One of the questions families ask most is how a player ends up in the Western Falcons rather than the Eastern Panthers or the Northern Warriors. The short answer is that nobody chooses: squads are picked by the league from everyone who registers. This post walks through that process for the December 2026 season, step by step, using what the league’s own pages and policies say.
You register for the season, not a franchise
Registration for the December 2026 season is a registration for team selection across the three Melbourne franchises. It is not an application to a particular team.
- The $20 registration fee pays for the team selection session, not for a place in a squad.
- Places in each franchise squad are limited, so registering is not itself a place in a team.
- Players cannot choose which team they represent. The Competition Rules say so in as many words, and requests are not part of the process.
The franchises are Melbourne-based but not postcode-bound. Where a player lives does not decide whether they can play. Players from anywhere in Australia, and from overseas, can register, provided they meet the criteria for their age group and can provide proof of age at enrolment.
How the selectors build a squad
The tournament terms describe selection plainly. It involves screening registrations and identifying players on the coaches’ recommendations. Selected players are then made an offer.
Offers are made on team requirements and balance. A squad needs batters, bowlers, all-rounders and a wicketkeeper in every age group, which is why the registration form asks for a player’s role, batting style and bowling style, and the level of cricket they play now.
Players entering the draft are also expected to be affiliated with, and playing, registered and structured club or school cricket.
The November try-outs feed the same process. One trial picks two squads: every player who tries out is considered for the December franchises, and players aged 12 and over are also considered for the High Performance International Pathway (HPIP) camp squad.
Players who have already played a VECL season do not go through team selection again for December 2026. Team selection is for players new to the league.
That exemption is deliberately narrow. It applies to the December 2026 tournament and nothing else. Selection for the HPIP is a separate process that every player goes through, including players who have been with VECL for several seasons.
Franchises may also retain selected players on their performance and offer them places in future competitions.
When an offer arrives
You are told which franchise your player is in before the season starts. When an offer is made:
- The decision to accept rests with the player and their parents. Read the offer carefully.
- Check availability before you say yes. The match days are 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30 December 2026, and a player needs to be able to travel and arrive on time. Teams arrive no later than 45 minutes before a match.
- Accepting a place prevents another player from receiving it, which is why availability matters.
- Uniforms — playing shirt, trousers and cap — are provided by the franchise and paid for by the player.
The selectors’ decision is final. The league, the franchises and the coaches make those decisions, and requests for a review are not accepted. We know that can be hard to hear, and it is the reason the league explains the process this openly before anyone registers.
How Chennai does it
VECL Chennai uses the same principle with its own timetable. Families register for the season rather than a club, players attend a team selection day on Sunday 6 or 13 December 2026, and the panel then drafts players across the four clubs, band by band, so no club is stacked. The franchises page has both cities side by side.
Register for team selection
December 2026 registration is open. Register for the season here on vecl.au: no app and no login, with the $20 paid by card or PayPal on the page and a confirmation emailed straight away.
The December 2026 season page covers age groups and key dates, and the parents centre answers the common questions in one place. Anything else, email info@vecl.au.