HOW WE FORM TEAMS
Age Group Definitions
As per the rules provided by Football Canterbury, here is how to work out what age group you fit into:
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1. For U5s to U18s: a player plays in the age group for the age they turn in the calendar year of the current season. For example, if a player turns 5 at any point in the calendar year, they are eligible to play Under 5s in the current season; if they turn 6, they are eligible to play in U6 etc
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2. WIL = Womens Intermediate League: is open to females turning 16 years to 19 years in the calendar year of the current season
3. MIL = Mens Intermediate League: is open to males turning 17 years or 18 years in the calendar year of the current season
4. For All Age Mens/Womens, a player must turn 18 years or older in the calendar year of the current season
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5. For O35, a player must turn at least 35 years on or before 31/12 in the calendar year prior to the current season. For example, if a player has turned 35 years by 31/12/22, they are eligible to play in O35 in the 2023 season
6. For O45, a player must turn at least 45 years on or before 31/12 in the calendar year prior to the current season. For example, if a player has turned 45 years by 31/12/22, they are eligible to play in O45 in the 2023 season
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7. For O50, a player must turn 50 years on or before 31/12 in the calendar year prior to the current season. For example, if a player has turned 50 years by 31/12/22, they are eligible to play in O50 in the 2023 season. A temporary exemption: an established team is allowed to carry up to 3 existing players who are between 47 years and 50 years. No new player will be accepted into O50 unless they satisfy the age criteria
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Teams must be registered with Football Canterbury by the end of February. If we do not have enough players by then to form a team, we cannot register that team. So, please register in February to ensure the team can be formed and registered in time.
Players registering after February will only be able to be placed in teams that have already been registered with Football Canterbury.
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Forming Teams
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Players in Under 5s to Under 7s (Miniroos)
Where possible, players in U5s are sorted into teams based on the school they attend. In this way they likely to know at least one person in their team. We also aim to have at least two schools in a team so the players can make new friends.
Typically, though there is no guarantee, players in U6s to U7s are sorted into teams based on the team they played in last season. New players in these age groups will usually be placed in an existing team with at least one other child from their school.
Team are formed to be roughly equal in size so all players have a similar amount of playing time and reduces the risk of having players sitting bored on the sideline waiting for their turn or having teams playng short each week.
IMPORTANT:
1. We do not accept requests set up specific teams as it becomes overly complicated with multiple changes of mind and causes resentment in those who are excluded
2. Please do not ask to change teams after they have been finalised. Teams are balanced and moving just one player unbalances two teams
3. Some children may not always get into their friend's team but they do get the chance to make new friends in another team
4. Please have a conversation with your child as soon as possible to prepare them for the possibility that they may not be playing in the team of their first choice
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Players in Under 8s to Under 14s
Players in these age groups are graded. This means each player's ability is assessed in group sessions and will be sorted into teams with players of similar abilities. Two grading sessions will be held for each age group in mid February, and a Team Announcement Night will be held to announce teams towards the end of February.
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For players in Under 8s, particularly those who played in the Miniroos program, this will be the first time they are assessed and sorted into teams based on ability. This means that it may be very likely that returning players will not always be playing in the same team as their friends from previous years.
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For players in U9s to U14s, these age groups continue to be graded each season. Typically, the approach may be to initially group returning players based on the team they played in the previous season and add new players to groups where appropriate. However, once the grading session starts they may be moved to other groups to continue their grading assessment.
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It is not possible to guarantee that a player will be assigned to the same team of players as the previous year. Reasons for this include: where necessary, the Club trying to balance number of players across multiple teams in the same age group (it makes no sense to have one team with 16 players and another team with 10 players in the same age group - where possible two teams of 13 may be created), new players display a greater ability during the grading sessions which could result in a returning player moving to a different team, returning players from lower divisions may have developed faster than their peers and display a greater ability during the grading sessions, etc.
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IMPORTANT: Please have a conversation with your child as soon as possible to prepare them for the possibility that they may not be playing in the team of their first choice. We do not accept requests to change teams based on which team their friends have been placed in
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Players in Under 15s to Under 18s through to Seniors
Players in these age groups are self-organising. This means that a responsible adult (the Manager) will often recruit players of their choice to form a team. The Manager is responsible for recruiting and is required to submit the names of the players in their team to the Club Administrator as soon as practical so they can be assigned to the correct team when each player registers.
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The Club does not typically get involved in recruiting players for these teams but may refer individuals to the manager to see if they will accept any new unallocated players.
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Note:
- If you do not yet have a team, before registering please email the Club Administrator with your details (name, age, previous playing experience/history, preferred age group/division etc). Your details will be sent to the relevent team managers. It is entirely up to a team manager as to whether they would like you to join their team
- If you have a full team (or even part of a team) and you would like to register with Concord, contact the Club Administrator to discuss options
