BMBA is introducing a new structure for junior competitions from Term 4 2026. The changes respond to feedback from players and families about combined age groups, the difficulty of forming summer teams before representative selections are finalised, and requests for players with late-year birthdays to stay in their current age group during summer.
Our junior competitions continue to grow, and the Board believes these changes will support more balanced competitions and clearer pathways for players.
New junior age groups
From Term 4 2026, junior competitions will move to Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19.
U13 will return to Saturday mornings alongside Aussie Hoops and 3×3. U15, U17 and U19 will continue on Friday nights.
The U19 age group gives players another year of junior eligibility and will help us maintain separate U17 and U19 competitions.
Where registrations allow, we may introduce divisions within an age group to create more balanced matchups. This will be assessed each season based on team numbers and the mix of players.
How the Saturday U13 competition will work
Players will register individually, and BMBA will allocate them to teams. We want children to be able to sign up and play without needing to find enough friends to form a full team. Allocating teams also helps us find a place for new players and create a mix of experience levels as the competition grows.
We know how discouraging it can be for a new player to face much more experienced teams every week. That was one reason we paused the former Saturday U12 competition and began rebuilding the pathway through our Academy and 3×3 programs. The new U13 competition is the next step in that work.
The registration form will let players nominate up to three friends they would like to play with. We will group friends together where possible while aiming for balanced teams.
U13 is for players who turn 12 or younger in 2026. A player who turns 12 this year may choose to play Saturday U13, continue playing Friday U15, or play in both.
Players already enjoying Friday competition do not have to move to Saturdays. When the 2027 Summer Competition begins, players turning 13 in 2027 will move into U15.
A new competition calendar from 2027
From 2027, U15 to U19 competitions will run within a single calendar year:
– Summer Competition: Terms 1 and 2
– Winter Competition: Terms 3 and 4
This removes the mid-year age-group transition that currently affects the summer competition. U13 will remain term-based, with four separate seasons each year.
To move to the new calendar, BMBA will run a 10-week Spring Competition in Term 4 2026 using the new U13 to U19 age groups.
For Spring, eligibility will be based on a player’s age as at 31 December 2026.
For example, a player turning 14 in 2026 can play U15 in Spring. As they will turn 15 in 2027, they will move to U17 for the 2027 Summer Competition.
Representative-player cap for Spring 2026
The representative-player cap for Spring will be based on 2026 Representative selections. Players selected for the 2027 representative program will not count towards the cap until the 2027 Summer Competition.
The cap will apply as follows:
– U15: 2026 representative players who turn 13 or 14 in 2026. This includes top-age U14 and bottom-age U16 players. Players who turn 12 in 2026 are eligible for U13 and are considered to be playing up in U15, so they do not count towards the U15 cap.
– U17 boys: Only top-age players from the 2026 U16 team count towards the cap. BMBA did not field a U18 boys Magic team in 2026.
– U19 boys: The cap does not apply, as BMBA did not field a U18 boys team in 2026.
– U19 girls: All 2026 representative players who turn 15, 16 or 17 in 2026 count towards the cap. This includes top-age U16 players and all U18 players.
Girls competitions in Spring and Summer 2027
Based on current player numbers, the girls competitions for Spring 2026 and Summer 2027 will offer U15 and U19.
There are currently not enough players in the U17 girls cohort to support a separate competition. Most affected players already play in U19 teams, while players moving out of the current U14 bracket will be eligible for the new U15 group. We therefore expect the practical impact to be limited.
