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 player is U13 an 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 below video gives also an overview of the age banding policies:
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 age.banding@sru.org.uk