SFEA Age Group Transition Overview
Starting with the 2026–27 season and in alignment with the leagues and clubs across California and the United States, San Francisco Elite Academy will be moving its player registration from the current calendar year system (January 1-December 31) to the newly adopted school year system ( August 1–July 31).
Prior to 2017, youth soccer registration followed the school year model; this is a return to that model. This shift aligns our teams more closely with school grades and reduces the number of players who become “trapped” between age groups and school cohorts.
Why is this change happening?
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Allows more players to train and compete alongside peers and friends who are in the same grade or academic cohort.
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Reduces the number of “trapped” players (children caught between age and school year cohorts)
Who is affected?
This change will impact all our ECNL, ECNL-RL and NorCal competitive teams both on the boys and the girls sides.
What Does This Mean for Players & Families
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Players born August–December are the most likely to shift to a new age group.
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Tryouts and team placements for 2026–27 will use the new August 1 - July 31 school year registration system
How Will SF Elite Support the Transition
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Information sessions to answer parent questions and walk through the changes
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Club-wide age-appropriate pool training sessions in Winter and Spring (prior to tryouts) where the players from different teams will have an opportunity to train with other players in the club based on the August 1-July 31 school year registration system
Important Dates
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Parents Information Sessions
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Exact Dates TBD
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Pool Training Session Dates
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Exact Dates TBD
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Tryouts
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May 2nd and May 3rd
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Questions or Concerns
For questions about the age-group transition, families may email us at operations@sfea.org
Age Group Calculator
New Age Groups
