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Managing Cohorts (Age Groups)

Cohorts organize athletes by graduating class and age eligibility. They represent grade levels that move through your club together and can be assigned to divisions for competition and communication.

What are Cohorts?​

Cohorts in Rostered are:

  • Graduating classes based on sport year (e.g., "Class of 2030")
  • Age eligibility groups with birth date ranges
  • Gender-specific or coed groups
  • Assignable to divisions for seasonal competition

Each athlete belongs to one cohort, which determines their eligibility for divisions and teams.

Creating Cohorts​

Basic Cohort Setup​

  1. Go to Club Management → Cohorts
  2. Click "Create New Cohort"
  3. Set the cohort details:
    • Sport Year - graduation year (e.g., 2030)
    • Name - optional display name (defaults to "Class of [year]")
    • Eligibility Start Date - earliest birth date for this cohort
    • Eligibility End Date - latest birth date (exclusive)
    • Allowed Genders - male, female, or both (leave empty for no restriction)

Age Eligibility Rules​

Birth date ranges:

  • Athletes must be born between start and end dates to join the cohort
  • End date is exclusive (athlete born ON the end date doesn't qualify)
  • Use cutoff dates that match your league's eligibility rules

Example cohort settings:

  • Sport Year: 2030 (graduates in 2030)
  • Start Date: 2012-08-01 (born after August 1, 2012)
  • End Date: 2013-08-01 (born before August 1, 2013)
  • Gender: Both male and female allowed

Managing Athletes in Cohorts​

Viewing Cohort Athletes​

Each cohort shows:

  • All athletes currently assigned to this cohort
  • Birth dates and ages for eligibility verification
  • Division assignments showing where this cohort plays
  • Gender distribution within the cohort

Cohort Suggestions​

When adding new athletes, Rostered can suggest the appropriate cohort:

  • Enter the athlete's birth date and gender
  • System finds cohorts with matching eligibility dates
  • Prefers gender-specific cohorts when available
  • Falls back to coed cohorts if no gender-specific match

Moving Athletes Between Cohorts​

Athletes can be moved to different cohorts if:

  • Their birth date fits the new cohort's eligibility range
  • Gender restrictions are met
  • The change makes sense for competition purposes

Division Assignments​

Assigning Cohorts to Divisions​

Cohorts can be assigned to divisions for specific seasons:

  1. Go to Division Management
  2. Select the division
  3. Add cohort assignments for the current season
  4. All athletes in the cohort automatically gain access to the division

Multiple Division Access​

A single cohort can participate in multiple divisions:

  • Age-appropriate divisions (U12, U14, etc.)
  • Skill-level divisions (recreational vs competitive)
  • Gender-specific divisions when cohort includes both genders

Communication Features​

Messaging Cohort Families​

Send messages to all guardian families in a cohort:

  1. Open the cohort page
  2. Click "Send Message"
  3. Compose your message
  4. Send to all families in the cohort

Message capabilities:

  • Push notifications to guardians with mobile app
  • Message delivery stats showing reach
  • Message history for reference

Messaging Statistics​

Before sending messages, check:

  • Total guardians in the cohort
  • How many have push tokens for notifications
  • Delivery capabilities (push vs email)

Cohort Management​

Editing Cohorts​

Update cohort settings:

  • Change name for better identification
  • Adjust eligibility dates if league rules change
  • Modify gender restrictions as needed
  • Cannot change sport year once athletes are assigned

Deleting Cohorts​

Warning: Deleting a cohort affects:

  • Athletes lose cohort assignment (becomes unassigned)
  • Division access may be lost for some athletes
  • Message history for the cohort is removed

Only delete cohorts that are completely unused or obsolete.

Best Practices​

Cohort Planning​

Before creating cohorts:

  • Check league eligibility rules for age cutoffs and birth date ranges
  • Plan for gender distribution - single-gender vs coed cohorts
  • Consider graduation years - ensure sport years align with school grades
  • Account for "playing up" - younger athletes in older cohorts

Age Management​

Setting eligibility dates:

  • Use consistent cutoff dates across all cohorts
  • Match league requirements exactly to avoid eligibility issues
  • Leave no gaps between cohort date ranges
  • Don't overlap cohort eligibility windows

Communication Strategy​

Keep families informed:

  • Send cohort-wide updates about division assignments
  • Notify about eligibility changes or league rule updates
  • Use message history to track communications
  • Check delivery stats to ensure messages reach families

Troubleshooting​

Athlete Assignment Issues​

If an athlete can't join a cohort:

  • Check birth date eligibility - does it fall in the date range?
  • Verify gender restrictions match the athlete's gender
  • Look for existing assignment - athletes can only be in one cohort

Division Access Problems​

If cohort athletes can't access a division:

  • Check cohort assignments - is the cohort assigned to the division?
  • Verify season assignment - assignments are season-specific
  • Look at division age limits - cohort might be outside division age range

Messaging Issues​

If messages aren't reaching families:

  • Check messaging stats first - how many guardians have push capability?
  • Verify guardian setup - do families have accounts and app access?
  • Try alternative communication if push notifications aren't working

Cohorts provide the foundation for organizing athletes by age and ensuring fair competition across your club's programs.