Chronological Age versus Developmental Age

Everyone passes through the same stages of development from early childhood through adolescence, but the timing, rate, and amount of their development varies. This is described as the difference between chronological age and developmental age. Two children may be the same chronological age (e.g. 11 years old), but at the same time they may be four to five years apart in developmental age. The Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) plan of the Canadian Soccer Association asks soccer coaches and administrators to take developmental age into account when they design programs and select players. In this spirit, the Nepean City Soccer Club allows players to play-up an age group, when appropriate.

Playing up

As a general rule, Nepean City Storm players will play at their own age group. As such, all players must register and try out in their own age group.

Players wishing to play up

According to the LTPD, a player’s desire to play-up will be determined by his/her developmental age and not by the convenience of “playing with friends”, “playing with siblings”, “car-pooling with a neighbour” etc.

Players wishing to play up will need to try-out at their own age group as well as the older age group and must notify the head coach of his/her own age group of his/her desire is to try-out for the older age group. If there is a schedule conflict during the try-outs, the player must be evaluated at the older age group first.

In order to be selected to an older age level, an under age player must rank within the top half of the final team selected; e.g. in a 14 player roster the under age player must be amongst the top 7 players. The exception to this rule is when there are insufficient numbers of players to make a team. In this case, the younger players will be filling in the roster.

“Grand-fathered” player's will be treated as if they are the same age as the players on the team they played on the previous year, i.e. they will be treated as if they are older. They are not required to try-out at their own age group in 2010 and are not required to meet the aforementioned criteria of top half ranking. Grandfathered players will be treated equally as players on the higher age group team, i.e. they must still try out and make the team at the higher age group.   Note that if grandfathered players do not try out for the team at their own age group they take the risk of not making the team at either the higher or lower age groups, i.e. if they are cut from the higher age group there will not be a spot held at the lower age group

Players being identified to play up

Where the coaching staff in consultation with the Technical Advisor deems a player’s “developmental age” to be in advance of their chronological age, the player’s parents may be asked to consider having that player play-up for that year. However, such a promotion is voluntary and, hence, can be declined by the parents.

Last Modified: 2009-03-02

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