Effective Fall 2026, AYSO is shifting from a calendar-year (Jan 1–Dec 31) to a school-year (Aug 1–July 31) to determine age cut-offs for teams.


Starting Fall 2026, AYSO will be moving to an age group cycle that runs from August 1 to July 31. This is in coordination with US Youth Soccer and US Club Soccer, who, together with AYSO, collectively decided to make this change starting with the 2026/2027 season. This change was made based on critical feedback, data, and expert input to better align players with their school-grade peers. AYSO feels that this age group player formation will be the most inclusive and help increase participation.


Current player impact: Players born between Aug 1 and Dec 31 might remain in the same age group for an extra year. Example (26/27 Season): A player born in September 2017 may stay in 9U, whereas previously they would have moved to 10U.

AYSO 1672 currently follows standard age divisions.


The National Rules & Regulations define the standard Age Divisions as follows:

Kickstart:  3-6 years of age; jamboree-style format 
6U:  6 years and under 
8U:  8 years and under 
10U:  10 years and under 
12U:  12 years and under 
14U:  14 years and under 
16U:  16 years and under 
19U:  19 years and under 


Regions with a sufficient number of registrants within a standard age division may, with the approval of the Area Director and Section Director, form single-year divisions within the standard age divisions described above. 

HELPING YOU UNDERSTAND NEW AGE DIVISIONS