Playing Out of Age Grade and Combining Age Grades

This page covers 4 issues:

Combining Age Grades [previously "grouping"] which involves a number of children in each application
Playing Down an Age Grade which involves an individual child
Playing Up an Age Grade which involves an individual child
Seventeen-Year-Olds playing Adult Rugby which involves individuals

PLAYING OUT OF AGE GRADE

In all 4 cases, for clubs, APPLICATIONS FOR PERMISSION MUST BE ENDORSED BY THE GRFU

The requirements are set out in RFU Regulation 15 [Age Grade Rugby] and there is a detailed table in RFU Regulation 15.5 explaining which age groups can be combined and details of those that can play up or down. Regulation 15.6 sets out the conditions for 17-year-olds being allowed to be involved in adult rugby.

However, this website page explains all the application processes and the conditions that have to be fulfilled.

COMBINING AGE GRADES

Clubs and schools may need to do this if they do not have sufficient children at a particular age grade to make up a team. So, it is about grades of children, not about allowing individual children to play out of their normal age group to aid their individual development. Which adjacent age grades can be combined are set out in the table in RFU Regulation 15.5

To make an application to combine 2 age grades, complete this on-line process:

Combining Age Grades Request Form

For clubs, it is important that the number of players it has registered on GMS in the relevant age gades coincides with the numbers on the application.

The form requires to be verified by the proposer. You will receive an email asking you to authenticate this form [check your junk mail just in case]. If you do not verify the form the application will not progress. It is important that the email address of the proposer is checked and accurate, otherwise you will not receive the verification email and the application will not progress.

It will normally take about 5 working days, once the completed form, with a verified signature, has been submitted by the club, for the GRFU Form Approval Panel to review the application and decide to approve or not; however, this timescale cannot be guaranteed.

PLAYING DOWN AN AGE GRADE

This is about an individual child who, for the benefit of their rugby development, need to play and train with a younger age grade. Such an application is usually made for one of 3 reasons:

The child is in a lower year at school than their birthday age grade [so such an application will mean that they can play rugby at school or a club with their school mates - the most important motivator for children to play rugby]
The child is particularly small in stature for their age and, therefore, their safety might be compromised. Details of the child's size and how it differs from others of his or her age grade must be included on the application
Due to the child having a developmental or behavioural issue that merits playing with a younger age grade; again, it will be necessary to give some details on the application form

To make an application for a player to play down an age grade, complete this on-line process:

Playing Down Out of Age Grade Consent Form

The form requires to be verified by, firstly, the proposer / coach and then, the parent / guardian or in respect of school or college rugby, the approval of an individual who has parental responsibility for the player [who may be the principal in loco parentis] is obtained. Please ensure that these individuals are aware that they will receive an email asking them to authenticate this form [remind them to check their junk mail as well]. If they do not verify the form the application will not progress. It is, therefore, important, that the email addresses of these individuals are checked and accurate, otherwise they will not receive the verification email and the application will not progress.

It will normally take about 5 working days, once the completed form, with verified signatures, has been submitted by the club, for the GRFU Form Approval Panel to review the application and decide to approve or not; however, this timescale cannot be guaranteed.

In rare cases where a club or school wants a child to play down 2 age grades, after endorsement by GRFU, it will also require GRFU to seek the permission of the RFU Legal department as well.

PLAYING UP AN AGE GRADE

Playing up an age grade is not permitted until the child is at least an U12.

This is about an individual child who for the benefit of their rugby development need to play and train with an older age grade. Such an application should not be made lightly:

Children enjoy playing with their mates who are invariably in their school year grade
It must not be made, because a club or school has insufficient numbers in a particular age grade [that is what combining age grades is for - see above]

The application requires a Level 2 coach to carry out an assessment to demonstrate why that child will benefit from playing and training with an older age grade. It is strongly recommended that coaches read RFU's Age Grade Codes of Practice before making such an assessment. The assessment, details of which must be included in the application, must cover:

Why and how the skill level and ability of the child is different from children of his or her normal age grade.
How the physical development for the child's age is different from children of his or her normal age grade.
How the social and emotional development for the child's age is different from children of his or her normal age grade.
If an U16 seeking permission to play with U17s / U18s, details of the representative rugby the individual has played.

To make an application for a player to play up an age grade, complete this on-line process:

Playing Up Out of Age Grade Consent Form

The form requires to be verified by, firstly, the Level 2 coach who made the assessment and then, the parent / guardian or in respect of school or college rugby, the approval of an individual who has parental responsibility for the player [who may be the principal in loco parentis] is obtained. Please ensure that these individuals are aware that they will receive an email asking them to authenticate this form [remind them to check their junk mail as well]. If they do not verify the form the application will not progress. It is, therefore, important, that the email addresses of these individuals are checked and accurate, otherwise they will not receive the verification email and the application will not progress.

