Junior Girls (Grades 9 - 13)

The junior girls programme is designed to develop our 9th -13th grade girls 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 girls programme continues to grow year on year and is able to be run thanks to the support of our sponsor New World Albany.

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 Mini Girls programme for the 9th and 10th 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

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

• 9th & 10th grade girls 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 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

9th & 10th grade girls 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). Friday Night Football will be at Ashley Reserve, on the grass, from 5pm to 6pm.  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 Football, Junior Skills Hub and Play Hub sessions) and requests to play with friends. Our coaches and convenors do their best to find the most suitable team for players.

11th - 13th Grades

Game Day

11th-13th 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 Football, Junior Skills Hub and Play Hub sessions) 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

We will be running our popular Friday Football sessions in Term 1-3 which provides a safe, supportive & enjoyable environment for girls of all levels to learn the game & improve core skills.

WHO: 9-15 year old girls

WHERE: Ashley Reserve, Long Bay

WHEN: Every Friday from Friday - TBC

COST: TBC

Register at ecbafc.nz/register or simply fill out the Expression of Interest Form so that we know numbers and can plan the sessions.

>> Check out some of the action of our Junior Girls Friday Football Gallery

2. Junior Skill Hubs

Formerly known as the Junior Player Development Centres (PDCs), these 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

Term 1 Skills Hub

When: Tuesday Nights

• 9th-10th Grade (4pm - 5pm)
• 11th-12th Grade (5pm - 6pm)

Where: Ashley Reserve, Long Bay

Cost: $80 for Term 1. Register here!

3. Junior Play Hubs

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. 

Play Hubs

When: TBC

- 8th-10th Grade (4.00pm - 4.45pm)
- 11th-12th Grade (4.45pm - 5.30pm)

Where:  TBC

Cost: No cost

2023 Pre-Season Activity and Timeline

The junior season aligns with school terms 2 and 3 (starting Saturday 29 April and finishing Saturday 16 or 23 September). There are no games in the middle weekend of the school holidays.

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.

Purchase club shorts and socks here.

All players must wear shinpads.

Samples for sizing of junior playing gear (shorts & socks) are available at our clubrooms if you want to try before you buy. Contact Duane at admin@ecbafc.co.nz to organise a time to pop in.

Register

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

Grade convenor

If you have any questions please reach out to your grade convenor.

Girls and Women Convenor - Julie McGregor, julie.mcgregor@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 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).\

Other resources

Click on the images below to download the 2022 Junior Parent Evening Presentation and the 2022 NRF Junior Football Regulation document. More helpful information can be found on the NRF website.