Before your kid’s first pre-season session, it’s worth asking one question: what does a good season actually look like?
Not for the team. For them.
Because most junior athletes will finish this year with a vague sense they got better — or didn’t — based on whether their team won games. That’s a rough way to measure twelve months of effort. And it almost always misses the thing that actually happened.
Here are five development goals worth setting before round one. None of them are on the scoreboard.
Why Outcome Goals Let Kids Down
Winning is fun. Kicking goals is satisfying. Both of those things are true.
The problem with building a season around them is that kids can’t control either one. A kid who plays well in a losing team feels invisible. A kid who kicks three goals in a scrappy win doesn’t know if they actually improved or just had a lucky afternoon.
Development goals are different. They’re about what they did — the decisions they made, the habits they built, the parts of their game they worked on. Those are things a player can influence regardless of the score, and things that hold up over time.
Coaches think in these terms already. Most junior players don’t. This season is a good time to change that.
Goal 1: Hit an Effective Disposal Rate
A disposal is any time a player kicks or handballs. An effective disposal — in basic junior terms — is one that goes to a teammate or creates something useful. Not every touch has to be perfect, but a player who is consistently hitting teammates under pressure is genuinely improving, regardless of whether their team wins the clearance or not.
A realistic target for a junior player: aim for 70% effective disposals across the season. Early in the year it might be lower. By finals it should be higher. That movement is the story.
You don’t need to track every single one during the game. Even a rough count — “six touches, four good ones” — is enough to see a trend across a season.
Goal 2: Back Up to the Contest
This one is almost invisible from the sideline. When the ball gets contested — a mark attempt, a tackle, a loose ball — most players instinctively watch to see what happens. The best junior players move toward the next play before the result is clear.
It’s called contest work rate, and it shows up in things like second-effort tackles, goal assists, and being in position when a loose ball spills.
Set a goal at the start of the season: identify one moment per quarter where your player backed up to a contest when they didn’t have to. That’s four moments per game. By mid-season, see if it’s starting to happen without thinking.
Goal 3: Win the One-on-One More Often Than Not
Regardless of position, junior players spend a lot of time in one-on-one situations — a mark contest, a footrace, a defensive spoil. These moments add up, and they’re one of the clearest ways to measure competitive growth.
“I want to compete harder in one-on-ones” is too vague to mean anything. But “I want to win more one-on-one contests than I lose by round ten” is something a player can actually work toward.
This doesn’t require a statistician. It requires a player who starts noticing these moments and a parent or coach who occasionally writes down what they see.
Goal 4: Get Your Hands Dirty — Set a Tackle Target
Tackles are one of the most honest statistics in junior footy. You can’t accidentally get a tackle. It requires a decision, a physical effort, and following through even when it would be easier not to.
A player who sets a tackle target — say, three per game — and works toward it is building something that transfers to every level of football they play. It also has nothing to do with talent. It’s entirely about work rate.
The side benefit: coaches notice tackle counts. A kid who doesn’t have elite skill but who consistently tackles hard will get more opportunity, more trust, and more development. That’s worth knowing before the season starts.
Goal 5: Name One Technical Habit to Build
The first four goals are about effort and outcome — things that can be tracked across any game. This one is different. It’s about identifying one technical piece of their game to genuinely improve by the end of the season.
It needs to be specific. “Get better at kicking” isn’t a goal. “Nail the drop punt under pressure so the ball doesn’t fade left” is a goal.
The player and their coach (or parent) should agree on this one together. Write it down. Check in on it at the halfway point. It might take until round fifteen before it clicks — or it might click at training week three and they can move to the next thing. The point is that there’s a specific, named thing being worked on.
A kid who finishes the season knowing their drop punt is three steps better has a reason to come back and keep going. That’s worth more than a premiership in the under-11s.
How to Actually Track This Stuff
None of these goals require a clipboard and a spreadsheet. But they do require some consistency.
The simplest approach: after each game, spend five minutes on three questions.
- What was the best decision they made today?
- Which goal showed up, and which one didn’t?
- What’s one thing to watch for next week?
That’s it. Five minutes. Done over a season, it builds a picture that tells you far more than the ladder ever will.
If you want something more structured, ScorX lets you track stats like disposals, tackles, and contest numbers directly from your phone during the game. At the end of the season, your kid gets to see the actual arc — not a feeling, but numbers. That tends to hit differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good development goals for a junior AFL player?
The best junior AFL development goals focus on effort and skill, not outcome. Things like effective disposal rate, tackle count, contest work rate, and one-on-one win percentage give players something to improve regardless of whether their team wins or loses.
How do I set season goals with my child before AFL starts?
Sit down before pre-season and agree on two or three things to work on — one technical skill, one effort-based goal like tackles, and one awareness goal like backing up to contests. Write them down, revisit them at the halfway point, and review them honestly at the end of the season.
What is an effective disposal in junior AFL?
An effective disposal is any kick or handball that reaches a teammate in a useful position, or creates an advantage for the team. In junior footy, a rough guide is whether the ball found a blue vest or created a scoring opportunity. A good goal for junior players is around 70% of disposals being effective.
Should junior AFL players track their stats?
Yes, with the right framing. Stats are useful when they show a player how they’re developing over time, not just how they went in one game. A player who can see their tackle count rising across eight rounds has real evidence they’re working harder. That kind of feedback keeps players engaged and motivated.
How do I know if my child is actually improving at AFL?
Look for consistency, not standout moments. A player who is making slightly better decisions each month, who is winning a higher percentage of their one-on-ones, and who is backing up harder to contests is improving — even if the scoreboard doesn’t always show it. Tracking a few simple stats across the season makes that progress visible.
Related reading
- 7 AFL Stats That Matter for Junior Development — the specific numbers that make the strongest season targets, by position and age group
- The Parent’s Guide to Junior AFL Development — the bigger development picture these goals sit within, from Auskick through to U18s
- The Carnival Season: How to Make the Most of AFL Carnivals — how carnival weekends can reset and sharpen your mid-season goals