Past research has presented some potential ways to reduce the RAE. For example, Mushc & Grondin (2001) have suggested grouping players based on their biological age (as indicated by markers such as height and skeletal maturity) rather than chronological age. Similar to the use of equal weight classes in football, this would put players of similar height and weight together. This would “level the playing field” in some ways, but there are many different markers of development, and players often will have different developmental levels based on different criteria. Musch & Grondin also have suggested rotating the cutoff date each year to avoid systematically discriminating against the same group of children. In hockey a Relative Age Fairness Cycle (Hurley et al., 2001) was devised to rotate the cutoff by three months each year. Also to avoid discrimination, Barnsley & Thompson (1998) suggested the use of age quotas such that competitive teams must be made up of players born in all phases of the year. It could be argued that these approaches miss the point of social injustice in the RAE: We want to avoid any bias toward children in youth sports. Shifting the cutoof dates simply rotates who is victimized by discrimination each year. Meanwhile, changing cutoff dates simply permanently transfers the RAE to different times of the year, as has been shown in countries such as England, Australia and Belgium 9see Colbey et al., 2008) Lastly, ensuring that teams are made up of players born in all phases of the year still is discriminatory because coaches may have to cut good players if too many players were born in a specific time of the year. As we have outlined, the RAE is socially constructed. Therefore, changing the way we organize youth soccer will minimize its effect. Presented below are four potential ways to reduce the RAE in U.S. soccer.

OPTION 1: Delay the Start of Competitive Soccer

OPTION 2: Reduce the Age Bands for Younger Players from One Year to Six Months

The reduction of peer-age bands was first recommended by Brewer et al, (1995) and some researchers have presented a nine-month cutoff system (the Novem System; Boucher & Halliwell). Figure 3 shows that by using a six-month cutoff, relative age differences for each age group are of course, cut in half. For example, a 10-year old player born just before the cutoff date in a one-year age band is disadvantaged by being 10 percent younger than a player born just after the cutoff. The same player born just before cutoff in a six-month age band is disadvantaged by being only 5 percent younger. This simple change could reduce the RAE in the United States by 50 percent. League committees should discuss an initiative to reduce age bands to six months. Reducing age bands to six months may prove difficult for travel soccer in smaller clubs, because it necessitates two teams in each one-year age division. Nevertheless, in travel and recreation soccer, this simple change can be made easier by using small-sided games.

OPTION 3: Design Tryouts Differently