Age Group and Team Naming Convention
Team Academy players are organized into age groups based on their birthdate. Our age group and team names indicate the gender and upper bound year of the corresponding birthdate range. For example, the ’04B’ age group represents our boys’ age group comprising players born between August 1, 2004 to July 31, 2005. Depending on the number of players available, there may be one or more teams per age group.
Age Group Coordinators
An age group is led by an “Age Group Coordinator” or a head coach for all teams in the age group. The Age Group Coordinator oversees the program for the entire age group. This involves working with the coaches in the age group to coordinate team rosters and to ensure that each player is developing appropriately. It also involves setting the season schedule for games and tournaments.
| Gender | Age | Oldest Allowed | Team Name | NorCal Region 2 | Coach | Manager | Age Group Coordinator |
| Boys | U07 | 8/1/2006 | GSC Gryphons 06B Red | Bronze 2 | Haluk Muratoglu | Roger Scott | Orhan Muratoglu |
| U08 | 8/1/2005 | GSC Gryphons 05B Red | Silver | Jaime Gomez | Julianne Wagner | ||
| 8/1/2005 | GSC Gryphons 05B White | Bronze 1 | Eric Rivas | Mike Carlson | |||
| 8/1/2005 | GSC Gryphons 05B Black | Bronze 2 | Eric Rivas | Gary Ogasawara | |||
| U09 | 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04B Red | Gold | Haluk Muratoglu | Kevin Kelly | ||
| 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04B White | Bronze 1 | Haluk Muratoglu | Rolo Bernardo | |||
| 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04B Black | Bronze 2 | Juan Rangel | Michael Brophy | |||
| U10 | 8/1/2003 | GSC Gryphons 03B Red | Gold | Haluk Muratoglu | Marilyn Hsu | ||
| 8/1/2003 | GSC Gryphons 03B White | Bronze | George Pineda | Laura Barde | |||
| U11 | 8/1/2002 | GSC Gryphons 02B Red | Premier | Daire O’Conner | Rebecca Mendenhall | ||
| 8/1/2002 | GSC Gryphons 02B White | Silver | Daire O’Conner | Myra Kwok | |||
| Girls | U07 | 8/1/2006 | GSC Gryphons 06G Red | Bronze | Orhan Muratoglu | Amber Seguine | |
| U08 | 8/1/2005 | GSC Gryphons 05G Red | Gold | Lizzy Johnson | Miguel Camacho | Lizzy Johnson | |
| 8/1/2005 | GSC Gryphons 05G White | Silver | Forest Brazil | ||||
| U09 | 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04G Red | Gold | Lizzy Johnson | Carol Cuningham | ||
| 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04G White | Silver | Renan Pineda | Jose Hernandez | |||
| 8/1/2004 | GSC Gryphons 04G Black | Bronze | Robert Tjan | Lauri Floresca | |||
| U10 | 8/1/2003 | GSC Gryphons 03G Red | Gold | Matt Zucca | Amber Seguine | Matt Zucca | |
| 8/1/2003 | GSC Gryphons 03G White | Silver 2 | Renan Pineda | ||||
| U11 | 8/1/2002 | GSC Gryphons 02G White | Silver 1 | Lizzy Johnson | Anna Juhaniewicz | Lizzy Johnson | |
| U12 | 8/1/2001 | GSC Gryphons 01G Red | Premier | Jaime Gomez | Chris Schin | Jaime Gomez | |
| 8/1/2001 | GSC Gryphons 01G White | Silver 2 | George Pineda | Alexis Shohet |
Playing Levels
Each player is placed into two general team categories based on their skill level and commitment, and then assigned into teams based on the number of players. The two general team categories are:
- Advanced category: Consists of players with a stronger skill base. These teams are developed to be immediately competing at the highest possible level, and typically attend top tier tournaments in California.
- Developmental category: Consists of players who are either new to competitive soccer, or who need time to develop basic skills and prepare to compete at the highest possible level. These teams may also participate in various playdates/tournaments within the Bay Area.
A player can move from a Developmental team to an Advanced team and vice versa within their age group based on the evaluation of the coaching staff and each player’s specific needs. After each season, the coaching staff and the respective age group coordinators discuss and consider roster changes. This flexibility within the age group allows the development and progression of each player and team at an appropriate pace.
Playing up and PDP / ODP for exceptionally skilled players
For exceptionally skilled players, we may recommend that the player play up, that is, play in a higher age group. However, in our experience, it is best that these players play with same-aged players at the highest possible level of competition. Hence, a recommendation to play up is made after careful consideration by the Head Team Coach in concert with the Director of Coaching and the player’s family.
Additionally, several Gryphons players are recommended to and participate in the Norcal Premier Player Development Program (PDP) and the CYSA Olympic Development Program (ODP) training pools for highly skilled players.
