Grading Guidelines & Team Selections
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 (4 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.
Grading
for U8s and U9s is voluntary. Players that do not participate in
grading sessions will automatically be selected in a Joeys team.
All age groups from U10s and above are graded every year.
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 U18 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 U18B 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 is here.