KICKERS REALIGN AGE GROUPS

US Soccer has mandated a change to the age groups for youth travel soccer that impacts the Richmond Kickers and almost every other youth travel soccer program in the United States. To comply with the US Soccer Birth-Year Registration Mandate, the Richmond Kickers will follow this mandatory age group realignment beginning in the 2016-2017 season

This means that all travel soccer age groups and their competitions will be set up in a January 1 through December 31 birth-year format. The Richmond Kickers Travel Soccer Birth-Year Chart is available here, which will assist in identifying in which age group our players will compete next season:              
 

The Kickers will hold tryouts this April and May to form birth-year teams for the 2008 to 1999/1998 age groups (U9 through U19 travel). These Richmond Kickers travel teams will continue to compete at the highest level in the Virginia Premier League (VPL) / Virginia NPL, Virginia Soccer League (VSLI), and Advanced Development Soccer League (ADSL).
Players may be allowed to play in a higher age division “play up” if it is clearly in the best interest of the player involved and if the following conditions are met:
 
1. Upon approval of the Technical Director or the Age appropriate Program Director.
 
2. The player in question will likely a) be able to earn significant amount of playing time on the older  age  group team b) be able to maintain this level of play throughout the entire season without an adverse effect on the player’s development and growth.
 
3. The only option for the player is to play on an older age group team since there is no team in his/her own age group in the geographical location where the player would like to play.
 
Of special note, the U15 age group (2002 birth-year) will play both a fall and spring season. During the Spring season, the Club’s Boys and Girls Technical Directors in conjunction with the U15 coaches will ensure appropriate practice schedules dependent upon the compilation of the teams as the U15 age-groups will consist of 8th and 9th grade players.

The Kickers Recreation Soccer will continue under the current age group format. Birth-year mandates will not affect programming for the Richmond Kickers 2016-2017 recreation seasons.

The Kickers will hold a Q&A to further discuss and explain these changes and their implementation. Any families of players who will be involved in the Richmond Kickers travel soccer program in 2016-2017 are encouraged to attend. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, inside the Aquatics Center at Ukrop Park from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

In addition you are invited to reach out to your age-appropriate program technical staff member: