Game Day Overview :
The Murrumbeena Junior Football Club has established guidelines on team size, team composition, age and game time which are designed to achieve the following key outcomes:
- Equal opportunities for all girls and boys to play football, regardless of their size or skill level;
- To provide girls and boys in their early football years the opportunity to play in friendship groups and with emphasis on skill development;
- As players get older, to ensure they are playing with and against players of similar skill levels, thus extending their enjoyment of the game;
- To encourage the development of a very strong team ethic, where the contribution of all the players is valued equally.
Rotation Policy :
From U9 to U12 all players are to be rotated through all positions, however some coaching decisions are allowed to ensure the safety of smaller players.
Playing lines are Full back, Half back, Midfield (inc. Wings), Half forward and Full Forward.
All players are to be given equal playing time in all playing lines with the specific position within the playing line being subject to body size.
U13 – U14 Emphasis should still be on player positional rotation ( especially U13) so all players still get the opportunity to play in all lines but coach will have more discretion.
U15 – U17 Playing positions are at the discretion of the coach to reflect the more competitive nature of the game at this age level. However, coaches encouraged to rotate players when circumstances allow.
Game Time Policy :
MJFC has adopted and committed to an equal game time policy for every team. Every player irrespective of size or ability will receive equal playing time during the home and away season.
From U9 to U12 inclusive, numbers permitting, all players will play a minimum of three quarters game time.
U13 to U17, All players are to be given equal playing time as far as practable, understanding bench rotations will be more frequent.