Jr. Braves 26/27 Tryouts Information and registration

Age Groups

The Jr. Braves program runs for boys and girls from under 12s to under 18s.
Athlete age groups run on the calendar year of birth, see below.

Under 12s: 2016 – 2017 | Under 14s: 2014 – 2015
Under 16s: 2012 – 2013 | Under 18s: 2010 – 2011

Note - 2018 and under athletes please do not register via this form.

Tryout Dates & Format

All try out sessions will be closed to the public, only approved coaches, and administration staff will be able to enter the court areas of try out sessions.

For any athletes that are anxious around this, please let us know at the sign in desk and we’ll do our best to assist in the situation.
Our Child Safety & Wellbeing Officer will be in attendance during try outs.

Should your child have a medical condition, please ensure this is clearly detailed in your registration information.
E.g Asthma, Allergies (specify anaphylaxis), mental health conditions, difficulties, supports required and/or any current injuries.

UNDER 12’s

ALL Under 12 (Boys and Girls) athletes:
- Saturday August 29th
- Saturday September 5th
- Sunday September 13th
Boys: 12.30pm - 2pm | Girls: 2pm - 3.30pm


UNDER 14’s

Pre-Selection Session – to be held Saturday August 29th is for:
- U14 athletes previously unselected in Junior Braves
- U14 athletes who have never been in the program

note - this is not for athletes with a premission to train from other associations

Boys: 11am - 12.30pm | Girls 1pm - 2.30pm

Athletes will receive an email to inform them if they will or will not be progressing.

U14 Progressing Athletes, Returning Athletes & VJBL Permission to Train Athletes:
- Friday October 2nd
- Sunday October 4th
- Saturday October 10th

UNDER 16’s & 18’s

ALL Under 16 & Under 18 (Boys and Girls) athletes:
- Saturday October 3rd
- Sunday October 4th
- Saturday October 10th


Requirements:
Athletes must be in attendance during the trial period to provide themselves the best possible chance of selection.
Any athletes coming from external VJBL associations will need to seek permission to train from their current associations in writing.

Commitment to the Squad

Athletes across all Under 12s, along with Teams 2, 3, or 4, for all other age groups will compete in the tournament season.
The season commitment is similar to:
- 1x training 2hr training session a week. (Sunday likely)
- 1x domestic game each week
- 5x compulsory tournaments

Athletes selected for team 1 Under 12s is the same as above, but with 1 additional compulsory tournament being Victorian Country Champs, of which are held in Bendigo for 2027 for this age group.

Athletes selected in 1st teams for the under 14s, under 16s and under 18s age groups, will compete in the VJBL season, which starts in November and ends in September with breaks over the school holidays.

VJBL season commitment is similar to:
- 2x weekly training sessions (2hr Sunday season and 1 & 1/2hrs mid-week.)
- 3x compulsory tournaments
- 1x Friday night VJBL game each week. Although traveling to Melbourne or surrounding suburbs is not every week, many late nights will happen over the season.

Additional seasonal requirements subject to date & program confirmation:
- Team and Staff Photos
- Fitness Testing
 
Team Structure
Teams are made of 10 athletes, 2 coaches and 1 team manager.
Team managers are more often than not a parent who has been asked by the head coach.
Team managers can not be selected until the teams are completed.

Although this is never set in stone, the standard available teams to be selected for are below. Additional teams are based off talent pool, coaching staff and other factors.

Under 12s
Team 1, Team 2, Team 3

Under 14s
Team 1, Team 2, Team 3

Under 16s
Team 1, Team 2, Team 3

Under 18s
Team 1, Team 2

All under 12s, and teams 2 & 3 for each age group will compete in the tournament season
Under 14s, 16s, 18s, will compete in some tournaments and play in the VJBL season.
For reference, in season 2025/2026 Jr. Braves had 31 teams across 4 age divisions.
Under 12s - 9
Under 14s - 10
Under 16s - 7
Under 18s - 5

The U10 Pilot program remains under review.

Season Fees
2026/2027 Season: $ TBC
Season fees can be paid in instalments and details will be updated in due course.

Important Notes regarding fees:
- Reminders will be sent one week prior to each due date.
- Payments are made directly to the Club via Majestri
- All payments are non-refundable once paid
- No pay means no play.

** VJBL athletes will need to source a sponsor to assist the VJBL program. Further information to come**

Questions
If you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to us Sonia.venskevicis@bendigostadium.com.au