Online Registration is designed to support the vision of the WRU to achieve: More People, More Often, with More Enjoyment and More Success.
Online Registration is a process that each player, coach, referee, team manager and first aider in Wales, across all age group undertakes prior to the beginning of each new season.
Each year, every player in Wales (parent or guardian of the player if the player is under 18) will access the WRU Player Registration website (www.gamelocker.wales) and submit their Online Registration for the forthcoming season.
Any players returning to their club or girls hub the following season must complete the registration process prior to the season commencing in September. Any new player must complete the registration process prior to taking part in any activity.
Online Registration will ensure that each year the WRU and clubs will have accurate, real-time data on all active and inactive players throughout Wales. It will allow clubs to generate teams sheets more efficiently, auto populate sections of the audit and allow the WRU to support and develop all active and inactive players.
Registration of Mini and Junior Players (U7 - U16)
For a player to be eligible to play for a Mini or Junior team of a Club and/or Girls Hub, that player must be registered for & verified by the Club and/or Girls Hub upon the WRU Digital Registration portal. Players are eligible to register from the age of 6yrs.
The Club/or Girls Hub registering the player must:
Use the digital registration and verification portal for all Mini and Junior players at the time of the registration
Follow the registration and transfer procedures set out by the WRU at the time of the players’ registration.
In the case of a dispute about the registration of Mini and Junior players, the appropriate WRU Rugby Officer has the power to deal with such a dispute in accordance with the WRU Regulation in place at the time.
Once an age group reaches 25 registered players, they cannot accept any transfers into the team.
Clubs and Girls Hubs may register up to 30 players in each age group at Mini & Junior Level and would require applying for squad extension to exceed this limit.
Players registered with a Club and/or Girls Hub must re-register as active each season on the WRU Digital Registration Portal.
Players will remain registered with a Club/or Girls Hub until:
They transfer to another Club.
They are deregistered by the Club.
They are determined to be free agents.
They become a free agent.
A free agent is a player who has not played for a Club/Girls Hub for at least 4 months (applicable from August to May) and can prove that to be the case.
*A free agent may register with another Club and will not be counted as a transfer into that Club in the current season.
**The Four-month period starts from the last time a registered player has played for the club/Girls Hub and does not include the off season (June & July).
If a player is no longer available to play for a Club and or Girls hub (they decide to stop playing) it is important that the Club/Girls Hub de-registers the player. To de-register a player the Club/Hub should complete the appropriate process by notifying the relevant rugby officer for the region.
When a player has been de-registered by a Club/Girls Hub, they shall not be re-registered by that Club/Girls Hub for a period of at least 4 months. By implementing this provision, the WRU shall ensure that de-registration is not used by the Club/Girls Hub as a tool to avoid the limitations of squad numbers and the transfer regulations.
A girl player can play in the mixed and girls only pathway within the same season and is eligible to hold a dual registration up to U11s. The player will be required to follow the pathway rules for the club or hub they are representing at that time.
Deregistering players and disbanding teams
Players who do not wish to continue playing rugby and wish to de-register from their club/Girls Hub are required to contact their club official to begin the process. The club/Girls Hub official will inform the relevant WRU member of staff who will deregister the player. The player will not be eligible to play for another club/Girls Hub for a 4 month period applicable from August the 1st onwards.
If a Club/Girls Hub requires to disband a team at any age group the Club/Girls Hub must advise the WRU Regional Rugby officer & WRU Manager immediately that the team has been disbanded. At that time the registration of the players in the disbanded team will be the responsibility of the WRU. The Club/Girls Hub folding the team will not be permitted to run the age group in the following season.
Age banding
Players are required to play within their own age band within the mixed and male pathway set via the academic school year group. Players are eligible to play up a year group where required and when deemed safe by qualified coaches.
Players are not permitted to play up a year group from U8s to U9s (Tag rugby to contact rugby) in any circumstance.
Players are not permitted to play down an age group in any circumstance within the male, mixed or female pathway.
Players within the female pathway are able to play within the allocated two-year age bandings as follows
- U7s & U8s (School Year 2 and Year 3)
- U9s & U10s (School Year 4 and Year 5)
- U11s & U12s (School Year 6 and Year 7)
- U13s & U14s (School Year 8 and Year 9)
- U15s & U16s (School year 10 and Year 11)
No extenuating circumstances can be granted to play outside of these age bandings or for players to play down an age band.
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