Junior Girls (Grades 9 - 12)

The main emphasis for these grade levels is to cultivate the progress of our 9th to 12th-grade girls, whilst still providing opportunities for girls to play alongside friends and have fun, within a secure and enjoyable football environment. 

With each passing year, our Junior Girls Program sees continuous growth, made possible by the invaluable support of our sponsor, New World Albany.

Their sponsorship enables us to provide an enriching football experience for aspiring young players.

The East Coast Bays Junior Girls Programme

We have a number of girls-only teams in the juniors grades.  We bring these teams together based on a number of factors - age, size, skill, and most importantly friend groups.  We find the children learn better and have an all-round better experience when they are playing the game with their friends.

Based off past experience and feedback from parents, we will continue the success of the Friday Night girls programme, Flamingos for the 9th - 12th grade teams to make football more accessible for girls at this age.  This works well for parents and players, who can then make a choice of playing either mixed football or play other sports such as netball and hockey on Saturday mornings. Visit our Flamingos page for more information ECB Flamingos

This approach is unique to East Coast Bays as we have tailored our programme to suit the girls needs.

•  9th & 10th grade girls can play on Friday nights and have the option to play on Saturdays if they wish for a girls junior team or a mixed/ boys junior team (Term 2 Only).
• 11th & 12th grade girls play on Friday nights and have the option to play on Saturday mornings against other North Shore and West Auckland girls teams.
• Girls are welcome to play in a mixed team (boys and girls) on Saturday mornings at any junior age

9th - 10th Grades 

Game Day

Girls that play on Friday nights also have the option to play on Saturdays if they wish for a girls junior team or a mixed/ boys junior team. Teams are coached by a volunteer coaches and have a number of training options available (see details below).

Selection

ECB's volunteer coaches and grade convenors select teams based on prior knowledge of players and team from previous years (if any), social needs, competence (via Friday Night Girls and Game Hubs, and requests to play with friends. Our coaches and convenors do their best to find the most suitable team for players.

11th - 12th Grades

Game Day

11th-12th grade teams play 9-a-side games (8 outfield players and one goalkeeper) on a field that is approx 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).

Selection

ECB's volunteer coaches and grade convenors select teams based on prior knowledge of players and team from previous years (if any), social needs, competence (via Friday Night Girls, Game Hubs, and requests to play with friends. Our coaches and convenors do their best to find the most suitable team for players.

Junior Girls Training Options

We provide junior girls of all levels a number of training activities that they can choose to attend. 

1. Junior Girls Friday Football Sessions - Flamingos

Designed with our junior female players aged 9 - 12yrs  in mind, this programme is a wonderful opportunity to hang out with your mates on a Friday evening, playing football and learning new skills. Alongside Fantails, Flamingos is integral to our Friday Night Girls programme offering, allowing every girl to continue playing football throughout the year.
No matter where you are in your football journey, our coaches are equipped to provide sessions that can cater to all skill levels

More information can be found here

Flamingos Schedule

Term 1 - COMPLETE
Term 2 - COMPLETE                                                                                                                                      Term 3 - Starting 26th July , Friday Evening,Bay City Park #3 , Cost: $40 

2. Junior Game Hubs - Girls Only (Off season)

All Junior players of all abilities are welcome to attend the Play Hub sessions which are designed to provide players with another football experience in a fun and relaxed environment during the week. These sessions are run by volunteer coaches and players can turn up and play. More information can be found here 

Game Hub Schedule

Term 1 - COMPLETE                                                                                                                              Term 2 - NOT AVAILABLE                                                                                                                            Term3 - NOT AVAILABLE

3. Junior Team Hubs - Girls Only

Players train in their teams with their volunteer coach for an hour each week. We aim to have 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.

If a teams volunteer coach is not available to attend the team hub, then they may decide to have their team training on another night.

Team Hub Schedule

Term 3 - TBA

Optional Mixed Training

4. Junior Skill Hubs - Mixed

These mixed weekly sessions are designed to provide junior players of all levels a solid introduction to well-structured and quality training. Seasons are facilitiated by the ECB coaching team who follow clear training guidelines based on international best practice.  More information can be found here

This 9-week programme starts on Monday 19 February 2024

Who: All junior boys and girls aged 9-12 of all abilities

Term 3 - Monday Nights - 22 July                                                                                                             9th - 10th Grade   (4.00pm - 5.00pm)                                                                                                        11th - 12th Grade (5.00pm - 6.00pm)                                                                                                Cost: $90 (9 weeks)

Register here!

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 team-mates 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 opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (at the point the ball is passed to them).\

Resources

Click on the images below to access the various recources, additional information can be found on the NRF website.