The Junior Competition Committee (JCC) met on Monday, 20 April for its first meeting of the Winter 2026 season, marking the beginning of the junior grading process for the upcoming competition.
More information about the JCC:
The JCC is an FDBA sub-committee responsible for overseeing the grading of all junior domestic competitions. Each season, affiliated domestic clubs are invited to nominate representatives to join the committee. The committee is chaired by a member of the FDBA Match Committee and meets three times each season:
- Prior to Round 1 for the initial grading pool allocation
- After Grading Phase 1 (post round 2)
- After Grading Phase 2 (post round 4)
At the meeting held on 20 April, the committee reviewed the Winter 2026 registration overview, which confirmed 716 teams to be placed across 95 divisions.
The meeting also required confirmation of grading secretaries and grading assistants, and completed the initial grading pools ahead of the new season.
Grading secretaries are appointed to oversee specific age groups and are responsible for submitting grading recommendations to the committee following each grading phase. Grading assistants support this process and may be assigned to one or multiple age groups depending on the needs of the competition. In some cases, a grading secretary may also act as a grading assistant for another age group.
Through this process, the JCC plays an important role in supporting fair, balanced and well-managed junior competitions throughout the season.
Winter 2026:
Following the summer season, 39% of teams transitioned into higher age groups compared with the age groups they competed in during Summer 2025/26. With such a significant number of teams moving up, grading required particularly careful consideration. In many cases, bottom-age teams were graded cautiously, while top-age teams may have been placed in higher grades than they had previously experienced due to the gaps created by teams moving into older age groups.
Despite the grading adjustments, many teams are still likely to be competing against sides they have faced in previous seasons, albeit under a higher grade designation. With a large number of teams in the same position, the grading process has aimed to create balanced and competitive divisions across the board.
Weekday competitions have already commenced, with the Saturday competition set to begin on Saturday, 2nd May. Round 1 and 2 fixtures for the Saturday competition are expected to be released over the ANZAC Day Weekend.