JUNIORS

If you need further information or have any specific questions not addressed in the FAQs, don’t hesitate to contact Ainslie’s Manager of Junior Football Operations, Matthew Teasdale, at matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au or 0455 455 063.

The club runs on the strength of our volunteers. We always seek people to volunteer their time and skills to help our teams, whether on game day, at training or more generally. Specific game day roles include Boundary/Goal Umpire, Water Runner, Team Runner and First Aid, but we also need people to time keep and cast Best and Fairest votes. We also require Coach helpers and Team Managers and may need additional Coaches depending on the number of teams we field this season.

With a few exceptions, you don’t need any special skills to get involved, but if you need help, we can assist with training for any of these roles. Please contact Ainslie’s Manager of Junior Football Operations at matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au if you are interested in volunteering in 2023.

Please note: It is a legal requirement for volunteers who have regular and ongoing contact with players (e.g. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Team Managers, First Aiders, training assistants etc.) to hold a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) general registration card. Club volunteers can obtain WWVP cards free of charge by completing an application form (available at www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1804/~/working-with-vulnerable-people-%28wwvp%29-registration). Applicants will need to use the Manager of Junior Football Operations as the Contact person from the club for the application. Parents/carers who perform game day roles on an ad hoc basis may not require a WWVP card.

All volunteers holding a WWVP card for a role at Ainslie will need to provide a copy of that card to the Manager of Junior Football Operations. WWVP cards are issued for multiple years and do not need to be applied for annually.

With a few exceptions, you don’t need any special skills to get involved but if you need help we can assist with training for any of these roles. Please contact the Junior President at sueanne.mckeough@ainsliefootball.com.au if you are interested in volunteering in 2021.

Please note that it is a legal requirement for volunteers who have regular and ongoing contact with players (eg Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Team Managers, First Aiders, training assistants etc) to hold a Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) general registration card. Club volunteers are able to obtain WWVP cards free of charge by completing an application form (available at www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1804/~/working-with-vulnerable-people-%28wwvp%29-registration). Applicants will need to use the Junior President as the Contact person from the Club for the purposes of the application. Parents/carers who perform game day roles on an ad hoc basis may not require a WWVP card.

All volunteers who must hold a WWVP card for the role they are undertaking will need to provide a copy of that card to the Manager – Junior Football Operations. WWVP cards are issued for multiple years and do not need to be applied for annually.

Like most sporting clubs, we rely on support from parents and the community to get kids on the playing field. From time to time, we run activities and events to raise funds for the club, which you are encouraged to support. We use these funds for various purposes, including purchasing player clothing, footballs and other equipment.

In addition, the club operates a Canteen at Reid Oval during the football season. Apart from providing a service to players and supporters, it is a significant fundraising opportunity for the club. The canteen operates on a rotational duty roster, with each team rostered once or twice a season. You can help ensure the canteen’s successful operation by volunteering for duty when it’s your team’s turn.

The club is always on the lookout for sponsors. If you have a business or know of someone who has a business that could benefit from some additional marketing through the club, please don’t hesitate to let us know by emailing Ainslie’s General Manager, Matthew Diglio, at matthew.diglio@ainsliefootball.com.au. 

Club Based Information

Club-based information will generally be emailed to you or posted to our website (www.ainsliefootball.com.au) or Facebook page (Ainslie Football Club – Juniors), sometimes all three. Our website has undergone much-needed updating, and we hope this new and improved version will make information more readily available. We use our Facebook page to convey information such as game cancellations and ground closures. If you’re not already following us on Facebook, we highly recommend that you do so and that you add our website to your favourites.

To help us keep in touch, it is a requirement that you provide a current contact email address as part of your registration application. Please notify us if your email address changes during your time with the club.

In addition to the above, some teams use various apps to communicate. For further information, check with your Team Manager.

Team-Based information

Team-based information will come from your child’s Team Manager and may take the form of an email, text or both. Please ensure you provide your Team Manager with up-to-date contact details at the start of the season.

Ainslie Merchandise – 

From 2023, you’ll be able to buy playing shorts, additional pairs of socks, and other Ainslie merchandise online through our Online Store. Items purchased online generally arrive in Canberra in a few days. Shorts should be stocked and available for purchase online by early 2023. 

We will also advertise designated periods where you can purchase items such as shorts from our office at 5 Angas Street leading up to round 1 of the junior season. We will be advertising these times on our Facebook page and through email. We will also have shorts to purchase at our Junior Open Day leading up to the 2023 season. 

Mouthguards – Players must wear mouthguards when playing and during contact drills at training. For children in competitive age groups, we recommend a dentist-fitted mouthguard. However, an over-the-counter boil-and-bite mouthguard from a chemist or sporting store is a much better alternative than nothing! 

Footy Boots – If you want to buy football boots, you should head to Rebel Sport. Remember to mention that you play for Ainslie.

Junior players will be issued a playing jumper and one pair of socks before their first game. Players are responsible for laundering their jumper during the season and bringing it on game day. Your must return your playing jumper at the end of the season, but the socks are yours to keep.

Players must purchase playing shorts, football boots and a mouthguard (see below for where to buy).

Club merchandise, such as hoodies, beanies and tracksuit pants, is available online at our Online Store.

We are still working on our coaching appointments for 2023. If you would like to coach in 2023, you have until November 30 to submit an expression of interest. Our expression of interest form is accessible here. 

It is a legal requirement that all our Coaches hold a Working With Vulnerable People General Registration Card. Our Junior Coaches also have completed their foundation coaching accreditation, which you can complete here. 

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AFL Canberra has yet to release the draw for the 2023 season. However, last season’s dates give us a fair indication of probable season dates for 2023. 

