FAQ’s relating to Mini & Junior Rugby in North Wales
REGISTRATION & PLAYING
Q. CAN A MINI & JUNIOR RUGBY SECTION BE SET UP IF THEY ARE NOT A PART OF A
SENIOR CLUB?
No, mini & junior sections have to be part of or affiliated to a senior club.
Q. HOW DO CLUBS SET UP A NEW MINI & JUNIOR SECTION?
To start a new mini & junior section a general committee should be formed which must have a
Registration Secretary as well as the other usual roles, Chairperson, Fixture Secretary, secretary etc.
The section must affiliate to the WRU through the District Junior Association, there is an annual fee (£30
this season) which must be paid, forms are available on the North Wales Website.
Players may then be registered using the relevant registration process (details available on the North
Wales Website) there is no charge to register players.
Details of laws & requirements etc are available in the WRU Pathway which is available on the North
Wales Website.
Q. AT WHAT AGE CAN PLAYERS START PLAYING RUGBY?
Players may be registered with the WRU on reaching their 6th birthday.
Players under the age of six may take part in organised activities, training etc if suitable liability
insurance and supervision is in place at their club.
Q. WHAT ARE THE PLAYING AGE GROUPS FOR MINI’S & JUNIORS?
Mini’s play from u6 to u11, Juniors play from u12 to u16.
U6’s to u8’s can only play non contact rugby (Tag), u8’s cannot play up a year to u9.
The age groups are set by school year, Year 1 = u6, Year 2=u7 etc cut off date for age groups is August
31st of the playing season, this mirrors the schools, England & Scotland are the same Ireland differ.
Q. CAN PLAYERS PLAY UP OR DOWN A YEAR?
Players may play up one year, there must not be an age differential of more than one year with any
members of either team playing in a game.
Players are not allowed to play down.
Where there is a mix of two age groups playing, the eldest age group sets the age of the fixture i.e. a
mixed fixture of Under 13’s & 14’s playing would be an Under 14’s fixture.
Q. CAN GIRLS PLAY WITH BOYS TO MAKE A MIXED TEAM?
Yes, girls may play in mixed teams until the age group u13’s, after that they play girls only rugby at
U15 & u18.
Q. CAN A PLAYER BE REGISTERED AT MORE THAN ONE CLUB?
No, at mini & junior level players may only be registered at one club.
Players can only play for the for their parent club at the relevant playing age group.
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Q. HOW OFTEN DOES A PLAYER HAVE TO REGISTER WITH THE WRU AND IS THERE
ANY CHARGE?
A male player only needs to register once with the WRU in his mini & junior playing years (u6-u16),
girls however, once reaching u14 playing age she should be deregistered from the WRU via the Junior
Association and then be re-registered with the WRU through Deborah Nicholas in the WRU offices, the
playing age groups for those girls are u15 & u18.
Once a player registers with a club his registration remains active until he either: Transfers, Deregisters,
or becomes too old (youth).
There is no charge to register players with the WRU.
Q. HOW DOES A CLUB REGISTER A MINI OR JUNIOR PLAYER WITH THE WRU?
Each mini & junior section must appoint a Registration Officer as part of their committee, that person
will be responsible for all registration matters of the mini & junior section and will correspond directly
with the District Registrar.
Full details of the registration process are available through the Junior Association and are also
available on the North Wales Website.
Q. CAN A PLAYER PLAY UNDER PERMIT AT ANOTHER CLUB?
No, the permit allowance at mini & junior level was stopped in the season 2010-2011
Q. CAN TWO OR MORE CLUBS COMBINE TEAMS OF THE SAME AGE GROUP IF EACH
CLUB DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH PLAYERS TO MAKE A TEAM?
Yes, there is a mechanism in place at mini & junior level which allows for this, details are available in
the document “combining of teams” which is available on the North Wales website or through the
Junior Association.
Q. DOES A MINI & JUNIOR SECTION OF A CLUB HAVE TO REGISTER SEPARATELY
WITH THE WRU?
Yes, each club mini & junior section of a club has to affiliate each season to the WRU through the
Junior Association of their District, there is an annual charge for this.
A club is required to inform the WRU by August 1st of the playing season what teams it intends to run
during the season, this information is detailed on the affiliation form.
Affiliation forms are available on the North Wales Website and in the North Wales mini & junior club
directory also available on the North Wales Website.
Q. IF A PLAYER PLAYS ON A FRIDAY OR SATURDAY CAN HE ALSO PLAY ON THE
FOLLOWING SUNDAY?
Yes, there is no set ruling about the amount of games or the interval or level of those games a player
can play, however, coaches must employ an appropriate level of common sense when dealing with this
matter.
For example, if a player has played a full game and travelled a long distance to play on a Saturday then
for a Sunday game he could be treated differently to a player who travelled and was subbed etc.
If the player or parents say he is okay to play then he can, it's up to coaches to apply common sense.
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TRANSFERS
Q. WHEN IS A PLAYER ALLOWED TO TRANSFER?
At mini & junior level a player may now transfer at any time providing that the transfer criteria can be
met, details of the criteria is set out in the transfers forms (close season & during season) which are
available on the North Wales Website or through the Junior Association.
Q. CAN A PLAYERS PARENT CLUB REFUSE A TRANSFER IF REQUESTED?
No, providing that the transfer criteria can be met a club cannot prevent a player from transferring.
Q. CAN A PROVINCIAL OR DISTRICT PLAYER REQUEST A TRANSFER DURING THE
PLAYING SEASON?
No, at mini & junior level a player once selected to represent a Provincial, Regional or District team
may not transfer during the playing season unless, there are exceptional circumstances in which case the
transfer may be granted if all parties are in agreement and at the discretion of the District Registrar.
PLAYING ATTIRE
Q. CAN A PLAYER WEAR LEGGINGS OR TRACKSUIT BOTTOMS DURING A GAME?
No, players may not wear any garments below the knee during games, the only exception being girls,
who are allowed to wear cotton blend tights with single inside leg seam under their shorts, this rule has
been brought in on religious grounds.
Q. CAN A PLAYER WEAR GOGGLES DURING A GAME?
No, The IRB's position and that of the WRU is that if non contact Rugby is being played goggles are
permitted. If contact Rugby is being played they cannot be worn as they contravene Regulation 22 in that
all sports goggles produced to date have rigid material in them. The Regulation has been designed to
ensure both the wearer of any appliance and those who may come into contact with the appliance are not
put at risk of injury”.
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