Age Grade Rugby

Youth rugby begins at U9s and ends at U18s. For safety, and to allow young players to develop in the best environment within clubs and schools, Scottish Rugby has a number of Age Grade policies and procedures.

Age Banding Policy

All players under the age of 18, and all clubs, schools and teams participating at age grade levels, must follow Scottish Rugby’s Age Banding Policies. A player’s age grade is determined by their age on 1st September at the beginning of each Season and that age grade applies for the whole Season. For example, if a player is 11 on 1st September then that player is U12 for that season, if a player is 12 on 1st September then that player is U13 and so forth. Please select the relevant age banding box below for further information.

Click HERE for an Age Grade Calculator for the boys’ game.

Click HERE for an Age Grade Calculator for the girls’ game.

Playing Outwith Your Age Band

Scottish Rugby has developed Age Banding Policies over time to ensure that players are able to participate in rugby in the best possible environment to enjoy playing and developing skills as safely as possible. Our policies seek to try and ensure that within Clubs and Schools, players are playing and training with others of a similar age to try and minimise disparities in physical maturity and experience. 

We recognise that exceptional players may wish/be better suited to playing outwith the age grade they are eligible for. For more information and the application process, click on the below age grade.

 

The video below also gives an overview of the age banding policies, and while it references a previous season, the information still applies to 2025/2026:

Application 

All applications should be submitted by a qualified* coach via SCRUMS by clicking on ‘Age Banding’ on the left panel. A user guide can be found at the top of the application page on SCRUMS.

*to submit an age banding application, a coach must be registered as a coach on SCRUMS and have completed the minimum standards of Coaching Essentials, and have completed Rugby Right for the current season.

Tackle Assessment for Playing Up

Guidelines on the tackle assessment can be found HERE.

Tackle Assessment Activity 1

Tackle Assessment Activity 2

 

The player must have completed the World Rugby online Rugby Ready course: World Rugby Passport – Rugby Ready

  • 17-Year-Old into Adult Rugby (Male & Female)

    PLEASE NOTE: 17 year old players who received dispensation to play adult rugby last season DO NOT need to reapply this season

    Application 

    All applications should be submitted by a qualified* coach via SCRUMS by clicking on ‘Age Banding’ on the left panel. A user guide can be found at the top of the application page on SCRUMS.

    *to submit an age banding application, a coach must be registered as a coach on SCRUMS and have completed the minimum standards of Coaching Essentials, and have completed Rugby Right for the current season.

    Tackle Assessment

    Guidelines on the tackle assessment can be found HERE.

    Tackle Assessment Activity 1

    Tackle Assessment Activity 2

    Safeguarding Guidance

    Please see the following safeguarding guidance for 17 year olds playing into adult rugby HERE.

  • 15-Year-Old into U18 Rugby (Male & Female)

    Application 

    All applications should be submitted by a qualified* coach via SCRUMS by clicking on ‘Age Banding’ on the left panel. A user guide can be found at the top of the application page on SCRUMS.

    *to submit an age banding application, a coach must be registered as a coach on SCRUMS and have completed the minimum standards of Coaching Essentials, and have completed Rugby Right for the current season.

    Tackle Assessment

    Guidelines on the tackle assessment can be found HERE.

    Tackle Assessment Activity 1

    Tackle Assessment Activity 2

    Physical Maturity Assessment Dates

    Assessment dates, you will be contacted by a member of our team and you will be given a choice of dates and assessment centre to attend.

  • Playing Down (Male & Female)

    Application 

    All applications should be submitted by a qualified* coach via SCRUMS by clicking on ‘Age Banding’ on the left panel. A user guide can be found at the top of the application page on SCRUMS.

    *to submit an age banding application, a coach must be registered as a coach on SCRUMS and have completed the minimum standards of Coaching Essentials, and have completed Rugby Right for the current season.

    Height and Weight Trigger Values

    It may be possible for a player to still to apply if their height and weight are close to the trigger values and their coach, parent/guardian agrees that their physical size and skill level is suitable to play in the lower age grade. The player will still need to undergo a Physical Maturity Assessment.

    Physical Maturity Assessment Dates

    Assessment dates, you will be contacted by a member of our team and you will be given a choice of dates and assessment centre to attend.

  • FAQs

    A number of FAQs around Age Banding can be found HERE.

    If you have any further questions, please contact [email protected]

  • Age Banding Policies

     

    The Girls Age Banding Policy can be viewed HERE.

     

    The Boys Age Banding Policy can be viewed HERE.

  • Age Banding in Boys Rugby

    Although the youth and schools game is played in Age Grades (based on player age at the start of the season, 1st September), it is recognised that schools, and many clubs, choose to group players in school year groups (1st March cut off for most schools).

    2 Year Age-Banding

  • Age Banding in Girls Rugby

    Current practice is for girl’s rugby to be played within a 2-year age band as this minimises physical and maturational disparities and allows player development in the safest possible environment.

    Current Age Bands for female players are: U12; U14; U16 and U18. Players can currently move up to the next age band when they reach the age lower qualifying age (e.g. a player may play U16 rugby providing they are 14 years old on the day of the match).

    U12 Rugby

    Girls are permitted to participate in U12 rugby if they meet the criteria below:

    • are born on or after 1st September 2012 AND;
    • are at least 10 years old on the day of the match

    U14 Rugby

    Girls are permitted to participate in U14 rugby if they meet the criteria below:

    • are born on or after 1st September 2010 AND;
    • are at least 12 years old on the day of the match

    U16 Rugby

    Girls are permitted to participate in U16 rugby if they meet the criteria below:

    • are born on or after 1st September 2008 AND;
    • are at least 14 years old on the day of the match

    U18 Rugby

    Girls are permitted to participate in U18 rugby if they meet the criteria below:

    • are born on or after 1st September 2006 AND;
    • are at least 16 years old on the day of the match

     

    On turning 18 years old, girls may elect to participate in adult rugby and/or remain within U18 rugby for the remainder of the season.

Age Grade Law Variations

To aid enjoyment and development, there are Age Grade Law Variations (AGLVs) in place for the mini and youth game in Scotland. For more information, please click HERE.

Age Grade Game-Time Policy

The maximum game time for all age grade rugby players U9 – U18 should not exceed 90 minutes in a 48-hour period. The Age Grade Game-Time Policy applies to all schools and youth fixtures; national competitions, regional/local competitions and friendlies. Watch our video on the Age Grade Game Time Policy HERE.

Specific maximum game times are also specified within the Age Grade Law Variations (click HERE).

Contact details

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for or have a specific query in relation to Age Banding or related matters please contact us at [email protected]