Learning from previous years, the Club's Executive and Head Coaching Staff have defined a single Grading or Trial process for all players in the club in 2011, both juniors and seniors.
Objectives
The Grading Policy is designed to address a number of player and club needs, some of which invariably conflict. It is designed to;
- Ensure the club can field competitive A or 1st Teams in each age group
- Allow players to choose between trialing for the top team or playing with their friends
- Minimise the possibility of bias by using independent Head Coaches to be the arbiters of the trial process
- Ensure that every player is placed in a team appropriate to their skill level, and that no player is turned away
- Ensure there is a clear pathway for players to progress within the club from Under 6 to Over 45
- Support the creation of a club culture, that takes priority over an individual team culture
Players Grading/Trialing Options
Players have three options to determine their team preference. The three options are;
Option A - Trial for A or 1st Team or Development Squad
If a player elects this option the player is electing to play competitively rather than purely socially. Players who elect this option will be assessed by an independent grading panel including Club Head Coaches. At the sole discretion of the grading panel, if sufficient players elect this option for a given age group an A and a B team may be chosen. Unsuccessful trialists will be placed across the social teams.
Option B - Allocation to a team with up to two friends
If player want to ask to be allocated to a team with two nominated friends they need to nominate the two friends in the "Play With" Requests field when completing the online registration form. Every effort will be made to place them in the same team, subject to balancing team numbers. By choosing this option the player is electing to play socially rather than competitively.
Option C - Form a complete team (U9 to U18, Senior Men, Senior Women) or squad (U6, U7, Senior Men)
This option can only be selected if; (a) there is more than one team/squad in the age group, (b) a completed team sheet is received by the club registrar no later than Friday 19th February with names of all players, coaches, managers, and volunteers (c) the team has at least one coach, manager, and nominated volunteers as required under the Membership T&Cs and (d) all players on the submitted team sheet have registered and paid online PRIOR to the team sheet being submitted. Ensuring these criteria are met is the responsibility of the person submitting the form and NOT the responsibility of the Club. The club reserves the right to add additional players or move players to other teams to ensure that team numbers are balanced across the age group.
Selecting your Option
Junior Players - Junior players should nominate their preference when they complete their online registration by entering their preference in the "Play With" Requests field. Players should enter either "Trial", "With friends, name1, name2", or "with team teamname". For Option C - forming a complete team, the person organising the team should devise a team name and tell players to enter the team name when they register online
Senior Players - Senior players will be asked their preference at the open trials at the start of the pre-season.
Grading/Trialing Process
Players who select to trial for the A or 1st Team will be formally graded via a trial process conducted at the first couple of training sessions for their age group by an independent grading panel, including the Club Head Coaches during pre-season as per the pre-season training schedule. For returning players, feedback will be sought from last years coaches. The trial process will involve monitoring at training as well as participation in pre-season trial games. The decision of the independent grading panel is final.
It is important ALL players attend the trial process. This includes pre-formed teams. As the trial process is done as part of pre-season training, it is an important time to allow creation of teams, finalising of team officials, and communication from the Age Group Coordinator.
Once provisional teams have been announced, for junior age groups, where there are multiple teams within an age group, trial matches will be played during pre-season between the various teams to determine the standing of each team - effectively grading the teams. For those age groups that use alpha team name (A,B,C, etc) this process will determine the standing of each team.
The club reserves the right to add additional players or move players to other teams to ensure that team numbers are balanced across each age group and that no players who wish to play are turned away.
Should you have any concerns about the grading process, please contact the relevent Club Chair person
Grading/Trialing Locations and Times
Trials for our senior squads (Mens PL, Div 2, Div 3, Div 4, Div 5, Div 6, Over 35 and Over 45, and Womens All Age Div 1, Div 2, Div 3, Div 4, and Over 35) are held at the following times and locations;
Mens All Age - Tuesday, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Forsyth Park 1, Neutral Bay, 1/8/15/22 February 2011
Mens Over 35s and Over 45s - Wednesday, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Forsyth Park 1, Neutral Bay, 2/9/16/23 February 2011
Womens All Age- Wednesday, 7pm - 9pm, Anderson Park, Neutral Bay, 2/9/16/23 February 2011
Womens Over 35s - Tuesday, 7pm - 9pm, Anderson Park, Neutral Bay, 1/8/15/22 February 2011
Trials for our junior teams (U6 to U18) are held in the last two weeks of February as part of the normal team training as per the pre-season training schedule.
"No Pay No Play"
The club has a strict "No Pay No Play" policy. No player will have their team allocation confirmed until payment of registration fees have been paid in full. Any queries can be referred to the Club's Registrar.
Questions & Queries
Should you have any queries regarding the grading process, please contact the relevent Club Chair person