The Parent's Guide to Junior AFL: U8-U13s | ScorX
AFL Guide

The Parent's Guide to Junior AFL: U8-U13s

10 May 2026 By ScorX Team 8 min read

Every junior AFL age group has different rules, different field sizes, and different things your child should be working on. Here’s what those are, and why they’re designed that way.

If you’ve ever stood on the sideline watching a swarm of eight-year-olds chase the ball like a single organism and thought this doesn’t look anything like the game on TV — you’re right. It’s not supposed to. Junior AFL is deliberately, carefully different. And once you understand why, Saturday mornings start to make a lot more sense.

Why Junior AFL Isn’t Just Smaller Senior Footy

An eight-year-old playing full-field, 18-a-side football would touch the ball approximately never. The field is too big, the teams are too large, and the game moves too fast for most of the players to be genuinely involved. What you’d get is six kids who love footy and twelve kids who are learning to hate it.

The AFL’s Junior Rules — updated in 2024 and backed by research from Deakin University — fix this by adjusting three things at every age group: the field size, the number of players, and how much physical contact is allowed. When the rules were matched to the age group, individual player involvement increased by more than 35%. More touches, more fun, more reason to come back next season.

There’s also something worth knowing that a lot of parents don’t realise: every player must play a minimum of 50–75% of game time. That’s not a suggestion. It’s a rule. If your child is regularly sitting on the bench for most of the game, that’s worth raising with the coach.

Under 8: Did They Touch the Ball? Great. That’s the Whole Goal.

Field: 70m x 50m — players are restricted to their third of the field so nobody chases the ball in a pack
Players: 6-a-side (max 9 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 10-minute quarters
Ball: Size 1 (small, synthetic)
Tackling: None
Scores kept: No

At Under 8, the only thing that matters is contact with the football. Lots of it, as often as possible. The field is tiny. The teams are tiny. Bouncing the ball isn’t allowed. Tackling isn’t allowed. There’s no score, no ladder, and no best-player award.

The coach is actually on the field with the kids. Not on the sideline — on the field.

What to work on at this age:

The very basics. Catching, handballing (pushing the ball off a fist — not throwing), and starting to kick with both feet. Nothing more complicated than that.

The question to ask on the way home isn’t “did you win?” It’s “did you get lots of kicks?” If yes, it was a great game. That’s genuinely the whole measure at this age.

Don’t correct their positioning. Don’t ask whether they stayed in their third. Just celebrate every time they touched the ball.

Under 9: Your First Sign They’re Actually Learning the Game

Field: 85m x 65m — players still restricted to their third of the field
Players: 9-a-side (max 12 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 12-minute quarters
Ball: Size 2 (synthetic)
Tackling: Modified — holding an opponent is allowed, but no pushing, bumping, or stealing the ball from their hands
Scores kept: No

At Under 9, the game starts to look a bit more like football. The oval grows, there are more players, and for the first time your child can be held by an opponent. A mark — catching the ball cleanly on the full, before it bounces — can be taken at any distance, as long as the player shows clear control. One bounce while running is now allowed.

The coach is still on the ground with the players.

What to work on at this age:

Awareness. Looking up before the ball arrives. The kids who develop this early start to look genuinely different from their teammates within a season or two — they always seem to know where to go, because they were already looking.

After the game, instead of talking about what they did with the ball, ask what they noticed. Where were their teammates? Who was free? It plants the right question in their head for next week.

And celebrate the mark. A clean chest mark at this age is a real skill. Make a big deal of it.

Under 10: The Coach Steps Back. The Kids Step Up.

Field: 85m x 65m Players: 12-a-side (max 15 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 12-minute quarters
Ball: Size 2 (synthetic)
Tackling: Modified — same as Under 9
Scores kept: No

Under 10 is where the game starts to feel like football to a parent watching from the boundary. Twelve players a side is a real team. And the coach moves off the field and onto the sideline — the kids are now self-managing out there.

Same tackling rules as Under 9. Still no scores. Still no best player awards.

