Youth Boys/ Mixed (Grades 13-19)

Our youth programmes have been designed to develop player skills in a positive learning environment and cater for players who want to train and compete at the highest level as well as players who want to play in a social environment.

Youth football (grades 13 to 19) is a step up from junior football, with full-sized fields and goals and 11 player a-side games. Youth squad teams consist of 16-18 players.

There are two types of teams in our Youth grades:

• Community Youth teams: for players who prefer to play a more social level of football and are not selected for the Talent Development Programme (TDP), our Community Youth teams play on Saturday morning. Grading games begin at the start of the season and players will be placed in a league that will deliver the best level of competition in a fun environment. These teams will typically train once a week and be coached by team volunteer coaches.
  
  

• Talent Development Programme (TDP) teams: players are selected for the TDP programme and for the top teams for each youth grade. Players train 3 times a week and are coached by a dedicated professional coach, which comes at an additional cost for players. Players selected for the 2023 NZ Football Accredited Talent Development Programme will also play against other clubs' top teams in the NRFL & NRF leagues on Sundays. More information about the TDP programme can be found here.

Community Youth teams

Selection

ECB's volunteer coaches and grade convenors select our community youth teams based on prior knowledge of players and team from previous years (if any), social needs, competence (via Youth Skill Hub sessions) and requests to play with friends. Our coaches and convenors do their best to find the most suitable team for players.

Training & game day

Community youth teams have weekly team trainings (training times are dependant on the availability of the volunteer coach) and play in the NRF Community Youth League. Games are normally held on a Saturday at 11am or 12pm and are played either at home or away against other North Shore and West Auckland clubs.

Talent Development (TDP) teams

Selection

The ECB coaching team select the TDP teams based off observation during trainings at TDP sessions held in Term 4 of the previous year. This enables plenty of time (45+ hours) to assess players ability, rather than relying on a one-off trial.

Training & game day

TDP teams train three times a week and play on Sundays in the Lotto NRFL Youth & NRF Championship Youth leagues. Game time is usually 11am or 12pm and are played either at home or away against other clubs based in the Auckland, Northland, Hamilton and Tauranga.

More information about the TDP programme can be found here.

Youth Skill Hubs

In addition to team trainings, all U13-U17 youth players of all abilities are welcome to attend the Youth Skills Hubs which are designed to deliver high-quality, fun group training with our licensed coaches to youth players who aren’t part of the East Coast Bays Talent Development Program.

More information can be found here

2024 Pre-Season Activity and Timeline

Fixtures & Results

All Youth fixtures and results can be found on the NRF website:

• Lotto NRFL Youth Leagues Fixtures & Results
• NRF Championship & Conference Youth Leagues Fixtures & Results
• NRF Community Youth Leagues Fixtures & Results

What uniform is required?

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

Club shorts and socks can be purchased online here or visit the Uniform Shoppe in Long Bay for all your East Coast Bays gear requirements:

The Uniform Shoppe Long Bay
P: 027 3038 087
83 Te Oneroa Way
(Under Jetts Gym)
Long Bay,
Auckland 0630.
theuniformshoppe.co.nz

Shop Hours 

Tuesday : 12noon - 4pm
Thursday : 2.00pm - 6.00pm
Saturday : 10.00am - 2.00pm
Monday, Wednesday, Friday Closed

Register

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

Grade Convenors

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

13th Grade (born 2011): Brandon Hanekom brandonhanekom@gmail.com

14th Grade (born 2010): Debbie Lowe  debbielowe1510@gmail.com

15th Grade (born 2009): Jeff Honey  jeff_honey@hotmail.com

17th Grade (born 2007-2008): Morag Ward  moragregward@gmail.com

Football Regulations & other resources

You can find the 2023 NRF Regulation documents for Community Youth, NRF Championship Youth and Lotto NRFL Youth leagues and more helpful information on the NRF website.