Tournament rules
Age Eligibility
Inspire Courts tournaments follow AAU boys basketballage rules. A player's division is set by their age on the season cutoff — August 31, 2026 for the current (2026) season. Players may always “play up” into an older division.
| Division | Max age at August 31, 2026 | Grade exception |
|---|---|---|
| 7U | 7 or younger | — |
| 8U | 8 or younger | — |
| 9U | 9 or younger | — |
| 10U | 10 or younger | — |
| 11U | 11 or younger | — |
| 12U | 12 or younger | — |
| 13U | 13 or younger | — |
| 14U | 14 or younger | — |
| 15U | 15 or younger | In grade 9 (as of Oct 1) & age 16 or younger |
| 16U | 16 or younger | In grade 10 (as of Oct 1) & age 17 or younger |
| 17U | 17 or younger | In grade 11 (as of Oct 1) & age 18 or younger |
| 19U | 19 or younger | In grade 12 (as of Oct 1) & age 20 or younger |
How the cutoff works
The AAU season runs September 1 through August 31. Eligibility is based on a player's age on August 31 of the season-end year. Because the season advances every year, a player's division automatically updates as they get older — nothing to re-enter.
Grade exception (15U and up)
For 15U, 16U, 17U, and 19U, a player who is one year over the age limit may still be eligible if they are in the matching grade as of October 1. AAU has no 18U division (17U goes to 19U).
Playing up
A player may always compete in an older division than their age allows. A player may only commit to one team per division per event.
EYBL note
EYBL uses grade / grad-year based eligibility, which differs from AAU. Inspire Courts events default to the AAU age rules above.
Questions about your player's division? Contact us from your account.