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLDS PLAYING ADULT RUGBY

The Government’s Disclosure and Barring Service [DBS] has recently reviewed the position and requirements for any child to participate with adults in sport [not just rugby]. The government DBS has clarified that anybody under the age of 18, even with the physical and emotional maturity to benefit from playing sport with adults, is still “legally a child” [including 17-year-olds] and must be safeguarded accordingly.

Consequently, the RFU has had to have its processes reviewed and it has resulted in a new 2 stage process to allow a 17-year-old to play adult rugby, as follows:

The club has to be approved by its CB as having an appropriate environment to safeguard 17-year-olds participating in rugby with adults. To do this, the club has to submit a new form called the club approval form, and that approval lasts for a season. Moreover, the conditions that a club has to fulfil are something that may take a few days, weeks, or a month or so to fulfil - more on this below
Once the club has that CB approval, it can then submit for each individual a revised player approval form, seeking permission for that 17-year-old to play and contact train with adults, which again has to be approved by the CB.

GRFU has developed an online system for these 2 processes. Firstly, ALL clubs that have a 17-year-old that will benefit from playing adult rugby must seek to be an "approved club". The conditions that need to be fulfilled include:

Does the club have an active Safeguarding Officer? Is their name and contact details easily available on the club website?
Has the club’s safeguarding office completed the RFU’s In Touch course [date of completion will be required]? If not, a course application has to have been made, with details of date [not more than 6 months in advance] and location supplied
Has the club adopted the RFU’s Safeguarding Policy and is it available [via a link ideally] on the club’s website?
Has the club completed satisfactorily the RFU Safeguarding Audit on GMS this season? This can now be found on your GMS page under the “questionnaires” section
Those in positions of trust in the adult teams that the 17-year-old is likely to play in will need a DBS clearance. These are likely to be Coach, Team Manager, Captain, and volunteer First Aider [this does not include a health care professional who is providing pitch side care because they will have the relevant clearance from their professional standing]. We will expect a club to name and give their DBS clearance number for a minimum of 2 individuals. If your club runs both an adult women’s and adult men's team, we will require the club to list 4 such individuals; 2 involved with the relevant male adult team[s] and 2 with the relevant female adult team[s], unless an individual is involved with both male and female adult teams

Once your club can fulfil those conditions, submit your application to be an "approved club" using the following on-line form [also consult with the RFU's Club Guide when completing this on-line form]:

Club Approval Form

The form requires to be verified by, firstly, the club safeguarding officer and then, the club Chair or Secretary. Please ensure that both of these are aware that they will receive an email asking them to authenticate this form [remind them to check their junk mail as well]. If they do not verify the form the application will not progress. It is, therefore, important, that the email addresses of these individuals are checked and accurate, otherwise they will not receive the verification email and the application will not progress.

Once clubs have that CB approval they can apply for individual 17-year-olds to play adult rugby [NB Those 17-year-olds that were granted permission to play adult rugby last season will automatically have that permission extended to their 18th birthday AS LONG AS the club has approved status]. For all other applications, the club needs to make application for approval from GRFU Form Approval Panel using the following on-line form [again, also consult with the RFU's Club Guide when completing this on-line form]:

Player Approval Form

DO NOT COMPLETE ONE OF THESE PLAYER APPROVALS FORM, UNTIL YOUR CLUB HAS "APPROVED STATUS". WITHOUT APPROVED STATUS YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE REJECTED AND THE FORM NOT SAVED, SO YOU WILL HAVE TO START AGAIN

The form requires to be verified by, firstly, the Coach who carried out the assessment, the proposer and then, the parent or guardian. Please ensure that all of these are aware that they will receive an email asking them to authenticate this form [remind them to check their junk mail as well]. If they do not verify the form the application will not progress. It is, therefore, important, that the email addresses of these individuals are checked and accurate, otherwise they will not receive the verification email and the application will not progress.

Again, it will normally take about 5 working days, once the completed form, with verified signatures, has been submitted by the club, for the GRFU Form Approval Panel to review the application and decide to approve or not; however, this timescale cannot be guaranteed.

Do you have any FURTHER QUESTIONS? Please email POOAG@grfu.org

FOR SCHOOL RUGBY, as per Regulation 15, approval is obtained from an individual who has parental responsibility for the player (who may be the principal/headteacher in loco parentis).