Junior team grading

About Junior team grading

Before you register

Trial & selection process

FAQ’s

About Junior Team grading

About Junior Team grading

Balmain DFC will be running grading sessions from Sunday 2 November to Wednesday 26 November 2025 for junior players who wish to be selected for a graded team in the Winter 2026 season. The grading sessions will be held at Rozelle Parklands Sporting Fields (rectangular field).

Players need to check the grading schedule for the times and locations for their age group and complete the online registration form. All previous Development Players also need to complete the registration.

REGISTRATION FOR GRADING CLOSES 9pm Monday 27 October 2025.

If you will not be able to attend all the scheduled grading sessions, please let us know by filling in the Junior Grading – Unable to Attend Form (scroll down and see below)

Register Now

JUNIOR TEAM GRAIDING

Before you register

Accepting a place in a graded team requires additional commitment. Players & parents need to be aware they will:

  • Be required to train twice a week with the club’s Development Program (DP)
    • The schedules for the 2026 Development Programs will be available prior to offers being made
  • Be required to pay a separate cost that is applicable specifically for the DP program. This is in addition to the standard player registration fee for the Football Canterbury Association’s Winter season competition. You can reference the 2025 Player Registration fees as a guide for potential 2026 costs.
  • The DP fee for 2026 will be $540 in total
    • A 50% non-refundable deposit will be payable to accept a place in a graded team
    • The remaining 50% of the DP fee will be automatically deducted from your nominated method of payment two months later
    • A reminder that the DP fee is separate and in addition to the regular player registration fee for the Winter season
  • Be required to assemble at least 30 minutes prior to kick-off for all matches
  • Be required to assemble at least 10 minutes prior to training sessions
  • Understand and agree to the behaviour policy
  • Need to make themselves available for pre-season trial games, as well as for Football NSW tournaments including NSW State Cup and Champion of Champions (for U13-U16)
  • Ensure you have read the Grading Terms & Conditions which can be found here.

Development Program Training Schedule 2026 (DRAFT)

If you will not be able to attend all the scheduled grading sessions, please let us know by filling in this form: Junior Grading – Unable to Attend Form.

Register now Grading Schedule

The Grading Process

Read information carefully to understand our processes for being selected into a graded team.

Step 1: Registration for Grading

Players MUST complete the online registration to participate in the grading process. Pre-registration enables the set-up of software used to complete the evaluation and selection process. Players who do not pre-register will not be allowed to grade. Registration closes 9pm Monday 27th October 2025.

If the number of registrations received for a particular age group is not sufficient to form a graded team for that age group there will be NO grading session for that age group. If this is the case, anyone who has registered for that age group will be informed once registration has closed.

All players need to attend the grading session scheduled for their age group. Please note that some age groups have TWO grading sessions. Players who are unable to attend one or both sessions still need to complete the online registration and must contact their Age Coordinator to discuss their circumstances.

** Players can only be registered to trial for a single age group – multiple registrations for different age groups are not permitted **

 

 

Step 2: Trial Process

Trials are conducted by the Club’s Head Development Coach.

Players are assigned a number and will be guided through selected exercises and games based on their age group.

Players are assessed against four criteria and depending on age group may include:

  • Athleticism: Speed, strength, agility, balance
  • Technical: Passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, heading
  • Tactical: Movement off ball, supporting, defending, transitional (or loose ball)
  • Overall impression: Activity, creativity, composure, communication, vision, problem solving

If you cannot attend for any reason, please let us know and we will advise about next steps.

A description of the drills for U8-U12s that will be assessed during grading can be found here

A description of the drills for U13-U16s that will be assessed during grading can be found here

Step 3: Selection Process

Following the trial process, selectors review the assessments of each player and recommend the allocation of each player to a team. The results and recommendations are provided to the Development Committee for final consideration and endorsement prior to offers being made.

A minimum of 9 – 11 players (U8/U9), 11-13 players (U10-U12), and 14-16 players per team (U13-U16) are selected.

Step 4: Offer and Acceptance of Places

Offers to play in a graded team will be made via email. To accept your place, you must:

  1. Commit to train twice per week with the Club’s Development Program.
    • Training schedules will be provided prior to offers being made
  2. Pay the non-refundable deposit for the Development Program at the time of acceptance of the offer

Should any player not accept the offer (including payment of the Development Program fee) or decline the offer, the next highest ranked player will then be invited, and so on, until all places in the graded team are filled.

