Principles:
Our club recognizes the underlying principle of progression of competitiveness with increasing age together with the need to balance the opportunities for players to achieve their maximum potential and enjoy a standard of football suitable to their capacity. We also acknowledge that the ultimate performance objective is to win an “A” Grade competition and that skills and performance are more likely to improve when challenged in a higher grade.
Senior teams i.e. under 18 and above are bound by the same policies of the Albany Creek Crushers Junior Rugby League Football Club Inc.

Team Grading:
From under 7 to under 10, there are no formal grading of teams or players and any competition points or Premierships, but under 11 teams are graded on the basis of their performance as under 10's. From under 11 upwards, based upon the advice of the Coach and the Football Sub-Committee, the Coaching Director will advise the club committee of the preferred grade for each team, but must abide by the decision of the SEDJ grading committee regarding final nomination.

Player Grading:
Where more than one team exists within an age group, the numbers of players must be reasonably balanced between the teams, taking into consideration the grading of the teams. Any trial matches and the first three fixture matches may be used to help grade players. In under 7's we will try to keep 6 year olds together so they go up together in future years. Under 7 and under 8 players will be distributed amongst teams, so as to reasonably balance the playing performance of respective teams and account for the social and administrative benefit of the players and parents.

Under 9 and 10 players will be strongly influenced toward the team that most appropriately suits their apparent and potential skills, attitude and performance, but special circumstances will be considered.

Under 11 to under 18 players will be graded by selection based upon their performance, training, attitude and commitment to their football, their team and the club.

Grading selections will be made by a small panel of selectors, nominated (and published) by the Coaching Director, relevant to each age group and including the coaches from that age group.

Players playing in the fourth fixture round in a higher grade are deemed graded to that higher grade. Other players may play one other match at the higher grade and still return to the lower grade for the remainder of the season but once they play in the higher grade a second time after the fourth round, they must remain in the higher grade.

Where there is a perceived surplus of players seeking selection for the one team, the selection panel will select the appropriate number of players for that team and the Club will endeavour to find acceptable alternatives for the balance.

FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT
The Management Committee appoints a Coaching Director who forms a “Football Sub-Committee”, which is responsible for operational football matters including; appointment of coaches, grading of teams and players, selection of player awards and player development, qualifications and development of coaches. The Coaching Director and appointed team officials are responsible to the Management Committee.

We are an affiliate of the North's Melbourne Storm junior development programme who continually run clinics aimed at developing the junior players in our club and in higher age groups identifying the more talented players for incorporation into their senior club programmes.

REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS
Any Player chosen for the QRL, SEDJ and Metropolitan Schoolboys representative teams must be made aware that there are costs for the individual players involved. Whilst the Club would like to assist with these expenses, each case will be considered by the Committee and recompense is totally dependant on the financial situation of the Club, driven by the fact we are a non profit organisation with no financial support gained from a licensed Club or income generated from poker machines.

PLAYING IN A DIFFERENT AGE GROUP
Under special circumstances, the BJRL Registrar may approve a player playing in an age group one year older, except that Under 12 players require special approval to play Under 13. Approval may be given to play continuously in the older age group, but the player may not revert to their own age group unless on every occasion, they have met their obligations and played for their own age group. Players are not required to have played a certain number of games in the older age group in order to have qualified to play in finals.

Strong club policy encourages appropriate players supporting older teams when required, but dictates that younger players may only play in an older age group when:

• the older team is short of players and no older player will be
  disadvantaged.
• the coach or manager of the older team must first approach the
  coach of the younger team.
• the player must demonstrate enthusiasm to play in the older team
• the player's parents must approve.
• the receiving coach must be satisfied the player is competent to
  play safely.
• the sending coach must agree that his team will not be
  disadvantaged.
• the sending coach must reasonably extend the same opportunity
  to other players he thinks are suitable.
• the sending manager must reasonably make available the
  necessary registrations and I.D.'s and the receiving manager
  must ensure they are reasonably returned.

100 GAME JACKETS
IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR CONTINUITY OF SERVICE, THE CLUB WILL PRESENT A “100 GAME JACKET” TO ANY JUNIOR PLAYER WHO PLAYS IN ONE HUNDRED FIXTURE AND FINALS GAMES FOR THE CLUB WITHIN THEIR OWN AGE GROUP AND TEAM. As this is a “continuity of service” award, players who fail to register with the club when a team of their age is available, are deemed to have left the club and lost continuity of games, reverting their account of games to zero when they next play for the club. Year Book records are accepted as final and the Management Committee may rule on specific or special circumstances.

TROPHIES
All trophies should be awarded on Presentation Day. Apart from “Perpetual Trophies”, the Club funds and awards trophies in line with the Year Book, essentially 4 in each team from under 10 to 18. Teams fund participation trophies for every other player but they are ordered at cost through the Club. Under 7 to 9 players receive club funded pennants. Trophy awards are determined by the selection panel for that grade, including the Coach.

PLAYER REGISTRATIONS
No player is entitled to take the field in fixture matches unless the team manager is able to produce at the field, the player's necessary SEDJ identity and registration form stamped by the SEDJ. Penalty for playing an unregistered player $100.00 and loss of competition points.

 GRADINGS