Play! Pokémon/Age Divisions

So that younger, less experienced players are not disadvantaged by playing older, more experienced players, sanctioned Pokémon tournaments separate players into age divisions. These were defined by a specific age up until the 2006-2007 season, consisting of Ten and Under (10-), Eleven to Fourteen (11-14), and Fifteen and Over (15+). Beginning with the 2006-2007 season, the system was revised to be based on year of birth, to avoid the issues of a player shifting divisions in the middle of a tournament season.

Originally the Video Game Championship series used only two age divisions, but as of 2012 both the Trading Card Game and Video Game series have been unified to use the same age division structure.

As of July 15, 2014, the three age divisions are defined as follows:


 * Junior Division: Born in 2004 or later
 * Senior Division: Born in 2000, 2001, 2002, or 2003
 * Masters Division: Born in 1999 or earlier

These divisions are officially adjusted when the new tournament season begins, around mid-July each year, sometime between the conclusion of National Championships worldwide and the start of the Pokémon World Championships. However, the World Championships are considered part of the previous tournament season and use its age division years.