August Birthdays - play with age or grade?

I agree with Dreddy on all of his points. My daughter is in this situation. She is a year ahead of most of her teammates. She began talking of playing in college when she was in the seventh or eighth grade, and was on the club's top team. But college seemed a lifetime away. She didn't move up, even though she was good enough to play on the team the age above. She never tried out for that team, and we never spoke to the coach about playing up. She was happy where she was at and didn't want to leave her friends. In the end, it all worked out. She has verbally committed to the school that fits her academically and that fits her soccer ability. But, we all had to work a bit harder to make sure was seen. When college coaches came to watch her team, they assumed she was a year younger in school. So, she wrote emails and made calls and constantly reminded the coaches of her graduation year. It was really just necessary that she was more proactive in the recruiting process. It would probably have been an easier process had she been with her grade level at showcases, etc., but it still worked out.

Here's where I would say it's important to have a child play at grade level, especially once they get to high school - if they are a player that really has the potential to play in a strong program, and if that is their goal. First of all, they will be challenged by playing up. Second, the best programs are identifying freshman, and if the playing is on a team of eighth graders, they might not get on a school's radar. But, the player, can also be proactive, especially if they know to be. But often when it comes to recruiting, a player this age may have no idea what to do when.

From what I've seen, the grade only becomes important with recruiting and when the player wants to play in high school. Like Dreddy said, when the high school season comes around they will be torn between their club and their high school teams. My daughter didn't play high school during her freshman year because there was no way to do both hs and club while keeping her grades up. It was a difficult choice.

I believe Tophat has a policy of moving players to their grade level by the time they are in high school, (or they did at one time). I think this is a good policy because it takes the guessing game out of the situation. But, most clubs don't have that policy, so it's up to the player and their family to figure it out, and that can be difficult. The player has to leave their friends and make their way on a new team. Looking back, I can see all of the pros and cons, but if we had it to do all over I am not sure what we would have done. Ultimately, my daughter was able to get where she wanted to be. She sacrificed playing high school her freshman year, and she had to work a bit harder when it came to the recruiting process. But, she has done well on a team she likes.