Junior Football (U10 to U12 Grade)
2026 Registrations:
Registrations Open: 15th January 2026
Registrations Close: 15th March 2026
WHAT:
U10 to U12 Junior Football is the players introduction into the NRF competition-level games and requires travel across the Auckland region for Saturday matches.
WHO:
U10 to U12 Junior Football is largely for players based on the following ages:
U10 = Born 2016
U11 = Born 2015
U12 = Born 2014
SEASON DATES:
The season will kick off on Saturday 2nd May 2026 and will run through to Saturday 5th September 2026 with no football being played on Saturday 30th May 2026 (Kings Birthday weekend) and Saturday 11th July 2026 (Matariki)
SKILLS CENTRE:
Junior players will have the opportunity to attend an open skills centre on a Tuesday afternoon; this skills centre will serve as an opportunity and environment in which players can undergo a session with qualified coaches.
This is aimed to serve as extra training for players in the junior age bracket and looks to enhance their skills in a structured environment. It also allows for coaches to view the players and serves as an identification aspect for teams and upcoming events.
At these age groups, there will be a dual pathway structure in which we will have both development teams and community teams, the rationale behind this is to offer players of all levels a range of football to give those who want a more fun aspect one environment and those that want a more competitive and development focused environment another pathway.
The Skills Centre will officially start in April during pre-season training and once all teams have been selected.
DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY:
In the development pathway players are chosen for a seeded team in their respective age bracket this team will consist of players identified during a selection process. This team will be coached by a qualified coach alongside a volunteer assistant coach or manager. This pathway will aim to offer players of a similar ability level the opportunity to play in a competitive team with likeminded players with a focus on development and competing at high levels. We want to build a foundation for upcoming years in which we want to offer competitive teams for youth football playing in NRFs higher leagues.
There will be one development team per age bracket, this may vary if there is an identified bracket of players that could form another competitive team. For U10 and U11, teams will be capped at 10 players, for U12 this increases to 12 players.
COMMUNITY PATHWAY:
In the community pathway the teams are established based on school, friends, coach etc. Once teams are established, they will require a volunteer coach and/or manager to run the
team. These teams aim for development of players whilst also emphasising enjoyment of football. Players in the community pathway can also attend the Skills Centre should they wish to.
TEAM SELECTIONS:
The selection process for development teams is open to all players within the respective age bracket. The selection process will happen across 4 identification sessions being held on the dates listed below. Players attending must be within the age bracket (unless there are certain circumstances), the identification session will be run by the qualified coaches of the respective development teams.
Throughout these sessions the coaches will be looking at all players in various drills and games looking to select players based on the following criteria:
- Technical Ability
- Tactical Ability
- Physical Ability
- Engagement and Work Rate
- Positional Requirements
- Attitude
Player will be assessed and identified based on their skill level based on this criteria, after the 4 identification sessions, squads will be selected and parents will be informed of the outcome, players who do not make the development squad will be allocated to a community team for the season, however there is still opportunity post season and the following year to try again.
Development Identification Sessions:
Session 1: Tuesday 10th February 2026
Session 2: Tuesday 17th February 2026
Session 3: Tuesday 24th February 2026
Session 4: Tuesday 3rd March 2026
It is highly recommended to attend all identification sessions. If selected for a development team, it will be mandatory to attend the skills centre.
Any players wanting to register after the close date will be placed on a waitlist until sufficient players and coaches are available to create to an additional community team.
FEES
Registration Fee = $175 for both Development and Community teams
Skills Centre Fee = $100
REGISTRATION PROCESS:
Upon registration, players have the opportunity to select whether they want to be part of a development team (via attending the identification sessions) or a community team.
The registration fee will be applied upon registration; skills centre fees will only be applied once all teams have been finalised and skills centre attendance is confirmed.
COACHES:
We are always on the look-out for parent volunteers to coach and manage each team. You will be required to be at the weekly trainings and competition games held on Saturday mornings. No previous coaching or managing experience is required. The role of the coach is to manage the number of players in their allocated team each week, to be a point of contact to the parents of the players in their team, to run the weekly practice skill of the week with their team and to assist/referee the games. The role of the manager is to support the coach and organise the team and supporters.
We’re aware that this may be a parent's first foray into the world of football coaching, and we will aim to offer free coaching courses should their child wish to continue their football journey across the age grades.
TRAINING/GAMES:
For the 2026 season, training times will be structured in order to maximise the use of our grounds.
U10 to U12 development and community team trainings will take place on Thursdays from 3.30pm onwards. Pitch allocations, each with necessary training equipment and goals will be available to book for training sessions. For both our development and community teams we will be looking to supply each coach with a training manual to use across the season to ensure consistency in our training methods.
Games are notified on the NRF website a few weeks in advance, but we note that changes can often be made on the Friday prior to the Saturday game so please ensure you keep in touch with your team manager, so you are aware of any last-minute changes. It is expected that players will arrive at the playing venue 30 minutes before their game time to ensure a good team warm-up and pitch set-up.
Games are played in the morning, generally anytime between 9am – 12pm.
KIT:
We supply the playing shirts. Upon registration, you will be asked to provide size details for the playing shirt. We will also be providing each player with a training shirt that can also be used as an Away shirt should it be required on Match Day.
Adidas black shorts and black socks are available to purchase at our club shop. Players must be wearing football boots and Shin guards are compulsory for player safety. Additional supporter wear and accessories are also available to purchase at our club shop.
WEATHER/CANCELLATIONS
Football is generally played rain, hail or shine. As we know in NZ, the weather can change multiple times in an hour so please assume that football is ON. If it is deemed bad enough to cancel it, by 8am a post will be put on the WAFC Facebook page, and a message will be sent to all coaches and managers via TeamReach to relay to their teams.
The team managers will also have access to the NRF cancellation method (for away games) and will notify their teams via TeamReach.
REGISTRATION:
Returning players can log in to their Warkworth FC friendly manager account and add the relevant 2026 season subscription. New players to the club this year must please use the following link to register and create an account - 2026 Registrations
AGE GRADE DISPENSATION:
Players wishing to play up an age grade will be considered on a case by case basis by club coaches/committee and in conjunction with federation stipulations.