Step 1: Registration for Grading

Players MUST complete the online registration to participate in the grading process. Pre-registration enables the set-up of software used to complete the evaluation and selection process. Players who do not pre-register will not be allowed to grade. Registration closes 9pm Monday 27th October 2025.

If the number of registrations received for a particular age group is not sufficient to form a graded team for that age group there will be NO grading session for that age group. If this is the case, anyone who has registered for that age group will be informed once registration has closed.

All players need to attend the grading session scheduled for their age group. Please note that some age groups have TWO grading sessions. Players who are unable to attend one or both sessions still need to complete the online registration and must contact their Age Coordinator to discuss their circumstances.

** Players can only be registered to trial for a single age group – multiple registrations for different age groups are not permitted **

 

 

Step 2: Trial Process

Trials are conducted by the Club’s Head Development Coach.

Players are assigned a number and will be guided through selected exercises and games based on their age group.

Players are assessed against four criteria and depending on age group may include:

  • Athleticism: Speed, strength, agility, balance
  • Technical: Passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, heading
  • Tactical: Movement off ball, supporting, defending, transitional (or loose ball)
  • Overall impression: Activity, creativity, composure, communication, vision, problem solving

If you cannot attend for any reason, please let us know and we will advise about next steps.

A description of the drills for U8-U12s that will be assessed during grading can be found here

A description of the drills for U13-U16s that will be assessed during grading can be found here

Step 3: Selection Process

Following the trial process, selectors review the assessments of each player and recommend the allocation of each player to a team. The results and recommendations are provided to the Development Committee for final consideration and endorsement prior to offers being made.

A minimum of 9 – 11 players (U8/U9), 11-13 players (U10-U12), and 14-16 players per team (U13-U16) are selected.

Step 4: Offer and Acceptance of Places

Offers to play in a graded team will be made via email. To accept your place, you must:

  1. Commit to train twice per week with the Club’s Development Program.
    • Training schedules will be provided prior to offers being made
  2. Pay the non-refundable deposit for the Development Program at the time of acceptance of the offer

Should any player not accept the offer (including payment of the Development Program fee) or decline the offer, the next highest ranked player will then be invited, and so on, until all places in the graded team are filled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Registration enables the club to set-up the software used to complete the evaluation and selection process.

No. While BDFC encourages all players to take part in the team selection process, it is not compulsory. Grading is not for everybody and we provide opportunities for all our players who wish to participate and be involved in the game at different levels.

To allow players to join teams at a level appropriate to their ability and aspirations, to ensure they gain maximum enjoyment and development.

The BDFC Technical Director and Development Committee will convene and appoint Selectors comprised of qualified coaches to conduct grading for each age group.

Team coaches are not permitted to act as Selectors at any of the grading sessions. At the discretion of the Development Committee, team coaches may be asked to provide input or feedback on certain players to ensure all aspects of a player’s ability and contribution have been taken into consideration.

No. BDFC makes grading sessions available for players who wish to play football at the highest level our club has to offer: Division 1 and/or Division 2.

BDFC can make division recommendations for teams not involved in the individual player selection process of Division 1 (and/or Div 2). It is BDFC responsibility to ensure that its teams are graded in an appropriate division for review by the Football Canterbury Grading Committee.

The composition of teams based on “individual player” grading is not compulsory for our members and our Club has no problem with coaches, managers and players continuing to play with last season’s non-graded team and with their friends. Teams choosing not to grade will be scheduled to play in the same division as last season, depending on the age group, number of BDFC teams and the Football Canterbury Grading Review.

No. Please note the club and its officials volunteer much of their time and efforts to conduct grading. The club feels strongly about this and would appreciate that this time and effort is not treated as “Just a Kick Around”.

BDFC grading sessions are open to everyone. However, BDFC will support returning club players who have an established history of playing for the club. Where an age group has more than one graded team, priority for positions in a second graded team will be given to last season’s BDFC graded players who were unsuccessful in being selected for next season’s Division 1A team.

Successful players will be invited to join a graded team via email within 10 working days of the final grading session. Successful players will have a strictly limited time period in which to accept the offer and pay any required fee. Should any player not accept the offer (including payment of the registration fee) or decline the offer, the next highest ranked player will then be invited, until all places in the graded team are filled.

BDFC players who do not receive an invitation to join a graded team will be allocated a place in their previous season’s team as per standard registration policy.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Reach out to our Development Committee about any of our programs.

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