Out of Age Consent
There has been some email traffic regarding U17/U18 and suggestions of some players playing down an age group.
While I appreciate the difficulties in keeping these youngsters engaged with the game, the regulation for playing down is extremely strict and applies only in exceptional circumstances.
There are only two reasons why a player may be permitted to play down a age grade:
(a) The player is in a younger academic year at School than the player’s academic birth year; or
(b) The player’s safety may be compromised due to their small stature in comparison to other players in the same age grade or due to a developmental or behavioural issue:
Sorry guys but that’s it! There are no other circumstances where this can be allowed. This applies to U9s to U19s (inclusive).
Further details of this regulation can be found on the RFU website – Regulation 15. Please see link below to regulations concerning Age Group Rugby:
Contacts
Safeguarding Manager: Lee Dawson
Useful Info
Please find below a Consent Form from the RFU for player playing out of age grade.
This should hopefully this will standardise the process throughout the game and prevent interpretations that are not within the spirit or meaning of the RFU Regulations, Guidance and Policies.
Consent form for playing out of Age Grade
Playing Out of Age Grade Table