It would be like high school freshmen playing with the varsity. If they're good enough to play on varsity, they're good enough to hang with the older girls.
My DD is now practicing with girls who are in college this Dec/Jan. She is a sophomore in HS.
I read it as multi-year teams within a club, not multi-year teams that draw across several clubs.
My girl is balling with adult USL coed U25 and male Mexican League. Basically, playing up big time to get in some work. The older girls like that challenge my goat brings to the field. The guys learn they need to put pressure on here because she can make them look silly.....lol!!! Free soccer is awesome!!!
You might be right. I was skimming so that's what I picked up from it. However, I think there is more value to it if they put together regional teams.
Agreed. With my experience limited to the games that my daughter played, in the early years, the best-skilled players I saw were smaller and many played up a year or more at times. My position is that the decision to have a significantly smaller child "play up" should be a game-to-game decision based on the size and physical nature of the opponent. Not only are older girls bigger (10-14 age range), they are also more sophisticated in how to use their bodies. So, in some ways, it's not just the size of the younger player, but also the ability to handle the level of physical play of older players. It's something I'd consider even if your younger child is comparable in size to the older girls. By 15, most, not all, have caught up in size - at least as much as they are going to.
The glory days of the old birth year rule brings me to so many fond memories. I remember back in the day when my dd got the big call up. She got fouled in the box and cried. Ref felt bad and gave us the PK. We nailed and we won. I heard the big sore losers next to us say. "she's to small to be out there playing with the big girls and will just get hurt and then cry."
@NorCal. I got a new memory lane that popped in my memory bank: I'm sure I shared it with Outlaw 100 times....lol!!! My dd was balling with the #1 team in the country, SC Blues 03/04 back in the day. The great TB told the girls scrimmaging the Bakers All World 01/02 team and to get ready. He skipped the Bakers 02/03 because he wanted the 03/04 Blues goats to see reality. The killed us 11-1. Keep in mind we gave up zero goals that season in league and we won it all. TB's last team we were told and then the great Gaffer would take the reigns. I believe we still hold the record of the longest streak of not giving up a goal at Blues. @Luis Andres, is that still ring true? Talk about a fierce defense that we had. That greatest part of that day was when my dd did a sneak attack on one of the best defenders in country and scored the first goal to go up 1-0 on that team. Like it or not, GB let that team have it like I've never seen before. He told theme if they ever show up to a game or scrimmage taking an opponent lightly again, they can quit right now. He also told the defender to sit on da bench. My dd was pumped after that goal and i thought my dd was all that. The wheels kicked in for that Baker squad after my dd fantastic goal. She never had another shot after that and was on the grown most of time whipping dirt off her face and her uniform. In fact, it was insane how great that team was and when they wanted, how physical they could get. Not my style but it sure works. Turner, Rodman, Jackson and all the other greats. Man, those were some fun times.
