A couple of things for members to be aware of, that came out of the Group 9 AGM.

Firstly, League Tag age groups will remain the same as last year, despite a push from some clubs in the group to have them changed to Under 9’s, 12’s and 15’s. We see this as a good thing as there will be a Minor League option for our 16 year old girls who would have otherwise been forced to play League Tag in the Major League competition.

Secondly, there has been a change to the play down rule. Players will be eligible to play in the year they are turning this year, as always. So, someone turning 10 in 2015 will be able to play in the Under 10’s. Combined with this, if your child is born in the second half of the year (July 1st-December 31st) you, in consultation with your child, have the option of holding them back a year. So, someone who turns 11 between July 1st and December 31st, could be held back in the Under 10’s. They would however be subject to the play down committee assessing their ability. Craig Webb is the Tumbarumba-Batlow representative on this committee.
This was a close run thing. The 18 month rule got up, 10 votes to 9. Without it, some of our Modified and International age groups, which begin at the Under 10’s would struggle to field teams, as we could not place older children in teams. As a club we are reliant on this rule to field teams in these age groups. Traditionally, there aren’t the numbers of players in the Tumbarumba and Batlow areas to field teams on each of the Modified and International age groups. League Tag girls will also be subject to this rule. It is not to be abused. Incoming coaches and managers will need to be aware of the ins and outs of this rule, and members of this committee will not allow any child to play down if they don’t meet the age criteria and the play down committee’s assessment criteria.
- Derek Smith – Vice President & Publicity Officer TBML