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Scottish Rugby has announced a series of updated Age Banding policies for the male and female youth game. The policies are in place to help reduce the risk of physical mismatches at key development stages, where rates of physical maturity and skill level can differ significantly between player to player.
Policy Summary:
1. Two year age banding - Maximum two years between the youngest and oldest player on the field. Two year age banding applies up to U16 rugby with transition to U18 and Adult rugby set out in separate policies.
2. 17 year old into Adult Rugby (male and female) – It is Scottish Rugby’s policy that the age at which any player is permitted to play adult rugby is 18 years old. Exceptional 17 year olds can apply to Scottish Rugby for clearance to play up into adult rugby. Players will be required to show evidence of taking part in a strength and conditioning programme, and submit tackle assessment videos as part of the application.
3. 15 year old into U18 Rugby (male and female) - It is Scottish Rugby’s policy that the age at which any player is permitted to play U18 rugby is 16 years old. Exceptional 15 year olds can apply to Scottish Rugby for clearance to play up into U18 rugby. Players will be required to show evidence of taking part in a strength and conditioning programme, complete a tackle assessment and undertake an independent physical maturity assessment.
4. Play down an age band - This new policy is for players whose physical maturity may be better suited to playing down an age band. Players will need to meet height and weight ’triggers’ for their application to be considered.