What to work on at this age:

Where they’re supposed to be. The restriction that keeps players in their third of the field exists for a reason — it stops every single child flooding to the ball and teaches them to hold position and trust that the play will come to them. That is genuinely hard for a ten-year-old. It’s also one of the most important things they’ll learn.

Ask your child to explain where they play and what their job is. If they can tell you, they’re developing game sense. If they can’t yet, that’s fine — they’re ten.

Also: encourage them to kick when they have the option. At this age, many kids handball (push pass) when they should kick because kicking feels riskier. It’s not. Praise the attempt, not just the outcome.

Under 11: The Scoreboard Goes On. The Pressure Doesn’t Have To.

Field: 115m x 75m — noticeably bigger Players: 12-a-side (max 15 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 15-minute quarters
Ball: Size 3 (synthetic or leather)
Tackling: Modified — holding only, still no bumping or fending off
Scores kept: Yes — but no ladder and no finals

Under 11 is the first real step up. The field jumps in size. Quarters get longer. And the scoreboard goes on — though there’s no competition table and no finals series. The score exists, but it doesn’t count in any formal sense.

Something else changes too: for the first time, a mark — that clean catch — requires a kick of at least 10 metres. At any distance won’t cut it anymore. There’s a standard to reach.

What to work on at this age:

Kicking distance and accuracy. The 10-metre mark rule makes kicking for distance suddenly meaningful. Backyard kicking practice is actually useful now — not just as something to do, but as a skill that will show up directly in games.

The drop punt (where the ball is dropped vertically and kicked before it hits the ground) is the most reliable kick in Australian football. If your child hasn’t locked it in yet, this is the year to do it.

Also: speed of decision. The game is faster than it was at Under 10. The window between receiving the ball and needing to do something with it is shrinking. Talk about what they’re going to do before the ball arrives, not after.

Under 12: Everything’s the Same. Everything’s Different.

Field: 115m x 75m — same as Under 11 Players: 12-a-side (max 15 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 15-minute quarters
Ball: Size 3 (synthetic or leather)
Tackling: Modified — same as Under 11
Scores kept: Yes — but still no ladder and no finals

Under 12 looks almost identical to Under 11 on paper. Same field. Same team size. Same marking rule. Same modified tackling. But the kids are a year older and physically stronger, and the game moves noticeably faster because of it.

This is the last year before full-contact football. Scores are kept, but the no-ladder, no-finals structure is deliberate — the environment is meant to stay low-stakes while the skills get refined.

What to work on at this age:

Everything. Seriously. This is the year to shore up every fundamental before the game changes completely next year. Kicking on both feet. Handballing on both hands. Taking marks at chest and overhead. Picking up the ball cleanly at ground level under pressure.

If there’s a gap in your child’s game, Under 12 is the right time to work on it. The environment is still forgiving. Next year, it won’t be.

Under 13: This Is Actually Footy Now

Field: 125m x 95m — bigger again Players: 15-a-side (max 18 per squad)
Game time: 4 x 15–20-minute quarters (varies by competition)
Ball: Size 4
Tackling: Full — bumping, fending off, smothering all permitted
Scores kept: Yes — ladder and finals apply

Under 13 is where everything changes. The team grows to 15 a side. The field expands significantly. And for the first time, players can go anywhere — no thirds restrictions. Full tackling is permitted. Bumping. Fending off. Stealing the ball from an opponent’s hands. This is recognisable football.

The ladder is real. Finals happen. It counts.

What to work on at this age:

Composure. Being tackled — genuinely grabbed and brought to ground — is a completely different experience from the holding permitted in earlier years. For a lot of kids, the first real tackle is a shock. Talk about what to do before it arrives: move the ball quickly, protect it, know where the handball target is before you receive the ball.

Positional identity also starts to matter properly now. Coaches are thinking about where each player’s strengths are best used. Encourage your child to understand their role and own it — even if it’s not the one they imagined.

