There are basically THREE Main options for our Boys XV’s Rugby Competitions in 2023.
- For U10 to U12 Ages
- FRIDAY ONLY Comp – (Ungraded Comp – unless we can get minimum 10 teams – that plays ONLY on Friday nights)
- FRIDAY/SUNDAY Comp – Sometimes also referred to as the MAIN Comp or Sunday Comp. Teams have the option to choose what day their HOME games will be – see below for a brief explanation. **Note – This is not a ‘new’ offering and has been an option for clubs since the SJRU Comp moved to Sydney Wide over a decade ago.
- For U13 and Higher
- SUNDAY Comp – Sometimes also referred to as the MAIN Comp or Sunday Comp. (Games are only on Sundays)
In speaking with the all the Presidents last year – It became quite apparent that many did not fully understand the Competition Structure for the U10-U12 Age groups in the Main Comp – The structure of the Fri/Sun Comp for U10-U12 is as follows;
- Grading is the Primary determination of Comp Structure
- Secondary determination is the HOME teams preference of days to play their HOME games (Friday or Sunday)
- Third factor is geographics
These three factors were affirmed by the majority of Presidents (in that order), with the clubs that I spoke with before and after Christmas.
Out of 52 clubs active in the U10-U12 space in 2022
- 24 declared their preference for Friday night Home games
- 13 had reasons or preference for Home games on a Sunday but Happy with Friday Away games
- 10 didn’t respond
- 5 were undecided or not in favour
So basically the Competitions are graded (using the 2 gala Days in Mar/Apr – *Note these on Sundays) to determine the teams in each grade. (roughly 8-10 team comps is preference)
From here the HOME team has the preference as to whether their games are scheduled for a Friday or a Sunday. So all things being equal HALF your games should be on a Friday (if that is your preference).
AWAY games are scheduled at your opponents preference (Friday or Sunday)
As this is a Sydney wide competition – Geographics will determine whether a Fri night fixture is viable.
- For example – if Coogee have HOME games scheduled against Hunters Hill, Mosman, Penrith RSL, Clovelly and Easts and want FRIDAY night preference then they will play all except the Penrith RSL game at HOME on a Friday night – with the Penrith RSL game at HOME on a Sunday (due to geographics)
- When it comes to away games they will most likely have Hunters Hill, Mosman and Clovelly AWAY on a Friday night (assuming their preference is Friday) and the Easts and Penrith RSL games AWAY on a Sunday (due to Easts preference for Sundays and geographics for Penrith RSL)
- Games will be normally scheduled for 6.30pm/7.30pm or 6.50pm and 7.50pm slots on Friday nights to allow for travel – many clubs run their minis training on a Friday night from 5.30pm-6.30pm thus the later timeslot windows