In 2022 the Juniors season started on the weekend of April 30 (mixed and boys teams played on Saturday and girls teams on Sunday). Home and away games finished on the weekend of August 13. For teams that qualified for finals, they began on the weekend of August 30, culminating in the Grand Final on the weekend of September 3.

Click here for more information on season 2023 dates.

As a club, we acknowledge that Players will occasionally seek to play in a higher or lower age competition than the one determined by their chronological age.

Playing Up – Necessary Prerequisites 

Before the club can agree that a Player can play outside their chronological age group, it must be clear that playing up will not adversely impact their safety and football development. Before approaching the club, consider the following: 

• Will the Player be placed at unnecessary risk of injury by playing against bigger and stronger opposition in a higher age group?
• Will playing in an older age group be the best environment for the development of the Player, both as a footballer and as a young person?  

Before participating in any games outside their chronological age group, a parent or guardian must submit the applicable Age Dispensation Application Form for club approval. If you’ve considered the above questions and would still like the Player to play outside their chronological age group, contact Ainslie’s Manager of Junior Football Operations at matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au to receive the relevant Age Dispensation Application Form. 

Applications for age dispensation to play up may be for a single year or two or more years. Factors considered during age dispensation applications assessments are:

• Age – the difference between the Player’s age and those playing in the older age group.
• Size and maturity – whether the Player is physically and mentally advanced for their age. The assessment will consider whether the Player will be put in an unsafe environment playing against older opponents.
• Skill level – whether the Player has good skills. Skill levels can determine how often the Player will get the ball during a match. A Player’s poor skills and minimal contribution to the game can lead to a lack of confidence or enjoyment.
• Other factors – We’ll also consider team balance, individual motivation, discipline, and the nature of the request, i.e., to play up full-time or part-time.

Playing Up – Single Age 

All single-year age dispensation applications for playing a year up will be reviewed by the AFC Manager of Junior Football Operations and Juniors President. In their review, they will consult with the coach/coaches of the applicant’s chronological age group and the coach/coaches of the older age group they aspire to play in. 

If the coaches agree that an older age group is appropriate and will serve the development of the Player well, the club will approve the application. If there are concerns that playing up may jeopardise the safety and development of the Player, the club will contact the parent/guardian of the Player to discuss team options for the Player in 2023. 

Playing Up – Double Age

AFL Canberra reviews and makes final decisions on all applications for players wanting to play in an age group two years above their chronological age group. These applications must be approved by the Manager of Junior Football Operations or the Juniors President before the club sends them to AFL Canberra for final approval. To begin this process, please email Ainslie’s Manager of Junior Football Operations, Matthew Teasdale, to acquire an Age Dispensation Application consent form. 

Playing Down

Players may also seek dispensation to play in an age group below their applicable age group for physical capacity, disability or development considerations. Players seeking an exemption to play down must obtain dispensation following the National Age Dispensation Policy.

For Players wanting to play down, their parent/guardian must lodge a signed Age Dispensation Application – Younger Age Form with the Junior President or the Manager of Junior Football Operations. The application must be supported by relevant medical evidence that states the basis for playing in a younger age group. 

Relevant factors in determining if a Player can play in a younger age group are: 

• Disability: a disability as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act (1992) or
• Physical Size or Development: for a Player, that Player has a body mass index (i.e. divide Player’s weight (in kilograms) by Player’s height (in metres squared)) under the 5th percentile for that Player’s age as measured by a sports dietitian, clinical exercise physiologist or other appropriately qualified Medical Specialist.

The club will forward the application, supporting medical certificate and the club’s recommendation to AFL Canberra for final decision. After considering the circumstances presented, AFL Canberra will determine the application for exemption as it sees fit.

If you are considering applying for a Player to play in an age group below their chronological age, please contact the Manager of Junior Football Operations at matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au to discuss this matter further.

We aim to accommodate requests to play with friends or relatives wherever possible taking account of such factors as team size, team composition etc. If you would like your child to play with a friend or relative, email Ainslie’s Manager of Junior Football Operations, Matthew Teasdale, at  matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au so we can take the request into account when we divide teams.

We welcome all new players, but if your child has played junior football for another club, there are steps you will need to take before they can play with Ainslie.

In the first instance, we ask you to contact your former club and let them know that you intend to transfer to Ainslie. You will then need to advise our Manager of Junior Football Operations, Matthew Teasdale, at matthew.teasdale@ainsliefootball.com.au about your intention to move to Ainslie. Please provide your child’s date of birth and former team’s name when you make contact.

As a courtesy, we will also contact your former club to confirm that we have received a transfer request. Assuming there are no issues, we will process an online transfer request that your former club will need to approve. You can register once your player has received clearance from your previous club. Once approved, you will be free to register with Ainslie.

The Junior Registration Fee Schedule for 2022 is below:

• Auskick Rookies – turn 5 or 6 in 2023 – $105
• Auskick Pro – Under 8s – $160 (includes a pair of footy socks and an Ainslie training top)
• Non-Competitive Registration – Under 9s + 10s  – $160 (includes a pair of footy socks and an Ainslie training top)
• Competitive Registration – Under 11s and older – $200 (includes a pair of footy socks and an Ainslie training top)

Family Discount

A 10% discount applies to families for additional registrations in competitive and non-competitive categories

There is no set cut-off date, and we take registrations throughout the season, but we do need to confirm teams before the season starts, so we strongly encourage you to register early.

Please note that registering after round 10 makes playing the minimum four games required to qualify for finals challenging.

The draw will be released in April. To check if it is out yet, click here.

Note changes do happen, which you will be notified of by your team coach or manager.