Junior Boys/ Mixed (Grades 9 - 12)

Junior football (grades 9-12) is designed to develop our young players into the next stages of the game in a safe and enjoyable football experience. The junior grades focus on improving players technically, helping prepare players for competitive or social youth football and continue to grow a love for the beautiful game!

Our junior programme of over 30 teams is able to be run thanks to the support of our junior partner Team Mitchell and Harcourts Cooper & Co.

9th & 10th Grade

Teams play 7-a-side games (6 outfield players and one goalkeeper) on a field that is approx 1/4 of a full pitch. Games are normally held on a Saturday at 9am or 10am and are played either at home or away against other North Shore and West Auckland clubs. Teams are coached by a volunteer coach and have a number of training options available (see details below)

11th & 12th Grade

Teams play 9-a-side games (8 outfield players and one goalkeeper) on a field that is approximately 3/4 of a full pitch. Games are normally held on a Saturday at 10am or 11am and are played either at home or away against other North Shore and West Auckland clubs. Teams are coached by a volunteer coach and have a number of training options available (see details below).

Team Selection

We do not select 'top teams' for the junior grades, rather, we allocate three to four teams of similar mixed competence, making sure that the most experienced players remain challenged, whilst growing access for all players to gain more experience.

This approach creates both a learning culture and stability as players grow together through the age groups at East Coast Bays, especially important as game and squad sizes change, requiring 4 teams at 7v7 to create 2 teams when the players reach 11v11 age:

• U9-10: 7v7 (10-11 players per team)
• U11-12: 9v9 (11-13 players per team)
• U13+: 11v11 (16-18 players per team)

Therefore, our goal is to help a minimum of 34 players per age group gain the skills and experience required to continue playing competitive football throughout their teenage years.

Player allocations at East Coast Bays are based on

• Social / Friends
• Competence / Competitiveness
• Learning / Peers

We select mixed competence, within the smallest appropriate range, to provide appropriate challenge and success.

Player allocations are managed by a combination of Football Development Officers, Convenors and Coaches with support from the ECBAFC Director of Football. Prior knowledge of players is an important part of the process. These are subject to change, and we are happy to change allocations for appropriate reasons

Training Options

To support junior players in skill development (learning), increasing informal play (fun) and enjoying being part of a team (inclusion), we run three session types in U9-U12 in the form of Hubs.

We use Hubs to ensure an organised training experience, develop volunteer coaches in a supportive environment and make sure that we retain club connection across each grade.

1. Game Hubs

All Junior players of all abilities are welcome to attend the Game Hub sessions which are designed to provide players with another football experience in a fun and relaxed environment during the week. The games will be run by the players themselves with some of the convenors and volunteer coaching staff will be there to get to know the kids and answer any questions that you may have.

No registration fee is required, simply turn up and play!

For dates, times and location of each session, head to our Junior Game Hub webpage

2. Skill Hubs

Formerly known as the Junior Player Development Centres (PDCs), these weekly sessions are designed to provide junior players of all levels with a solid introduction to well-structured and quality training. Sessions are facilitated by the ECB coaching team who follow clear training guidelines based on international best practices. 

For dates, times, locations, and how to register for our Junior Skill Hubs, head to our Junior Skill Hub webpage

3. Team Hubs

Players train in their teams with their volunteer or club coach for one team hub session each week. We aim to have all junior teams training together at the same time and the same location so that teams and coaches can work together and the ECB coaching staff can help out when needed. This is particularly useful when some teams have low attendance, they can pair up with another team to make it a meaningful training session. It also creates a stronger connection and community feel across the club.

For dates, times and location of our Team Hubs for each grade, head to our Junior Team Hub webpage

2025 Pre-Season Activity and Timeline

The 2025 junior season starts on Saturday 5 April and finishes on Saturday 6 September. NRF have brought the season forward by 3 weeks compared to 2024. There are no games in the middle weekend of the school holidays. The full season calender is available here

Events

There are events throughout the year for our teams such as inter-club tournaments and festivals at junior levels. 

Fixtures

All Junior fixtures and can be found on the NRF website

Results and league tables are not published for all junior grades as games and competitions are designed to be non-competitive at this age.

What uniform is required?

Players will be provided with an ECB playing shirt that needs to be returned at the end of the season.

Limited amounts of Club shorts and socks can be purchased through the Club.  Our online store is currently under maintenance, and should be online by early March.

Register

If you are keen to join one of our Junior teams, you can register here. 

Grade Convenors

If you have any questions please reach out to our grade convenors.

9th Grade (born 2016): Nicola Lynch niklynch26@gmail.com 

10th Grade (born 2015): Nikky Wilson nikky@ai.kiwi.nz

11th Grade (born 2014): Sarah Iles 10thgradeecbfc@gmail.com

12th Grade (born 2013): Michelle Goldfinch michgfinch@gmail.com

Junior Grade Rules

Retreating Line

When a team's goalkeeper catches/picks up the ball or is taking a goal kick or any player taking a Free Kick, the opposition MUST drop back behind the retreating line. Only after the goalkeeper plays the ball out and one of the goalkeeper's teammates touches the ball, can the opposition player advance over the retreating line. This is to give teams space to encourage and teach players how to play from the back and work the ball up the field.

Coaches are asked to encourage all players to play the ball as quickly as possible from the goalkeeper and not allow them to continue to roll or come to a stop.

Offside

The offside rule is applied in junior football. For 9th & 10th Grade Football, the offside law will be applied between the retreating line and goal line only. For 11th & 12th Grade Football, offside cannot be given if the player is in their own half of the field of play. A player is in an offside position if they are nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (at the point the ball is passed to them).\

Other resources

Click on the images below to download the 2024 NRF Junior Handbook and our Junior Grade Info Sheets. More helpful information can be found on the NRF website.