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Junior Rep

Orange Thunder Touch Football welcomes all of our mini & junior aged touch football players to nominate for our fun and exciting Junior Representative Touch Program.

Please ensure you read through all information listed below, then to nominate and express your interest in our junior representative teams, simply complete the online form – https://forms.gle/RJdSucfQttq1eWip8.


Age Divisions:

Please see below age divisions for our junior representative teams:

  • U10 Boys and U10 Girls – born 2014, 2015, 2016 or 2017
  • U12 Boys and U12 Girls – born 2012 or 2013
  • U14 Boys and U14 Girls – born 2010 or 2011
  • U16 Boys and U16 Girls – born 2008 or 2009
  • U18 Boys and U18 Girls – born 2006 or 2007

All players must trial within the age group their YOB falls within. Younger players will only be considered for inclusion in older age divisions, where the younger player has not been selected in their own age division and where the older age division is in need of players.


Eligibility:

All players born 2006 to 2017 are eligible to nominate for one of our junior representative teams. All players/parents who complete the online nomination form will be contacted by email by our club with updated information about our junior representative selection trials, which will take place in September (for U16/U18 teams) and October (for U10/U12/U14 teams).

In order to be considered for selection in our junior representative touch teams, all players just need to:

  • be registered in any touch team in our social touch competitions, meaning any competition our club run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays, at Waratahs Sports Ground.
  • satisfy one of the two options below;
    • attend one of the junior representative selection trials for their division, or
    • submit an ‘Inability to Trial’ email to our club prior to the start time of the last selection trial for your division (information on how to do this is listed below).

Please note that any player who DOES NOT either attend one of the selection trials or DO NOT submit an ‘Inability to Trial’ email, WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR SELECTION in our junior representative teams.


Selection Trials:

Please see below selection trial schedule for our junior representative teams, which will see our U16/U18 teams have a single trial, and our U10/U12/U14 teams have two selection trials:

  • U10 Boys and U10 Girls
    • Monday 9 October at 4.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
    • Monday 16 October at 4.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
  • U12 Boys and U12 Girls
    • Monday 9 October at 5.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
    • Monday 16 October at 5.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
  • U14 Boys and U14 Girls
    • Monday 9 October at 6.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
    • Monday 16 October at 6.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
  • U16 Boys and U16 Girls
    • Tuesday 19 September at 5.00pm at Waratahs Sports Ground
  • U18 Boys and U18 Girls
    • Tuesday 19 September at 6.30pm at Waratahs Sports Ground

Please note that all players must attend one of the above selection trials for their division to be considered for selection (unless an ‘Inability to Trial’ email is sent). All players are asked to wear a numbered singlet/shirt and to arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the above trial times.

Following selection trials, final team will be named. Please note that some teams may wish to name shadow players, who can be used for events where final team players are not available. For any shadow players named, coaching staff will contact these players and their parents with all information relating to their shadow status with the team.


Inability to Trial:

Any player who is unable to attend at least one selection trial for their division, must send an email to our club orangethundertouch@yahoo.com prior to the start time of the last selection trial for your division. In this email, please include player name, player DOB, parent name and email, along with details of the reason/s for being unable to attend the selection trial/s.


Junior Representative Calendar of Events:

Our club has a combination of gala days and touch championships planned for our junior representative teams this year, which will give all our teams the opportunity to play touch against some of the best teams in NSW, in preparation for our pinnacle event – the NSW Touch Junior State Cup.

Please see below our confirmed calendar of events for our junior representative teams:

  • NSW Touch Junior State Cup (JSC) – 16 to 18 February 2024 at Jubilee Park, Wagga Wagga
  • Peter Wilson Memorial Championships (PWMC) – 3 and 4 February 2024 at Tomaree Sports Complex, Nelson Bay
  • WSW Suns Junior Championships (SJC) – 22 January 2024 at Waratahs Sports Ground, Orange
  • Penrith Junior Gala Day – 17 December 2023 at Kingsway Playing Fields, St Marys

In addition to the above confirmed calendar of events, we will offer teams up to two other ‘optional’ events which they can participate in. These events will include:

  • Don Green Western Junior Championships – 18 and 19 November 2023 at Glen Willow Sports Complex, Mudgee
  • ACT Junior Gala Day – 10 December 2023 at Deakin Playing Fields, Deakin

Confirmation about the above two optional events will be made after teams are selected and consultation between the club and coaching staff has taken place.

