Terms & Conditions

Player registrations open on 1st November every season

New and returning players are required to register via our website. Initial registration is an 'Expression of Interest' only. No payment obligations are triggered by registering your intent to participate in the upcoming season.

We do try to facilitate friendship requests when possible, however given that we have over 65 teams and 1,000 players, it is often very difficult to accommodate them. Furthermore, preference is given to returning club players and existing teams. Requests from new players asking to play with a friend in an existing team that is already full will not be granted.  

We will only consider friendship requests where both players have asked to be in the same team. For example, Jason has submitted a request to be in the same team as Larry, and Larry has also submitted a request to be in the same team as Jason. If Jason has requested to be in the same team as Larry, but Larry has not submitted a request or requested to be in the same team as a different player, the request will not be considered. The onus is on parents to ensure both players have nominated each other and submitted a request.

Requests comprising of more than one player, entire teams or school classes will not be accepted. 

Friendship requests will not be accepted after teams have been selected and communicated.

Friendship requests will not be accepted if they compromise the grading or team selection process. For example, if one player is graded as a Kangaroo and the other a Wallaby, both players will have to play in the Wallabies league if they want to play in the same team. The lower graded player cannot play in the Kangaroos.

Friendship requests must be received by the end of January each year.
Friendship request should be sent to information@eastbentleighsc.com

Football Victoria (FV) competitions for U8 to U12 age groups consist of three different grades/levels (i.e. Joeys/Beginner, Wallabies/Intermediate and Kangaroos/Advanced).

FV competitions from U13s and above are graded competitions (i.e. A, B, C, D...).

MiniRoos Kick-Off program (5 to 6-years old) and U7s are introductory/beginner levels and as such players are not graded. The primary focus at this age is fun, participation, learning and development of social skills.

All age groups from U8s and above are graded every year. Players must complete a grading assessment to join a team. 

Grading ensures that teams comprise of players of similar skills and ability. Grading also assists the Club in entering teams in the correct league competition to ensure they play against other teams of the same skill and ability. This approach facilitates learning and allows players to develop their skills, improve their level of competitiveness and ultimately enjoy their football more.

Grading sessions are normally held in February. We follow a well established, robust and transparent process. Players are assessed by a panel of both independent and incumbent age group coaches to ensure assessments are accurate.

It is important for players and parents to understand grading assessment outcomes and the factors that determine team selections. 

In a perfect scenario a player will receive an individual grading assessment and be selected in a team that will participate in an FV league at the same level of competition. For example, a player is individually assessed as a Wallaby and is selected in a team that will play in a Wallaby level FV league.

However this is not always an achievable outcome. Players might end up playing in a higher or lower league compared to their individual grading assessment. 

This can occur for a number of reasons (list is not exhaustive):

1. Not enough players for a specific grade in an age group. For example, U12 grading assessments resulted in only 9 players assessed as Kangaroos. In this instance, 3 stronger Wallaby players would be elevated and the Club would field a team in an U12 Kangaroos FV league. Conversely if U12 grading assessments resulted in only 5 players being assessed as Kangaroos, these players would be selected in a team that will play in an U12 Wallabies FV league.

2. Excessive players for a specific grade in an age group. For example, U16 grading assessments resulted in 19 players assessed as Bs. In this instance, a squad of 15 players will be selected and the Club would field a team in an U16B FV league. The balance of players may end up playing in an A or C grade FV league.

3. Teams must comprise of the correct balance in terms of player positions. You can't have an A grade U17 team with 10 defenders or 3 goalkeepers. You will need midfielders and forwards to be competitive. In this instance, the required number of defenders and goal keeper would be selected and the remaining players will be selected in a team that will play in an U17B FV league.      

4. Composite teams with mixed age groups. Sometimes the player numbers do not work and we have to combine age groups to form a composite team. For example, five U15 A grade players are combined with 10 U16 B grade players to form a composite team which will be entered into an U16B FV league.

      

Friendship requests will not be approved if they compromise grading assessments and team selections.

The Club does not undertake grading to identify elite talent and we definitely do not 'cut players'. We will run as many teams as we can to accommodate as many players as possible for all age groups. In the event that we have too many players for an age group, for example we have nineteen U14 players and can only field one team of sixteen players, preference will be given to returning players and then grading will be relied upon to fill the remaining places.   

Our current grading policy ishere.

Registration Fee Refunds

Any player who is offered a place in a team and declines that offer prior to completing their PlayFootball player registration for the upcoming season will receive a full refund of fees.

Any player who is offered a place in a team and declines that offer after completing their PlayFootball player registration for the upcoming season will be entitled to the following refund:

(i) A partial refund of fees if the player has been marked as 'active' in PlayFootball. Players will be marked as 'active' in PlayFootball seven (7) business days before the start of round 1. Once a player has been marked as 'active', this triggers the club's liability to pay the player's registration fee and insurance to the governing bodies (Football Victoria & Football Australia). As these costs are non-refundable to the club, only a partial refund is available.

(ii) A full refund of fees if the player has NOT been marked as 'active' in PlayFootball.Players will be marked as 'active' in PlayFootball seven (7) business days before the start of round 1.

Any player who is offered a place in a team and accepts that offer but departs the Club after the season has commenced will not be entitled to a refund of fees. The club's costs are largely fixed. Once the season commences, the club has incurred preseason training costs, paid for uniforms and is liable to pay non refundable player and team registration fees to the governing bodies.   

Requests for refunds due to extenuating circumstances will be at the discretion of the Club.

If the season is cancelled or interrupted due to Covid-19 restrictions, and less than 50% of the season has been completed, a partial refund will be calculated based on the proportion of the season completed. No refund will be available if 50% or more of the season is completed.

Fees will not be reduced for interruptions to the season due to short term Covid-19 lockdowns.

Partial Refund – Method of Calculation

The formula for calculating a partial refund of fees will be as follows:

EBSC player registration fee paid, less the PlayFootball player registration fee, less the applicable portion of the FV team registration fee, less the cost of the uniform, less the variable cost for the number of weeks completed for the season.

·    All costs are GST inclusive.

·    Uniform returns will not be accepted.

·    We will delay PlayFootball player registrations and the distribution of uniforms for as long as we can to protect member funds.