Our Purpose

To provide a safe, enjoyable football experience for the ages 9 to 12.  During the Junior grades we focus on improving players technical, helping prepare players for competitive or social youth football, connect them with our ECB community and inspire a love for the game!

Training

For our junior grade players, we focus on improving technical ability, preparing players for competitive or social youth football, connecting them with our ECB community and inspiring a love for the game.

Junior team trainings are delivered through a combination of coach-led team trainings, Player Development Centres and Game Day. This enables players to receive the ideal amount of coaching during the season. For junior grade players, NZ Football recommends 3.5 to 4.5 hours of coached contact time per wee

Team Trainings (1 hour per week)

Teams are assigned a volunteer coach who can decide to facilitate team trainings.  Each coach is allocated a field and time for training.  As coaches are volunteers, some may not be able to facilitate team trainings and may prefer for team members to gain coaching via the Player Development Centres.

Player Development Centres (1-2 hours per week)

Player Development Centres are designed to help junior players develop and improve the core skills they need to enjoy the game and prepare for youth and senior football. These are designed to support player development for all junior players, regardless of their current ability level.  

Platform to Develop All: We believe all junior players should have an equal opportunity to access the best coaching and development trainings; not just the ‘top’ teams. The more players we can influence and develop to their best potential in the junior space, the stronger players will be. Our club will also benefit in the longer term. 

Implement Best Practice: As a club, we are prioritising our Player Development Centres to align with the governing bodies of our sport. We are investing the best resources into these centres and aim to maximise our professional coaches contact time with as many of our junior players as possible. Players will have access to our most qualified and experienced coaches, quality facilities and equipment (including one ball per child) and optimal coach to player ratios. 

Access to Quality Training: Our Player Development Centres provide players with a solid introduction to well-structured and quality training. Our Sessions are split into 4 key areas – Technical Development, Skill Games, Athlete Development and Game Play. In each instance, our players are placed in high paced and challenging environments. A unique component of our PDCs which sets our program apart from other programs is the incorporation of Athlete Development.

Register for Player Development Centres here

Game Day

At ECBAFC, we see the game as an extension of our training program. Games are an opportunity for our players to learn principles of the game and improve decision making skills. It is in the game day environment where most decision-making opportunities will take place. We encourage parents not to take this process away from the players and only offer encouragement and not tell players what to do. We encourage you to enjoy the game and be a positive parent on the sidelines. Let the coach’s coach, let the referees ref and most importantly let the players play.

Junior game days are inter-club, meaning teams will play against a range of other club teams around the North and West of Auckland, both home and away.  This gives players the opportunity to test themselves against a wider range of players and allows the federation to deliver leagues that provide challenging game situations for teams of all abilities.  

Seasons are typically split into two phases; Grading allows the federation to assess the level of competition in each division within the grades. Post-Grading there is often some re-alignment of divisions to ensure that game-days are competitive and teams play other teams of similar abilities.

9th & 10th Grade

The 9th & 10th grade teams play 7-a-side games (6 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper) on a field that is approx 1/4 of a full pitch. 

11th & 12th Grade

The 11th & 12th grade teams play 9-a-side games (8 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper) on a field that is approximately 2/3 of a full pitch.

Coaches 

Coaches at Player Development Centres will be either qualified experienced coaches or players from our Men’s, Women’s, U17 and U15 programs. This experience along with club based coach education will allow us to grow our East Coast Bays Coaching Network.

Team coaches will be enthusiastic volunteers who will be supported with training guides.

Festivals

In Junior levels there are some inter-club festival days.  ECB will send teams to some of these festivals. Your coach / manager will confirm any opportunities to attend festivals.

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

Offside 

The offside rule is applied in Mini 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).

For more information on the Junior football programme in New Zealand, please visit the NZ Football website https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/GET-INVOLVED/Juniors/Juniors-2