Number of players on field policy

The key intentions of this policy are:

• To maximise child involvement in games
• Prevent defaults
• Pevent the unfair advantage gained by teams through the use of superior player numbers.

Policy:

• Maximum player numbers are set for each grade. These should not be exceeded.
• If a team will knowingly be short of players for a game, that team should not default.
• When the difference in player numbers for a game, between the two teams, is one or more, and one of the teams does not have sufficient players to field a ‘full’ team as set out in the rules for that grade there is little point in a player standing on the sideline as a reserve when they could be playing

• Players must be swapped between teams,
• The onus is on the coach with the greater player numbers to offer the loan of players,
• Once an offer of loan players has been made it must be accepted,
• In swapping players between teams, both coaches must take into account the relative strengths of the two playing sides,
• Coaches are encouraged to ask children to only play one half of the game for the opposition team and make other players available for the other half.