New to Football
She had already signed her son up. Then she asked which age group he'd be in. It was a fair question — one most new football parents don't know the answer to, because nobody tells them.
If you're about to send your child to their first season, this is what I'd want you to know.
The Essentials
Age groups follow the calendar year, not the school year. If your child turns 10 any time this year, they play U10.
U8 and U9 play 7v7 on a small pitch, with a size 3 ball and 20-minute halves.
U10 and U11 play 9v9 on a medium pitch, with a size 4 ball and 25-minute halves.
U12 is like U11 with a few rule tweaks — a stepping stone to U13, which in WA is 11v11 on a full pitch. Most states have extended 9v9 to U13, so kids don't move to 11v11 until U14. Not WA — it's not called Wait Awhile for nothing.
No offside. No published results. No league tables in any of these age groups.
Your child isn't behind. They've just started later. Skill catches up faster at this age than you'd expect.
The Deep Dive
The MiniRoos years — U8 to U12 — are designed for children to be learning the game. No offside, no published results, no league tables. The whole point is that every child has space to develop without the weight of competition sitting on their shoulders.
That's as true for children who started at five as it is for children starting this year. At this age, nobody is finished. Every team has kids who have played since kindergarten, kids who started last season, and kids who turned up for the first time at the pre-season barbecue. They learn alongside each other.
The question most new parents actually carry is a different one. Is my child too late?
“At this age, there’s no such thing as starting too late. But the gap does widen year by year.”
From U13 onwards, results are published and teams are graded into divisions. Children who have played for five years start to look like children who have played for five years. Late is not the same as too late.
Expect the first few weeks to feel like standing in the wrong place a lot of the time. That isn't a failing — it's how everyone starts. By round five or six, most new players begin to know where they should be, who to pass to, and when to get forward.
The Takeaway
Mindset Shift: A child who starts later isn't behind. They've just started. Football rewards the kids who show up more than the kids who started first.
This Week: Two things. Get hold of a ball and a pair of shin guards — shin guards are compulsory from session one, and the right ball size for your age group is in the Essentials above. Then kick it around together: garden, park, driveway. No drills, no coaching. That's all the preparation a first training session needs.
