SWSC Playing Up Guidelines
Playing up will only be considered when it is beneficial to the player and will be approved on a player by player basis. If a parent, coach, or player feels that the player has the ability to play beyond their age group, they must follow the steps below.
Board Approved
Playing up will only be considered when it is beneficial to the player and will be approved on a player by player basis. If a parent, coach, or player feels that the player has the ability to play beyond their age group, they must follow the steps below.
- Requests to play up in age must be initiated by the parent of the player and needs to be submitted to the Technical directors for consideration.
- Upon receipt, the age appropriate Performance Development Director will set up a meeting with the parent and another technical director, at a minimum. The current player’s coach, the potential coach as well as the Travel Director might be asked to be at the meeting as well. This meeting will take place before tryouts in the spring.
- The player will then need to attend both tryout days in the spring for the following year (September-June). The first tryout day will be with their appropriate age group and birth year. The second tryout day would be with the age group the player is hoping to play for.
- The player will be evaluated by the PDD on both days. If either PDD is unavailable, the player would be evaluated by someone requested by the PDD. This would be someone with an extensive soccer knowledge and background including but not limited to another technical director or board member.
- Once the tryouts are completed, there will be a second meeting with the same parties that were included in the original meeting as well as any evaluators. The decision should be based on the best interest of the club and player. Criteria under consideration will be-
- Does the player excel at their own age group? For example: technical ability, game awareness, and size of player?
- Does the player excel at the age they want to play at?
- Does the move make sense overall? Meaning, are we cutting players to make space for a player playing up? Or does the advanced age group need players to begin with?
- Does the player excel at their own age group? For example: technical ability, game awareness, and size of player?
- There will be no playing up in the Recreational Soccer program, including U4-U8, exception for grade alignment through Age Matrix policy.
- All players entering the travel program for their first official year at the U9 level will play at least one year (September- June) before they will be considered to play up to the next division.
- Players will be reevaluated on a yearly basis to ensure a proper fit.
- Players may resubmit their request to play up the following spring if the request was denied the previous year.
Board Approved
