Concussion: the first week explained The line that ruins the car ride home Concussion: the first 5 minutes The claim order after a football injury The introvert at football Your daughter wants to play Ambulance at footy: Medicare doesn't cover it When to leave a club NOW The team manager does 12 tasks weekly Your kid played well but the team lost Trial day playbook Other parents think you favour your kid Your 17 year old just quit football Your kid loses it after mistakes Your kid melts down after one mistake JDL trial fees banned in NSW What other parents actually judge at games Club benchmarking quietly locks pathway doors Holiday clinics: worth the $250?The MPIO at your club What that $500 registration actually covers Your fifteen-year-old referee: five ways to keep them The club's five-step complaint process explained Just play: the car ride to trial The four-part test before you email Played poorly but the team won The parent who yells at every kid Concussion: the first 24 hours at home Three signs to stop coaching your kid Your daughter needs a sports bra

Reading selection results through the RAE lens: the question to ask.

9 min read

A printed junior football squad list rests on a wooden kitchen table next to a half-finished cup of tea in late afternoon light.

Listen to this article

Audio is a member feature

Unlock the library to listen

It is Tuesday at 6.47pm when the email comes through. The subject line says 2026 Squad Announcement. You open it before your child sees you open it.

Read our free articles

Unlock the full library.

Read every article, including this one.

Every article, including this one
The cheat sheet for every article
A new article every day
Listen in the car: every article on Apple Podcasts or Pocket Casts
Save articles to come back to

Unlock the library

$4.95/month. Cancel anytime.

Unlock everything