We are excited to open registration for the 2026 soccer season, but first we want to make you aware of a change being implemented for this season.
What’s Changing?
For decades, youth soccer in the United States primarily used a calendar-year system (January 1–December 31) to determine a player’s age group. Starting with the 2026 season, most national and local youth soccer organizations including BAC will shift to a seasonal-year model (August 1–July 31). Under this new structure, a player’s age group will be based on how old they are on July 31 of the seasonal year, rather than December 31 of the calendar year.
Why the Change?
National organizations have stated that the move to a seasonal-year structure is intended to: