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NJ Crush FC would like to formally announce our implementation plan for U.S. Soccer Federation’s (USSF) new initiatives. USSF announced recently that beginning August 1^st 2016 it will be adjusting age group banding to calendar-year and also pushing all competitions into smaller sided game formats. Starting in the 2016-17 season NJ Crush FC will utilize our established player pools to proceed with birth year teams. As a club, we have evaluated the internal makeup of our players, and we will continue with the high-level standard of player and team even with this full transition to birth year.  See below for the chart for the 2016/17 standards set by EDP and most likely all other leagues. The number on the left is year of birth:

Our decision is a collective effort within our organization as well as in collaboration with other clubs in our local area that share the same standards and philosophy. We have remained consistent in our ability to foster player development to the next level with various landscape shifts in youth soccer and will continue to do so with the current change to birth year teams. NJ Crush FC will continue to be one of the best environments to prepare for the opportunity to play at the high school and collegiate levels and beyond.

When will NJ Crush FC implement the age group change?

NJ Crush FC will adopt the new calendar-year age group classification for the Fall 2016. Tryouts will be conducted during the Spring (in May) for these teams.

What is the new birth year age group system?

Birth Year refers to players born between January 1st and December 31st. 

For 2016-2017, the age groups will be (click here for full age group chart).

U7 - players born in 2010

U8 - players born in 2009

U9 - players born in 2008 - and so on..

or for the purposes of calculation, it is the second year of a split-year competitive season minus the year of birth which determines what number should be used to calculate age group. Example 2016/2017 season: 2017 – 2010 = U7

Who will coach which team in 2016-2017?

As we enter into the spring, coaches will be assigned their new roles for Fall 2016, potential coaching assignments are outlined below.  As always, our club will not guarantee that a coach stays with a specific team or age group of players, we will evaluate each component and decide upon the best course of action.  These may still be adjusted depending in actual adjustment of the league and the number of additional teams that NJ Crush will field in each age group. 

Although we only show two teams below, we anticipate three teams at many of the age groups that would be identified as Elite, Premier & Development teams. These teams would remain competitive and ensure we have a place for our current players. Our goal is to maintain a high player retention as always. Should you or any parent have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected] . 

If my daughter is a 2002 but will be in 8th grade this fall, will there be a league?

There will be training provided along with a competitive league to compete in. Any players in this situation will continue with our HS age programs running from Nov to July but also have the additional Fall season added into their schedule.

Freshman in High School who are 2002 may opt to play in the fall with us as well.

Why is this change happening?

Tab Ramos (USSF Youth Technical Director) says:

"It puts our players on the same age-playing calendar as the rest of the world so they will be used to competing in the right age group.  That makes it much easier for us to scout for the National Teams and find players ready to compete internationally."

For scouts of National team and Olympic Development programs it should make it more efficient to identify talent at tournaments and showcases.

Can players play up?

ALL players should tryout for the age group of their birth unless otherwise invited. Should players be clearly above the level of their peers in the same birth year, then that player will be invited to tryout with the age group above.

What will happen to our current teams?

Each year all teams are unofficially disbanded and recreated based on evaluations. Even though sometimes it is not obvious as the same players regularly make the team, this does happen behind the scenes. This year when teams are disbanded during the tryout process, they will be recreated with players from the same year of birth and so the differences in roster personnel may be a lot more than normal.

We understand that this will cause some concern as many players enjoy playing with their current teammates and players from the same school or grade. However, this change will also introduce everyone to a new set of peers to help to develop not only technically and tactically but also socially. It will also continue to keep all players within our club competing at the top level as a group and maintain the ideal development environment.

Is the club ready for this change?

The change was initially announced in August 2015 and since then our coaches and directors have been working to find the best way to move forward with everyone’s best interests in mind. Since the clarification by USSF recently and then the confirmation of adoption by US Club Soccer (the primary player pass provider for the US), we have been working to support a smooth transition.

What else will the club be doing to ease transition?

NJ Crush FC will be offering opportunities for players to train together sometime in the spring as a calendar year group with their potential (but not confirmed) coaches for next year. This gives players the opportunity to become comfortable with the differing levels of play, potential future teammates, and the social environment in which they may be involved next year. Venue for all age groups (Except 2001 - @FDU) will be at The Arena,  859 Rt. 17 South, Paramus NJ 07652 (this is not a tryout, our tryouts will have a separate registration and will be held in 2nd OR 3rd week of May):
Fridays - April 8, 15, 22, 29

• 2009 & 2008 April 8 & 22 - 5-6pm 
• 2007 & 2006 April 15 & 29 - 5-6pm
• 2005 April 8 & 22 - 6-7:30pm
• 2004 April 15 & 29 - 6-7:30pm
• 2003 April 8 & 22 - 7:30-9pm
• 2002 April 15 & 29 - 7:30-9pm
• 2001 April 14 & 21 - 6:30-8pm @ FDU April 28 - 6:00-7:30 @ FDU *UPDATED*

• Be positive and trust your club! There are many benefits to the changes, especially for the elite level clubs who look to feed players into National Team programs or who travel abroad to take part in European tournaments that already utilize the calendar year age grouping.
• As an organization, we have been preparing for this and are very confident that we can utilize our player pool at each level to streamline a move such as this in such a short time.
• All clubs are going to face this challenge and at NJ Crush FC we will continue to make the individual development of players within teams our priority.

We are confident in the strength and talent of our coaches that contributed to the huge growth of the club and is further demonstrated by the success of our teams, our small group training and our summer select program. Each coach brings different technical, mental and tactical focus and a different point of view, and each players’ development depends on this ability to learn multiple techniques, positions and ideas directly within the club. We know that our development philosophy and focus on players is not affected by an age group change.

Should you have any questions, please contact our directors Simon or Lee so we can address your questions. New questions that we answer and new information will be added periodically to this page