Grading Policy Marrickville Football Club has a single Grading process for all players (with the exception of Under 6 and 7’s) in the club. 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 teams in each age group Allow players to choose between trialing for the top teams 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 Options Players have three options to determine their team preference. The three options are; OPTION 1 - TRIAL FOR COMPETITIVE TEAM (S ) 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 multiple competitive teams will be created. Unsuccessful trialists will be placed across the social teams and the Club Head Coaches will match ability to social teams as closely as reasonably practicable. OPTION 2- ALLOCATION TO A TEAM WITH UP TO TWO FRIENDS If a player wants 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 3 - FORM A COMPLETE TEAM 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 with names of all players, coaches, managers, and volunteers (c) the team has at least one coach, manager, and nominated volunteers, 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 Grading Process New Players who select to will be formally graded via a trial process conducted at the nominated times by the club (typically February/March) for their age group by an independent grading panel, including the Club's Head Coaches during pre-season. For returning players, feedback will be sought from last year’s coaches. The grading 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 grading 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. 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. "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.