The Club will post up-to-date information throughout the season on the website. The Club website ( www.eastsfootball.com) covers all aspects of the Club and football season. Anything important that needs to go straight to parents will be emailed to your email address entered into the online registration system, Play Football.

Our club strives to provide continuous improvement and development strategy through open communication between the Committee, Coaches, Managers, Parents and Players.

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Eastern Suburbs FC is committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all children and young people is maintained at all times during their participation as a player, coach, official, volunteer or spectator.

Please also see our Health and Safety and Code of Conduct pages.

PLAYERS EQUIPMENT   – SAFETY

  • All items of jewellery (necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, leather bands, rubber bands, etc.) are strictly forbidden and must be removed. Using tape to cover jewellery is not acceptable.
  • If a player is required to wear glasses, please ensure they are suitably restrained so they cannot fall off in a game. (plastic lenses are preferable)
  • Players are not permitted to play if they have a cast on broken limbs.
  • Players are encouraged to supply their own water bottle at training and games. Please do not throw water bottles on to or from the field of
  • Players are encouraged to supply their own sunscreen and insect repellent.
  • If a player is injured, there is a first aid kit and ice available from the clubhouse. Please seek the assistance of a club official or ground official.
  • Only players, coaches and managers are permitted on the field during training and games. All others must stay on the outside of the fence perimeter.

GENERAL HEALTH & SAFETY

To ensure the safety of your children, we request that parents follow the procedures below in relation to departing ESFC after training or a game

  • Always be aware of where your child is playing, what time they need collecting and if you do not transport them yourself who is in charge of them.
  • Unaccompanied children: – If you (grandparent/nanny/friend) needs to leave your child at training and then come back to collect them please tell them to wait in the clubhouse and collect them from there as it is a well-lit, safe and supervised area. Please do not ask your child to wait at the front gate or in the immediate vicinity – these areas are poorly lit and unsupervised and carry neighbourhood traffic in addition to club traffic.
  • Contact details: – Please ensure your child has written details of your contact numbers (or of the responsible adult collecting them) so that if there is any delay in picking them up, the club can make contact to ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for the safety and well-being of your child.
  • Roadway safety – it can be crazy when training starts and finishes with lots of cars coming and going and we simply ask that you continually remind your children of the need to be vigilant when arriving or leaving the club. Also, we ask parents to exercise extreme caution when driving into or out of the grounds, so keeping the speed of your car at a minimum is requested. Take extra care as there is a bikeway path crossing over our road and small children often cycle without looking at the traffic.

Only Easts FC registered players may participate in training and games. Players who are not registered are not covered by insurance and are therefore not eligible to play.

UNIFORMS

Compulsory for all games: –

  • Match shirts – included as part of registration in Miniroos and can also be worn for training.
  • Divisional teams – playing shirts are supplied by the club (and kept by the club).
  • Shorts – plain black shorts
  • Socks – Black
  • Shin guards – Compulsory for all training and games. NO Shin guards. NO GAME
  • No metal tags permitted

PUBLISHING OF MINIROOS SCORES

Publishing of Miniroos results and scores via club social media, websites or local newspapers is strictly prohibited. Positive messages suggesting good performances are permitted.

MASCOTS FOR SENIOR HOME GAMES

Miniroos teams will be required to provide mascots for all Senior home games to escort the players onto the field.  Should the opposition not have mascots, Easts will accommodate both teams.  Full playing uniform is to be worn by the Miniroos mascots.

MINIROOS

Players turning 5 in 2024 are able to register for the Miniroos program. The club will try to accommodate requests to play with friends, dependent on team numbers. The maximum number of players in under 6 & under 7 is 7 players.

Players must wherever possible play in their designated age group as determined by date of birth.

Team leaders are NOT PERMITTED to enter the field of play to assist players during a game. Players need to learn to play the game for themselves out of enjoyment and learning.

Under 6, 7, 8, 9 play 20 min halves with a 5 min break.

Under 10 & 11 play 25 min halves with a 5 min break.

Volunteer Team Leaders/ coaches traditionally come from parents of players within the teams in u6-u11. A skills development coach will be on hand to assist volunteer team leaders on training nights in order to develop skills of players and also mentor the volunteer team leader/coach. Volunteer managers are also required for each Miniroos team.

u/9 – u/12

Trials will be held prior to the season start and players will be graded accordingly.

