The following extracts are taken from the 2023 NDJSA Rules and Regulations and as a member Club of the Association Willunga Phoenix are bound by these Rules.
The complete NDJSA Rules and Regulations 2023 document can be accessed HERE
What is the NDJSA?
The Noarlunga & Districts Junior Soccer Association is a school based competition that is run by schools for schools.
NDJSA has ‘Schools’ and ‘Clubs’ – what is the definition of a ‘Club’?
A Club, by definition within the NDJSA, is a combination of schools for the purpose of making sure similarly located ‘small’ schools are able to recruit enough players to form a team in specified age groups. To operate as a ‘club’, a grouping of schools can affiliate no more than 5 schools which are located within the NDJSA catchment area.
Who are the Clubs and which are our feeder schools?
The 3 clubs affiliated to the NDJSA are Moana Districts, Willunga Districts and McLaren Districts. Their affiliated schools are:
Moana Districts: Seaford Secondary College, Moana PS, Old Noarlunga PS, Southport PS, Seaford Rise PS
Willunga Districts: Willunga High School, Willunga PS, Waldorf R-12 School, Tatachilla Lutheran College
McLaren Districts: Tatachilla Lutheran College, McLaren Vale PS, McLaren Flat PS, Kangarilla PS
What are the rules around playing for a different School or Club?
Whilst 3 District Clubs have now become associated with the competition, this does not mean that they are able to operate like clubs in the FSA competition. Schools must operate as their own entity and do not look to take children from other schools. As such, the 3 clubs are expected to operate in the same manner. Clubs by definition (see A- Definitions on p4) can affiliate no more than five (5) schools.
A club is not able to recruit players from any school outside of their affiliated schools, without prior approval from, and at the sole discretion of, the Board of the NDJSA. All players wishing to play for a team within the NDJSA who do not have a school in the competition or an affiliated club to play for MUST be entered into the competition via the Surplus Players Pool (SPP), which is managed at the sole discretion of the NDJSA Board.
If a club is approached by a player from another school or club within the NDJSA, then the current transfer rules apply. The club must first send that player back to the club that is affiliated to their school or their school, if the school participates in the NDJSA competition. They can then attempt to negotiate a transfer if the player does not wish to play for their affiliated club or if there is no team available within their own school. Should the transfer process break down, the NDJSA reserves the right to negotiate with both clubs and form a decision that will be at the sole discretion of the NDJSA.
What if a child has played for Willunga prior to the 2023 season (but goes to a different school)?
To accommodate the playing history of existing players (“existing players” referring to players who have played at least 1 year in the NDJSA competition prior to 2023), within the NDJSA, any player who is currently playing for a district club, but attends a school (notwithstanding point vii below) that is not affiliated with their club will be entitled to continue to play for their non-affiliated club. This is to ensure stability for teams and to avoid forcing children to play elsewhere when they have existing club/school relationships. All other rules related to playing requirements are as per Rule 4 of the NDJSA Rules and Regulations.
[Editor’s Note: @ March 2024 the Committee has interpreted this rule to mean that anyone playing for Willunga in Season 2023 and prior “will be entitled to continue to play for their non-affiliated club” which would mean no requirement to complete a ‘Player Transfer Request Form’. ]
What if a player from School A wants to play for School/Club B?
All new players joining the NDJSA from (and including) 2023 onwards, must play for their affiliated club, or their own school, unless there is no available position for them at their affiliated club or school. If this is the case, then the player MUST be entered into the SPP [Surplus Player Pool], to enable the fair distribution of excess or non-allocated players to all teams playing in the NDJSA competition.
What if we live in Willunga but our child goes to a school outside the NDJSA catchment zone?
Any players attending schools not within the NDJSA catchment zone (see maps in appendix 2), are not entitled to play in the competition, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as close family relationships. Any request for this to occur is to be submitted to the NDJSA Board for approval, and any decisions made in relation to the request are at the sole discretion of the NDJSA Board.
What is the ‘Surplus Player Pool’?
All players are required to play for their own school team, if the school has nominated a team in the required age group. Similarly, players are required to play for their NDJSA club where they attend a recognised feeder school of that NDJSA club, if the NDJSA club has nominated a team in the required age group. If there is no team available for the player to register at their own school or NDJSA club, or if there are exceptional circumstances as to why the player cannot play with their school or NDJSA club team; a request to play outside of their school or NDJSA club must be lodged with NDJSA outlining the reason/s and nominating that player to the NDJSA Surplus Player Pool (SPP). The NDJSA Board will have sole and absolute discretion to provide an exemption.
To ensure the NDJSA SPP is managed appropriately and that all NDJSA clubs/schools comply with NDJSA rule 4. (2), the NDJSA board will confirm the enrollment of each player at the school they are named as attending in their registration profile on Play Football. Any NDJSA club/school found to be falsely registering a student may face consequences as determined at the sole discretion of the NDJSA Board.
All players transferred through the SPP process will need to complete an NDJSA Transfer Authorisation Form, so that an accurate record is kept of all player movements within the NDJSA.
How is player age determined?
A player is eligible to play in the age group if they are turning that age in the year of the season. For example, a player that turns 16 in the year of play, can play in the Under 16s but cannot play in the Under 15s.
A maximum age for all junior divisions has been set. A player who exceeds the maximum age may only be considered for an exemption to the maximum age based on medical grounds. This may also include players with a learning difficulty. To be eligible for consideration, the NDJSA club/school must provide evidence from a qualified medical practitioner or a registered teacher at the child’s school. The decision to grant an age exemption will be at the sole discretion of the NDJSA Board based on the information provided by the school.
A participant is eligible to register to play in the Under 6 age group if the participant turns five (5) years of age during the season and is appropriately registered prior to the cut-off date for registration as set by the NDJSA registrar.