify those decisions at the appropriate time.

We will move through this transition thoughtfully, transparently, and together.

For More information – USYS AGE GROUP FORMATION CHANGE

What does this mean for Tryouts

• We are going to ask that each player register for tryouts in the NEW age group alignment.
• So players may be asked to attend a different tryout on night two of the tryouts.
• Some may be asked to go straight into the older age tryout for both nights.
• The SVU staff will do our best to communicate these decisions ahead of time.
• Please contact the SVU Technical Director with Questions