A number of changes will affect teams playing in WBA Junior Competitions in the Summer 2016/17 season.

Two phases of grading

After considering feedback from clubs and discussing various options to improve the competitive experience of playing in Waverley, the following adjustment to the grading process is being trialled for the Summer 2016/17 season:

-          An initial grading phase consisting of three rounds will take place, followed by a review of results and movement of teams.

-          A further two rounds of grading will be played, followed by the final review and re-grading of teams.

-          No changes to team placements will be made once the regular season has commenced, except where WBA management considers the circumstances to be exceptional.

As this new system requires the structure of some sections to change, it may impact on the capacity of WBA to provide a consistent, equitable fixture, and cater to various requests through the duration of the grading period.

As a minimum WBA aim to limit teams to only one BYE during grading, and fulfil official club requests as often as possible, but acknowledge that this cannot be guaranteed during the trial phase of this new system. We ask clubs and teams to please be understanding during this period.

Game times and venues

All three Junior Competition days have been affected by a dramatic increase in team entries.

As a result of this increase, Tuesday and Sunday teams are advised of new courts and timeslots. This may continue to change throughout the grading rounds so we strongly encourage teams to check carefully before each game.

The Saturday competition has expanded to a third external venue at Penpraze Park (Malvern Primary School), which we have used in previous seasons. The ongoing use of the external venues will be confirmed during or at the conclusion of the grading rounds. Teams are encouraged to get acquainted with playing more games at external venues than they have previously as a result of the increase.

Please see here for more information on external venues: http://www.waverleybasketball.com/page.aspx?id=116

Grading sections are also combined in a more ambitious fashion than in previous seasons, which will in part be offset by the two-staged grading process.

Please remember to always check fixtures carefully and direct all grading and fixture queries through the appropriate club channels.