Players not wishing to play at KD level will be placed into teams which best reflect their technical ability to ensure they are competing against teams of similar standard.

Each Saturday morning the initial set up of goals on fields 2 & 3 is the responsibility of the Team Leader/Coach and manager of the first team scheduled to play on these fields. This will require turning up early to allow enough time.  The packing up of the goals is the responsibility of the team scheduled to play the last game on each field.

AT THE GAME: Parents and siblings must be at least 1 metre from side lines. Remember to take home everything you brought, chairs, water bottles, jackets, soccer balls, hats, school attire.

JUNIOR DIVISIONAL TEAMS u/13-u/16

This competition plays for points, ladders are maintained and finals conducted at the completion of the normal season.

Two grading rounds will be held for u/12 teams and the results will be used to create the divisions for the season. These are normally held in late February.

It is important for coaches and managers to have good communication. The manager is a very important asset to the team and the coach. Generally, a coach will have the manager do most of the communication. Communication between the club and your team is also very important and done via email.

Your coach/manager will keep players updated at training each week or via text/email/Team App. If you are unable to make training or a game it would be appreciated if you could inform your coach or manager.

Attending training is an important aspect of the football season. It is beneficial to the development of the players’ skills and learning the importance of working as a team.

Every team will be allocated a full set of Eastern Suburbs playing jerseys at the beginning of the playing season. The manager may roster the washing of the shirts each week but must ensure the shirts are brought to each game.  Playing jerseys are NOT to be given to players to wear home. All jerseys are to be handed out at the start of the game and returned at the end of the game.  Each manager should check before each match on the shirt colours of the opposition. If there is a clash of colours

  • JUNIORS – Home team will need to wear the alternate strip.

Please ensure the alternate strip is washed and returned on the first training night after the game. DO NOT keep alternate strips as other teams may need them.

Only team officials and interchange /reserve players are permitted to sit on the team benches (dugouts). All players must remain seated whilst in the dugout and are required to wear a bib or alternate coloured shirt over their playing strip. The referees have the right to remove both players and team officials from the dugout.

Please ensure the dugouts are left tidy after your game. No tapes, water bottles, food wrappings to be left in the dugout.

Same applies to dressing rooms. Also, show respect at other clubs and leave the dugouts and dressing rooms clean and tidy.

FIXTURES

The list of fixtures and ground locations can be found on the Football Brisbane website www.footballbrisbane.com.au . It is the manager’s responsibility to ensure all players are informed as to the venue and time of the game. It is important that players arrive at the ground 30 minutes(Miniroos), 60 minutes (Divisional teams) before kick-off, however this is up to the individual coach.

BORROWING PLAYERS

If teams are short of players for a game, they may borrow players from another team in accordance with Football Brisbane regulations. Any deviation from these rules may result in a loss of points and a fine to the Club. Managers and coaches should keep a record of all borrowed players so they do not become ineligible for their own team. Before borrowing players, the player’s coach and manager should be consulted.

MATCH BALLS

The host club shall provide (3) footballs of correct size and in good condition for each match.

Under 12-13    size 4 ball

Under 14- Senior size 5 ball

MATCH OFFICIALS

The home club shall supply a Referee in the event that no Match Officials from Football Brisbane turn up. In the event that no Assistant Referees have been assigned to the game, the host club will supply the assistants.

VESTED OFFICIAL / GROUND OFFICIAL

The Vested / Ground official wears a bright orange vest which is kept in the clubhouse.

Ground Officials must be visible at all times and must provide an escort to all match officials before kick-off, at half time and full time.

They are the team representatives on the sideline who is there to make sure no one, including small children, venture onto the field and also to control the crowd if there are any unruly parents on the sideline.

At every home game, each team from under 12 upwards will be required to provide a ground official.

LANGUAGE

Foul language (as well as directing the word” cheat” at a match official) will not be tolerated. The PLAYER will be SENT OFF no matter what the context.

If the referee hears it and can identify the player, then the player will be sent off. Also note that any participant (coach, trainer or manager) identified will be removed from the technical area and a report submitted.

TROPHY PRESENTATION

Junior Trophy Presentation day for all juniors will be held at the end of the football season prior to the September / October school holidays.

U/6-U/11 players will receive a participation trophy/medallion.

Selected U/12-U/16 players will receive performance trophies.

There will be a free BBQ for players and free rides for all children.