As a skill based club competing in a skill based competition, regrading has become the norm and a necessity for our club.

The Hi-Lites Committee engage an independent assessor to assess all our players during game days over a 2-3 week period, typically commencing in October.

The Committee do not advise dates of the assessment as this has proven to put undue pressure and nervous burden on our young players impacting their performances.

The assessor observes our players and assess them individually for their skill level, court awareness and movement, and appropriate/relative fit for the team that they are currently play in.

The assessor provides notes on the observations made as well as recommendations for player movements between teams. The Regrading sub-committee is formed and tasked to select teams from all players registering to play on next season, based upon the recommendations received from the assessor whilst adhering to our guiding principles.

Our Guiding Principles:

  • Teams are selected based on skill and not age
  • Moves are made where appropriate openings are available, or suitable moves are possible (there needs to be a weaker player to drop for a stronger player to be elevated)
  • Position players where they will be appropriately challenged and allow for growth & skill development
  • 1st year SET (modified section) teams to be formed from friendship groups where possible and known
  • Parent requests must be considered but do not dictate action
  • New players are assessed where possible before being allocated to a team
  • Teams to be no less than 7, and no more than 10 (9 being the ideal)

The teams for the Winter season are communicated to the Hi-Lites community after the end of the Spring season finals have concluded.

This process has helped provide well balanced teams in the main. It also ensures that there are opportunities for our players to progress at the pace they develop particularly in the earlier formative years where some children may make significant leaps earlier than others.

There can be disappointment for some as a result of the regrading process but it does open up fantastic opportunities for players to shine where previously they may have been starved of opportunities due to dominant players in their team.

Parents should not directly approach committee members to advise their wishes for their daughters for the coming season. We ask that any such advice or requests regarding regrading be communicated via formal channels (ie via email to hilitesnetball@gmail.com). This ensures that no requests or advice of information is overlooked for consideration by the regrading committee.

There can be no guarantee that requests will be able to be addressed favourably so there should not be any expectations for a requested outcome. However please be assured any formally raised requests will be considered during the regrading process.

Keep in mind the committee members who are at the courts on weekends are also there to watch their own daughters play. They are not necessarily intimate with all players skill level, the regrading process, nor the assessor’s recommendations and cannot possibly provide answers to questions on the spot. They also may not be able to adequately represent your advice or concerns to the Regrading sub-committee.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the regrading process at any point, please feel free to email the committee via hilitesnetball@gmail.com