Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
An updated framework with key changes to game formats, coaching, and refereeing pathways that will be implemented in the 2026 season. Please refer to this document or our summary.
Mixed football U8-12 is played on Saturdays.
Mixed Football U13, Girls Football U8-13 and First Kicks are played on Sundays.
Under Capital Football regulations, the year of the player’s birth determines their playing grade. Grades by birth year are shown below for the season. Girls playing on Saturdays can choose to play down a grade.
U5 First Kicks – your player has their 5th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U6 First Kicks – your player has their 6th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U7 First Kicks – your player has their 7th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U8 Fun Football – your player has their 8th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U9 Fun Football – your player has their 9th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U10 Mini Football – your player has their 10th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U11 Mini Football – your player has their 11th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U12 Mini Football – your player has their 12th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U13 Mini Football – your player has their 13th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
U14 Youth Football – your player has their 14th birthday in the current playing year (1 January to 31 December inclusive)
The club's policy is that players play in their correct grade. Parents and guardians can apply to the club for an exemption to this policy. Please email the club info@bnujfc.co.nz
The research shows smaller formats are better at younger ages, but also that clubs will consider dispensations for players on a case by case basis and parents are encouraged to talk to Committee members if they have any concerns. Please refer to Whole of Football 2.0, an updated framework with key changes to game formats, coaching, and refereeing pathways or our summary.
First Kicks is our very popular introduction to football for boys and girls, aged 5 – 7 which run on Sunday mornings at Tanera Park. Children must turn 5, 6 or 7 during the calendar year to be able to play in this grade. Girls turning 8 in the calendar year may choose to play in this grade if they wish to.
At the weekly sessions there will be an increased focus on individual fundamental skill and movement development, supporting Station Rotation (SR) and the 3v3 game format.
Like all club activities we are reliant on parents to run the Sunday morning programme. There will be a Coordinator for First Kicks, but they will require caregivers to help with organising activities and assisting with games. Like everything with children this age, the more caregivers contribute by encouraging and supporting the coach and players, the more the children will benefit.
Format: 5v5 (which now includes a goal keeper)
Game Duration: 3x 15min games
Goal size: 4x2m (optimal)
Field size: 35x25m (optimal)
Mixed: Saturday sessions follow a three week cycle of 'Game Days' and 'Festival Days'. Game days are usually at Tanera or Newtown Park, while festivals will be hosted by other clubs and will involve local travel.
Girls: Sunday sessions are always 'Festival Days'. This will involve local travel.
MINI FOOTBALL – MIXED U10-11 (previously U9-U10), GIRLS U11 (previously U10)
Format: 7v7
Game Duration: U10: 2x 24min games, U11: 1 x50min game
Goal size: 4x2m (optimal)
Field size: 50x30m (optimal)
Competitions: U10 competitions will be Local Leagues, with pod based gamedays (2x games). U11 will have Local and Regional Leagues with one game per week.
Each week you will be advised of the time, the venue and your opponents by your team manager. Each team needs a coach, a manager and another person who is not the coach to referee matches.
MINI FOOTBALL – MIXED U12-13 (previously U10-U11), GIRLS U13 (previously U12)
Children turning 12 in the calendar year will play in Under 12 and children turning 13 in the calendar year in Under 13.
Format: 9v9
Game Duration: 1x 56min game
Goal size: 5x2m (optimal)
Field size: 70x50m (optimal)
Competitions: U12 Mixed will take place on Saturdays, and U13 Mixed and Girls Only will be played on Sundays. Local and Regional Leagues.
Each week you will be advised of the time, the venue and your opponents by your team manager. Each team needs a coach, a manager and another person who is not the coach to referee matches.
A deliberate transition through puberty for 11-14 (girls) and 12-15 (boys) year olds, whereby a continued focus on skill development in a smaller 9v9 setting should happen before moving into 11v11 football at a later age either during, or post puberty.
YOUTH FOOTBALL – MIXED U14, U15 and U17 (previously U13, U15 and U17), GIRLS U15 and U17 (previously U14 and U16)
Format: 11v11
Game Duration: U14: 1x 60min game, U15: 1x 70min game, U17: 1x 80min game
Goal size: 7.3x2.4m
Field size: Senior football ground
Competitions: Sunday games.
Youth age bands to be reviewed at the end of the 2027 season. This will review the most appropriate age banding for girls, and review if the top end of the youth pathway provides the best development environment for U17 players
For Mixed U8-U9 Capital Football organises six 'Festival Days' where BNUJFC teams will play other clubs – this may be at other locations around Wellington. The dates for the 2026 season are: 9 May, 23 May, 13 June, 4 July, 25 July and 15 August. Please see calendar.
The clubs will form teams based on a number of factors including squad size requirements, enthusiasm (for 1 or 2 practices per week), friend preferences, skills and coach availability. Individual preferences are taken into account and are juggled with the need for equal squad sizes in every grade.
Some teams may practice twice per week and these extra training sessions can occur an additional cost. This will be communicated as teams are formed.
We also have an Alliance with the Wellington United Junior Football club and form joint teams with them. This gives us more flexibility with team formation and enables us to offer the best experiences we can for players in each year group. It also enables us to form teams (particularly in the higher grades where squad sizes are larger) of similar enthusiasm and skills, access senior coaching support and more artificial fields for training.