AFL Junior Rules at a Glance (2024)

The full picture, in one place. Rules apply equally to boys, girls, and mixed competitions at U8 through U12. At U13/14, girls competitions have a smaller maximum squad size (16 vs 18 for boys/mixed) — field and ball sizes are identical.

Age Group Players on Field Max Squad Field Size (recommended) Field Size (max) Ball Size Quarter Length Tackling Mark Distance Scores Kept Ladders & Finals Coach Position
Under 8 6 9 70m x 50m 80m x 60m Size 1 4 x 10 min None Any distance, reasonable attempt No No On field
Under 9 9 12 85m x 65m 100m x 80m Size 2 4 x 12 min Modified (holding only) Any distance, shows control No No On field
Under 10 12 15 85m x 65m 100m x 80m Size 2 4 x 12 min Modified (holding only) Any distance, shows control No No Sideline
Under 11 12 15 115m x 75m 130m x 90m Size 3 4 x 15 min Modified (holding only) 10m minimum, any player Yes No Sideline
Under 12 12 15 115m x 75m 130m x 90m Size 3 4 x 15 min Modified (holding only) 10m minimum, any player Yes No Sideline
Under 13/14 (Boys & Mixed) 15 18 125m x 95m 140m x 110m Size 4 4 x 15–20 min Full 15m minimum, any player Yes Yes Sideline
Under 13/14 (Girls) 15 16 125m x 95m 140m x 110m Size 4 4 x 15–20 min Full 15m minimum, any player Yes Yes Sideline

Notes:

  • A mercy rule applies across all junior grades (U8–U13/14) when a team builds an unassailable lead — typically around 60 points. Senior AFL has no mercy rule.
  • Every player must play at least 50–75% of game time. This is a rule, not a guideline.
  • Rotation must happen at least every quarter, giving all players access to multiple positions including time on the interchange bench.
  • No best-player awards or goal-kicker records at U8 through U12. Individual awards return at U13, at the controlling body’s discretion.
  • Source: AFL Junior Rules Program Handbook, May 2024 (play.afl/junior-rules)

The Thing Nobody Tells You About Development

Your child will play a full season of junior footy and at the end of it, you’ll have a vague sense they’ve improved. Maybe they seem more confident. Maybe they get more kicks than they used to. But you won’t really know by how much, and neither will they.

Kids need to see their own progress. Not to feel proud — though that matters too — but because improvement you can’t see doesn’t feel real. A kid who can look back at their first game of the season and compare it to their last one has something to hold onto. Something that belongs to them, separate from whether the team won.

That’s what ScorX tracks. Disposals — every time your child touches the ball, whether kicking or handballing — marks, goals, and tackles, recorded simply from the sideline. Not to build a performance report. To give your kid a story about their own season.

Free to download. You can track your first game this weekend.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age does AFL start keeping scores?

Scores are recorded from Under 11 onward. But ladders and finals don’t apply until Under 13 — so at U11 and U12, the scoreboard runs but there’s no competition table and no finals series. The environment is still designed to be low-stakes.

Can girls play in boys or mixed AFL teams?

Yes. The AFL supports mixed participation at all junior age groups. Rules are identical for boys, girls, and mixed competitions from U8 through U12. Separate girls competitions typically begin at U13, though local leagues manage this differently — check with your local club.

Why does full tackling only start at Under 13?

Modified tackling — where holding an opponent is allowed but bumping and fending off aren’t — is introduced gradually from Under 9. Full contact doesn’t arrive until Under 13, when players’ bodies and game sense are developed enough to handle it safely. It’s a deliberate progression, not an oversight.

What’s the mercy rule in junior AFL?

When a team builds an unassailable lead — around 60 points — junior leagues are encouraged to apply a mercy rule to prevent blowouts from becoming demoralising. The exact format varies by competition. Senior AFL has no mercy rule.

What stats should I track for my child?

At U8–U10, disposals — every time they handle the ball, by kick or handball — is all that matters. At U11–U12, add marks and start noticing the split between kicks and handballs. By U13 you can track disposals, marks, tackles, and goals. The goal isn’t the number. It’s having something concrete to look back on at the end of the season.

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