Purpose

• Provide a clear process for the grading of new and existing players each year.
• Ensure players are graded into the team most representative of their skills.
• Allocate late registrations in an equitable manner.
• Facilitate equal numbers across all teams in each age group.

Registration

• Team numbers are recommended to be set at a minimum and maximum

• Coaches and Managers interested in volunteering for the following year will nominate in July.
• Managers to confirm players who intend returning in following season, so that the Club can discuss approximate number of teams in each age division.
• Discounted pre-registrations will be available on Presentation Day. Registration Day will be held on the first Saturday after school returns.
• Late registrations will only be accepted if vacancies still exist in applicable age group following the first grading night.

Teams

• Registration will occur in three stages:
  • Pre-Registration – Presentation Day $20 fee discount
  • Registration Day Standard Fee
• Age of Player – Players playing out of age group should be reviewed each year to return to correct age. Reasons for playing out of age group are to be taken into account.

Grading Approach

• The Grading Committee will be comprised of qualified and long-standing coaches and senior players. The appointed or intended coaches for that age division will also be invited to attend the grading sessions in an advisory capacity. Each age group will have a head selector (independent from that age group) responsible for tracking player attendance, recording performance, and finalising team selections. The Junior Co-ordinator and/or Assistant Junior Co-ordinator will assist the Grading Committee with any administration required.
• The Registrar will prepare an initial list of all Junior registered players in the week following Registration Day. A Committee Meeting will be held Monday week following Registration Day to assess team numbers for each age division, based on returning and new players. An initial assessment will be made of how many teams to nominate in each age division, and which division will be nominated. Based upon this information, it may be decided to close some age groups from any late registrations.
• Grading nights commence the second week following Registration Day, and runs for two weeks.
• On the first week of grading, the Junior Co-Ordinator will gather parents together whilst children accompany Grading Committee. The Junior Co-Ordinator can inform parents the number of returning players in each age group, number of teams that will be nominated and in the likely division, and any age groups that are closed to late registrations.
• Junior Co-Ordinator is to call for expressions of interest for Coaches and Managers for each age group. Coaches and Managers are welcome to coach any division, but as grading will take four weeks, they will not know which team their child will be selected in. Therefore a final allocation of coaches and managers will occur once grading has been confirmed.
• Preference will be given to siblings within the same age group to be graded into the same division if requested by the parents. This will not necessarily be the highest division if one player is significantly better than their sibling.
• Team Managers who have volunteered will be given a list of players to contact who have not returned from the prior season, if vacancies in the age group still exist.
• No discrimination will occur based upon gender, race or religion.
• Grading Committee will follow GHFA Suggested Team Grading Process, copy attached. Password is “ghfaselections”.

Grading process will occur as follows:

• Grading process will occur as follows:
• Week 1 – Gather players together, explain the grading process, write down players in attendance on page 5 from Grading Process, ask players what position they would like to play, and which is their dominant foot. Allocate players different coloured bibs, and commence 6v6 King of the Hill for remainder of the night. Write down field in which they finished this night.

6v6 King of the Hill

• Create two fields of 30×40 with two small goals.
• Allocate people randomly to each grid.
• Have a selectors monitoring each grid.
• The idea is to move the best players to the right grid, and the other players to the left grid progressively.
• Every few minutes, selectors should move their best or worst players to the other grid.
• Note which field they ended up on at the end of the night.

• Week 2 – Players will have been tentatively allocated into a team of 11 based upon their performance to date. Allocate players different coloured bibs, and commence 11v11 King of the Hill for remainder of the night. Following this, players will be allocated into a final team, which will be communicated to parents and players in the coming weeks. Coaches and Managers will also be finalised following the final team composition.

11v11 King of the Hill

• Play on full field (or three quarter field for U9’s).
• The idea is to work with the coaches to determine positions for each team.
• Allocate players into a team & position.
• Make sure players get at least 5 minutes in their favourite position.
• Substitute players between teams and positions to determine the likely team composition.
• At the end of the night, note which field (& position) they finished in.
• Players who have not attended any grading sessions will be allocated to a team based upon prior year’s division, although priority to higher divisions will be given to players who have attended grading. Players who have only attended some grading sessions will be allocated to a team based upon their grading performance on the night they attended, in conjunction with their division from the prior year. If no grading or prior year information is available, a player will automatically be graded to the lowest division.

Timing

• Registration Day first Saturday after school returns.
• Initial team nominations due to GHFA mid to late February (est. 3rd week).
• Team Registrations due to GHFA late March (est. 3rd week).
• Trial matches commence mid March.
• Season commences early April.