Note for U9-U13 - Girls are able to play in mixed grades – either in their age grade or down a grade if they prefer – and/or they can play in the Girls Only Sunday League.
Coaches appreciate if your kids get to practice and games on time. Arriving late can be disruptive.
You can offer to referee, collect gear after games and practices, help to put up nets and flags or set up for festival days.
Give your coach plenty of advance notice if you plan to miss a game. Coaches can arrange to borrow players from other teams if they know they will be short of players.
#LetThemPlay
Parents are expected to show positive sideline behaviour. . Verbal criticism or abuse of players, officials or opposing teams is not acceptable. Comments from the sideline should be limited to words of support. A child knows when they have made a mistake and criticism from the sideline will not help.
Only the coach gives instructions to players. Directions from parents can confuse players and may be at odds with what their coach has told them. Players should not contest referee's decisions. Many children are influenced by the poor player behaviour they see on TV. Parents and coaches should act quickly to discourage player dissent.
More information on the #letthemplay initiative is available at http://www.capitalfootball.org.nz/LetThemPlay.
Under the club rules, members (players, parents and guardians) agree to abide by the relevant sections of the New Zealand Football Code of Conduct, which encourages fair, ethical treatment of all persons and organisations that come under the umbrella of New Zealand Football.
Excerpt from the New Zealand Football Code of Conduct:
Parent/Guardian will:
Agree to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Remember that children participate in sport for their enjoyment, not the parents.
Encourage children to participate and not force them.
Focus on the child’s efforts and performance rather than winning or losing.
Encourage children always to compete according to the rules and to settle disagreements without resorting to hostility or violence.
Never ridicule or yell at a child for making a mistake or losing a competition.
Remember that children learn best by example.
Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from sporting activities.
Respect officials’ decisions and teach children to do likewise.
Show appreciation for coaches, officials and administrators.
Check out our Player Gear section on what they need to wear during games.
The coach has one of the most important roles in the club. You are the point of contact with kids and parents and your enthusiasm and commitment makes the season fun and enjoyable. Watching players develop under your guidance is a very fulfilling exercise and coaching enables you to connect more with your child and their friends.
Coaches and managers are expected to attend the Introduction to Coaching course run by Capital Football. This is an excellent course and the DVD provided is a valuable resource with practice plans and training exercises. The club will organise an Introduction to Coaching course at a local venue for new and returning coaches.
Coaches should give all players equal playing time, rotate positions as well as goal keeping duty.
Capital Football runs several junior coaching courses - please contact the club if you would like to find out more. The club will pay for any course you attend.
NZ Football's Junior Framework for children aged 4 to 12 explained in a 2 minute video available below.
Become a Coach links to the Sport NZ site with useful advice and guidance for the first time coach.
Footy4kids is a fantastic site for junior football coaches. There are useful articles for the junior coach and drills organised by category (eg attacking, heading, managing parents etc). This site is well laid out and virtually ad free.
Coaching Soccer 101 is a user friendly, easily navigable site with drills organised by age group.
For older kids and adults there is Soccer Training Info and football conditioning.
Monday Morning Centreback has a great article about teaching kids how to understand positional play.
The club has access to the following grounds for practice sessions:
Vogelmorn Park
Tanera Park
Nairn Street Park
Te Whaea artificial and Wakefield artificial parks
The coach will set the practice venue, day and time after consulting with parents. Children have a lot of after school activities and it is a case of finding a time convenient to the coach and most players. Coaches should avoid practising in the goal mouth and centre circle to preserve these areas for game days.
The Wellington City Council reports ground closures each day click here. If WCC closes a ground, coaches must cancel their practice or find an alternative venue.
Wellington weather forecast click here.
Junior Regulations can be downloaded from the Capital Football website click here.
For a very useful one page summary of Junior Football regulations click here.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) laws of the game can be downloaded from the Capital Football website.
The manager serves a vital role supporting the coach. They communicate with parents and caregivers, keep team records and manage the team's gear.
The manager is responsible for:
Picking up the team gear (balls, shirts, cones, bibs, gear-bag) at the start of the season
Providing parents with a team list and contact details
Informing parents of practice time and venue
Informing parents of game times and venues and cancellations or ground transfers. Game times and venues are easily found on the Fixtures/Results page on this site.
Asking parents to read the How to support your child's team page on this site and policing behaviour at games
Preparing a duty roster for half-time oranges and refereeing
Keeping a record of player and match highlights to help determine end of season prizes
Enter the team results to CF. The process will be advised by the club at the beginning of the season
Returning the team gear at the end of the season
The grade coordinator supports the coaches and managers and is the communication link between the management committee and coaches and managers.
The grade coordinator is responsible for:
Supporting coaches or managers with any issues, such as replacing gear, finding back up players from other teams or answering parent questions
Bringing relevant issues from the coaches, managers and parents to the attention of the management committee
Ensuring coaches and managers are aware of club policies and events
Encouraging player participation in appropriate tournaments (both internal and external), courses and events
Encouraging participation by coaches, managers, referees and supporters in appropriate courses and events
The process will be advised by the club at the beginning of the season