Junior registration & team formation

POLICY FOR REGISTRATION AND FORMATION OF JUNIOR TEAMS

REGISTRATION

1. All players registering with PBFC, agree to abide by the Players Code of Behaviour and Conduct. Parents, please read through the Players Code with your child – available for viewing under the downloads tab on PBFC website.
2. Player registrations must be made online using playfootball.com.au – Football Federation Australia’s national online system. Registrations generally open on the 1st February annually. Early registration of players ensures a smoother transition into grading and team placement.
3. All players will initially be placed in a team according to their correct age division. On occasion players may be requested by the club to play in a higher age group. This will only occur when the required numbers for a team have not been reached or where additional players are required for a particular age group. The club will only consider playing a player in a higher grade if it does not impact upon the team for which the player would have played. A player in their own grade cannot be displaced by a player playing out of grade. The players who will be invited to play in the higher age competition will be selected based on their ability to play in the higher age division team and an expression of interest to do so. Any requests for players to play in a higher age group must be made in writing at the time of registration. Such requests will only be considered if the above conditions are met.
4. Registrations received after PBFC ‘cut off’ dates will only be accepted on condition that availability of a position exists within that age division. PBFC will try to register all players. However, if a team has the maximum number of players and there is not the possibility of another team being formed PBFC may not be able to register the player. The decision is made at the discretion of the age group co-ordinators /committee.
5. Where more players register than can be accommodated with in a particular age division during the registration period, preference for placement in teams will be given according to date of registration. A waiting list will be created for excess players.
6. If a player has not paid their fees in full by PBFC payment cut off dates then their registration may be cancelled, at the discretion of the age group co-ordinators / committee, to allow any players on a waiting list for teams to take the place of the unpaid player.
7. Competition aged female players MUST nominate their preference for either ‘all girl team’ or ‘mixed team’ in writing at the time of registration.
8. The club, at its discretion, may reject any application for registration. Persons whose application for registration has been rejected may appeal the decision to the club committee, however the club committee is not compelled to provide justification. Possible reasons for rejection of registration may include: history of bad behaviour or breaching code of conduct; failure to pay previous years fees; no space in players age division; no teams in players age division. Any paid registration that is rejected will be refunded in full by the club.
9. Players are registered to play for the club – not for a specific team or age group. Limited requests may be considered but it cannot be guaranteed that any player will be placed into any particular team or age group.
10. Once finalised, teams will be displayed on the website.

GRADING AND FORMATION OF JUNIOR TEAMS

Non-Competitive Juniors (Gr 6 – 11)

1. On completion of the registration period, the grade co-ordinators and committee convene and places players into teams. The junior non-competitive co-ordinators will make every reasonable effort to place players in balanced teams, taking into account gender, numbers in each age group, distribution of players from various schools or localities.

Competitive Juniors (Gr 12 up)

1. Within the Football Far North Coast zone, age groups 12 and above play competition games, therefore all players grade 12 and above should, where possible, play in a team for their age and in a division best suited to their ability. Where there are more than two teams entered into the same age competition (grade 12 and above) then the players will be graded into teams based on their ability. In age groups where grading must take place, the club will determine the teams based on ability before history of previous participation in a team. Note: Players should not assume they will be graded the same as the previous year. All players have equal opportunity each year.
2. Player grading and the placement of players of like ability into teams will commence as soon as practicable after the registration period. Depending on team strengths, nomination for teams to go into particular divisions will be made to FFNC for inclusion into the competition. Note however that FFNC does not guarantee that team nominations will be accepted and does not guarantee what divisions teams will be placed into. Even though the club may appeal to FFNC regarding the placement of a team into a particular division, FFNC ultimately decide what division each team will be placed into. If the placement of players into teams will be affected by what division FFNC places the teams in, then the announcement of teams may be delayed until after FFNC advises the competition structure.
3. Competitive age players must attend all grading sessions in order to be eligible for graded team placement. Players who cannot attend one or more grading session/s must notify the club in advance so that graders have the opportunity to make alternative arrangements to assess the players’ ability. However any alternative arrangements are completely at the discretion of the graders. Any non-attending players should assume they will be graded lowest.
4. Grading for each age group will be conducted by appropriate independent person/s, as appointed by the club. Advice may also be taken from coaches and/or persons who have a good knowledge of the players’ abilities. The club will make any final decisions on the grading recommendations submitted.
5. Coaches from the previous year may be consulted directly to get insight into player’s strengths and weaknesses. However, such advice should only be treated as a guide and player’s performance during grading should be the focus.
6. At the conclusion of grading, the appointed graders shall submit their recommendations for player placement and team division nomination to the club.
7. Where there are multiple teams within an age group, only one first division team should be nominated. The strongest players should always be placed into a single ‘top’ team in the highest appropriate division. This is so that each age group always has at least one team where the strongest players can get maximum development and competition. However, if FFNC decides that more than one PBFC team will be placed in a single division, teams should be balanced in order to give each team the same opportunity to compete.
8. It is PBFC preference to form all girl teams to play in girl’s grade competition (gr. 12 – gr. 16). Where there are sufficient female player numbers to form girls only teams PBFC will do so. Any excess female players will then be invited to play in a mixed team.
9. Players must play in their own grade. Where there are exceptional circumstances players may apply in writing, at the time of registration, to play out of grade. Note: Acceptance of such an application is at the discretion of the club and dependant on team numbers. A player in their own grade cannot be displaced by a player playing out of grade.
10. **Confidentiality** All grading assessment sheets, coaches reports and graders’ discussions are strictly confidential. Parents and guardians must not approach graders or members of the committee for information.
11. **Appeals** PBFC aims to ensure team grading is conducted fairly and effectively. Players and parents are urged to be objective and reasonable in their expectations, and to encourage their children to be happy in their sport. However, if any player or parent is not satisfied with the grading the player receives, they can make a submission in writing (within 3 days from announcement of teams) to PBFC requesting a review of the players grading, outlining why they think the grading is not correct. PBFC Executive Committee will consider this submission and make a decision on whether or not to change the players grading. The Executive Committee’s decision is final.