Age groups are the first thing most families check, and VECL now runs in two cities with slightly different structures. This post sets out who plays where this season, the separate ages for try-outs and the High Performance International Pathway (HPIP), and what actually changes for a player as they move up a group.
The December 2026 tournament in Melbourne
The December 2026 tournament is for juniors, in seven age groups:
| Boys | Girls |
|---|---|
| Under 10 | |
| Under 12 | |
| Under 14 | Under 14 |
| Under 16 | Under 16 |
| Under 18 |
Every Melbourne franchise fields all seven age groups. The Western Falcons, Eastern Panthers and Northern Warriors each have a side in every group.
Senior men and women do not play in the December tournament. They play in VECL Chennai, and they can try out for the HPIP.
Earlier VECL tournaments ran different groups. The December 2025 and March 2026 tournaments had Under 10, Under 12, Under 14 and Under 19, and the July 2026 JT20 Championship had Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14. The league’s Competition Rules allow the committee to adjust age groups and team sizes, and to add or remove divisions, while keeping the integrity of the tournament.
What decides whether a player can take part is the age group, not where they live. A player has to meet the criteria for the division they register in and provide proof of age. That proof is checked at enrolment and is not kept on file.
If you are unsure which group your child falls into, or whether there will be enough players in a particular group this season, ask before you register. Email info@vecl.au. The league would rather tell you honestly than take a registration for something that does not end up running.
Try-outs and the HPIP have their own ages
Two separate age lines sit alongside the tournament groups:
- Try-outs are open to players aged 9 and over. Trying out is how a new player joins the league, and it is open to boys and girls, and to senior men and women.
- The HPIP camp squad is chosen from players aged 12 and over. A 9, 10 or 11-year-old who tries out is being considered for the December franchises.
The try-outs page and the HPIP page for parents have the detail.
VECL Chennai: eight bands
VECL Chennai’s first season runs on Sundays from 10 January to 25 April 2027, across four clubs, in eight age bands: Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, Under 18, Senior, Girls Under 14, Girls Under 18 and Women.
Three of those eight bands are for girls and women. The girls’ bands are deliberately wider, so that fewer girls are excluded by a birthday. The Chennai operation is run by a separate Indian entity, and its own site, vecl.in, has the details for each band.
What changes as a player moves up
The format stays the same across the junior groups, which makes moving up simpler than it might look. Under the Competition Rules:
- A match is between two teams of 12 active players, all able to field and bowl, with 11 or fewer batting.
- