Grade Cricket

[Footy Smart]

Good on them, I say! Shit idea having a b-grade junior team.

[C Horse]

Hey Aerie do you have much to do with Woodville CC? Noticed they had to forfeit their U16 whites on the weekend? Not good having Woodville and Port Adelaide forfeiting

Woodville actually have the smallest junior metro zone (not West Torrens) and have had to rely on country players to fill their teams for the last few years (since the boundaries were re-zoned and majority of Woodville area went to WT).
My guess is that may be the underlying issue with the boys from Balaklava and is probably why they had to forfeit 16 White on the weekend.

[Footy Smart]

Hey Aerie do you have much to do with Woodville CC? Noticed they had to forfeit their U16 whites on the weekend? Not good having Woodville and Port Adelaide forfeiting

Woodville actually have the smallest junior metro zone (not West Torrens) and have had to rely on country players to fill their teams for the last few years (since the boundaries were re-zoned and majority of Woodville area went to WT).
My guess is that may be the underlying issue with the boys from Balaklava and is probably why they had to forfeit 16 White on the weekend.

Yeah the Port Jnr Coordinator said that they only have Pt Districts and North Haven as their community clubs in their zone, however they have minimal sides up and running and the majority are already playing at Port.

Was just suprising when I heard that another non Port Adelaide side had to forfeit

[mickey]

Port District don't have any junior teams at all this season.

[Tony Clifton]

North Haven, Port Districts, West Croydon, Rosewater, Portland, SMOSH... there are heaps of junior footy clubs down that way. Why don't they have cricket?

[heater31]

North Haven, Port Districts, West Croydon, Rosewater, Portland, SMOSH... there are heaps of junior footy clubs down that way. Why don't they have cricket?

Be interesting to overlay the junior cricket clubs over the Footy....

Unfortunately this could be the beginning of the end for some clubs if their junior side of the club is struggling already. Port Adelaide ate also struggling to fill senior sides as well. Plenty of phone calls and mates of mates required to get sides on the park.

[beeroclock]

North Haven, Port Districts, West Croydon, Rosewater, Portland, SMOSH... there are heaps of junior footy clubs down that way. Why don't they have cricket?

Be interesting to overlay the junior cricket clubs over the Footy....

Unfortunately this could be the beginning of the end for some clubs if their junior side of the club is struggling already. Port Adelaide ate also struggling to fill senior sides as well. Plenty of phone calls and mates of mates required to get sides on the park.

We have this conversation every year.
Yes some clubs struggle like hell to fill all their sides and yes a club may have had to turn players away this year. I say a club because I only know of one that did this.
Just because one club chose to do this doesn't mean the comp is at its strongest.
In fact I find it weaker than last year due to so much youth in the A grade sides which isn't a bad thing for the future as they will get a stack of higher level cricket into them.
But gee wizz from C grade down it ain't that good.
Couple that with players that shouldn't even get D Grade games.
Anyone got a descent solution?

[Aerie]

North Haven, Port Districts, West Croydon, Rosewater, Portland, SMOSH... there are heaps of junior footy clubs down that way. Why don't they have cricket?

Be interesting to overlay the junior cricket clubs over the Footy....

Unfortunately this could be the beginning of the end for some clubs if their junior side of the club is struggling already. Port Adelaide ate also struggling to fill senior sides as well. Plenty of phone calls and mates of mates required to get sides on the park.

We have this conversation every year.
Yes some clubs struggle like hell to fill all their sides and yes a club may have had to turn players away this year. I say a club because I only know of one that did this.
Just because one club chose to do this doesn't mean the comp is at its strongest.
In fact I find it weaker than last year due to so much youth in the A grade sides which isn't a bad thing for the future as they will get a stack of higher level cricket into them.
But gee wizz from C grade down it ain't that good.
Couple that with players that shouldn't even get D Grade games.
Anyone got a descent solution?

I can see one of two things happening (neither necessarily a decent solution):

1) Premier League goes the full season both at senior and junior level and those Grade clubs that survive filter back to community level cricket.

2) Merging/folding happens until there are 8 or 10 clubs. Premier League abandoned. More funds for those 8-10 clubs to increase coaching/have better facilities.

Either way, if you are not a strong club participatory and financially, it's only going to get harder to survive.

[mickey]

My solution, not including premier league is as follows...

SACA and ATCA need to work coser together...

The 13 clubs must field A & B grade teams in the Grade comp.

Clubs then field any other teams in the ATCA comp, but with no set amount required... ie they can just put a c grade team in, or they can put 4 teams in the turf comp, including the popular 1 day comps if it suits their club better..

With the lower grades filtering back to turf cricket, it would free up umpires to then be spread across more games.

Juniors are back to 1 team in each grade, with closer ties to community clubs and the excess players playing ATCA Juniors on the sunday, again not compolsary to field above the Saturday requirements.

[beeroclock]

Trouble is Aerie every club wants to survive but it just ain't logical or feasible.
Someone has to make the call and just do it.
Ports struggling to field juniors and lower grade sides and Uni with no junior development are logical choices.
I'd hate to see Port disband having playing some juniors there many years ago and making life time mates but what do you do.
Just far too many teams to fill throughout the grades across the board.
Then the quality dips.

[beeroclock]

My solution, not including premier league is as follows...

SACA and ATCA need to work coser together...

The 13 clubs must field A & B grade teams in the Grade comp.

Clubs then field any other teams in the ATCA comp, but with no set amount required... ie they can just put a c grade team in, or they can put 4 teams in the turf comp, including the popular 1 day comps if it suits their club better..

With the lower grades filtering back to turf cricket, it would free up umpires to then be spread across more games.

Juniors are back to 1 team in each grade, with closer ties to community clubs and the excess players playing ATCA Juniors on the sunday, again not compolsary to field above the Saturday requirements.

Agree SACA and ATCA are the main players.
Let's hope they are in discussion together.
The whole situation is certainly coming to a head as more people seem to see the same major issues each year.

[bazza1]

Port aren't struggling to field juniors except in the under 16 whites.
The under 14s have 34 kids to choose from and have 23 for the 16s next year.
With only 1 community club on the Peninsula in North Haven supplying kids to port the rest come from Rechabites and Grange.

[beeroclock]

Port aren't struggling to field juniors except in the under 16 whites.
The under 14s have 34 kids to choose from and have 23 for the 16s next year.
With only 1 community club on the Peninsula in North Haven supplying kids to port the rest come from Rechabites and Grange.

That's good to hear.
It's hard yakka finding kids.

[smac]

Good on them, I say! Shit idea having a b-grade junior team.

So the few volunteers Port have would be better served spending their time hunting for kids to play in the cricket graveyard that is U16 whites?

I'd have thought cricket would benefit most from them focussing on the more talented kids that are already at the club. Grade Clubs have been split between focussing on elite development and participation/community cricket and it's been to the detriment of both - pick one and focus on it, don't try and do both.

[beeroclock]

Good on them, I say! Shit idea having a b-grade junior team.

So the few volunteers Port have would be better served spending their time hunting for kids to play in the cricket graveyard that is U16 whites?

I'd have thought cricket would benefit most from them focussing on the more talented kids that are already at the club. Grade Clubs have been split between focussing on elite development and participation/community cricket and it's been to the detriment of both - pick one and focus on it, don't try and do both.

Agreed.
Someone needs to pull the trigger or we just keep on getting clubs saying we are going alright.
No club wants to be the ones down graded.
Gotta happen though.

[Tony Clifton]

Why is there no U14 statewide cup this season? Got U12's and still got BankSA. I thought that was how the state U15 squad was going to be picked

[mickey]

I heard last night that it is being replaced with a U14 premier League

[Aerie]

Why is there no U14 statewide cup this season? Got U12's and still got BankSA. I thought that was how the state U15 squad was going to be picked

8 of the 12 clubs didn't want it so it was voted out. This is the type of thing that Grade clubs should be doing IMO. Pity it will be a premier league. Points in favour of smac's argument at Grade level.

[heater31]

Why is there no U14 statewide cup this season? Got U12's and still got BankSA. I thought that was how the state U15 squad was going to be picked

8 of the 12 clubs didn't want it so it was voted out. This is the type of thing that Grade clubs should be doing IMO. Pity it will be a premier league. Points in favour of smac's argument at Grade level.

Piss the 12's off, isn't that the role of the primary schools comp?

[Tony Clifton]

Why is there no U14 statewide cup this season? Got U12's and still got BankSA. I thought that was how the state U15 squad was going to be picked

8 of the 12 clubs didn't want it so it was voted out. This is the type of thing that Grade clubs should be doing IMO. Pity it will be a premier league. Points in favour of smac's argument at Grade level.

Jesus Christ!

What are these grade clubs doing?

8 of 12 grade clubs didn't want it?! Talk about making themselves obsolete. If U14's is a "premier league" style competition too then if it is successful, why not Bank sa Under 17 shield too...