Player Eligibility Explained
Players are eligible to play in their own age group and this should be recommended most of the time.
If your club has an early mature player mentally, emotionally, physically and has good skills for their age, they may be eligible to play up an age group.
Players who are not early mature may be able to play down an age group. All cases will be assessed individually by Football Queensland Wide Bay (FQWB).
Player Eligibility Policy
Players turning five (5) by the end of the calendar year or older are eligible to play club football.
Due to a range of circumstances players may be required to play in a different age group from time to time however, if a player is required to play in a higher or lower age group for a calendar year they will be required to follow the player eligibility process and procedure.
The reasons for playing in a different age group could be but are not limited to; insufficient players in their age group, player development, more competitive in a different age group, or a disability.
If a club has insufficient players in an age group, the player may play one year up without permission.
Players who want to play down or to be considered to play up by two years are required to be assessed by FQWB. Boys turning 16 or older and girls turning 15 or older may play in a senior team. Any player younger than these ages must be assessed.
Player Eligibility Process
The following process will be applied to all player requests to play up or down an age group:
What is Assessed?
Each player assessment involves criteria including the month of birth, the position they wish to play, their physical maturity and their footballing ability using an assessment sheet based on the below criteria:
- Body and ball control
- Mentality of a winner
- Emotional stability
- Game intelligence
- Explosiveness
- Presence
Notification of Outcome
The outcome of the assessment is private and will only be shared with the players parents and the club that lodged the request. The assessor will endeavour to have the outcome back to either the club or the parent within 3 business days from assessment.
Club Player Assessment Form
Please complete the below form in conjunction with your club.