In relation to the above calendar of events, we are happy for parents to begin making accommodation arrangements, if they choose to do so. However, our club strongly encourages all parents to make any accommodation bookings will free cancellation and full refund options. Our club takes no responsibility for covering costs for any accommodations which are lost or not required.


Junior Representative Player Expectations:

All players selected in our junior representative teams are to be aware of the simple expectations upon players, which includes:

  • Requirement to attend team training sessions, or when unable to train, player/parent must inform coaching staff (teams will usually train 1-2 times per week).
  • Requirement to attend representative events, or when unable to attend, player/parent must inform coaching staff (all events listed above in ‘Calendar of Events’).
  • Requirement to pay the invoiced player levy, or if under financial hardship, to contact our club to discuss payment plan options (information about costs listed below in ‘Player Levy & Costs’).

Our club believes these are simple expectations for players to follow, and in return, all players will be given the best opportunity to develop and thrive in a representative touch environment in one of the best clubs in NSW, which will give players access to progress along a Representative Sporting Pathway onto regional, state or national honours.


Junior Representative Player Levy & Costs:

Please see below information in relation to the player levy, which will be invoiced to all players who make our junior representative teams. This levy is to cover operational costs our club has to run our Junior Representative Program.

2023/24 Junior Representative Player Levy – est $300.00 per player

Cost inclusions:

  • Player registration fee – Penrith Junior Gala Day
  • Tent costs – PWMC & JSC
  • Medical/physio costs – SJC, PWMC & JSC
  • Club photographer – SJC, PWMC & JSC
  • Operation costs for representative coaching staff and referees

The above player levy DOES NOT cover the following costs:

  • Player registration fee – SJC, PWMC & JSC – these registrations are completed by player/parent online via MySideline (we will provide you details to complete these regos)
  • Travel and accommodation for events – these are to be arranged by the individual
  • On-field and off-field apparel – these are additional optional items, based on what the individual needs

Once all junior representative teams are selected, if you’re a parent who believes you may have difficulty in paying the $300.00 player levy in a single payment, please ensure you contact our club by email orangethundertouch@yahoo.com to discuss with us options available to have you pay your child’s levy off via a payment plan. Our club fully understands the possible financial hardships in relation to the cost of child participation in sport, so our club is happy to help make this requirement easier for player/parents where possible.


Fundraising:

In order to help players/parents with the costs of being involved in our Junior Representative Program, our club will be running a MONSTER RAFFLE along with other fundraising opportunities throughout the junior representative season. This will give players/parents the opportunity to significantly reduce all costs of playing representative touch for Orange Thunder.

Our club is fully committed to making representative touch as inclusive and affordable as possible for all our players and their families.

Should any families run their own business, or are involved in a business that may wish to offer a product/services donation to our club, which could be used as a prize in our Monster Raffle, please contact our club by email orangethundertouch@yahoo.com to discuss further. Our club would warmly welcome product/services donations, in exchange for corporate partnership (sponsorship) with our club.


On-Field & Off-Field Apparel:

Our club will be offering all players and parents/supporters a variety of apparel items to purchase this year. Please see below information on all on-field and off-field apparel available, including price:

On-Field Apparel (for players only)

  • Playing singlet/shirt – $35.00
  • Playing shorts – $30.00
  • Hat – $price TBA
  • Socks (ankle or crew) – $price TBA

Off-Field Apparel (for players/parents/supporters)

  • Reversible training tee – $50.00
  • Long sleeve training tee – $price TBA
  • Singlet – $price TBA
  • Hooded jumper – $price TBA
  • Beanie – $price TBA
  • Backpack – $price TBA


Questions

All questions about our Junior Representative Program can be directed to our club by email orangethundertouch@yahoo.com.

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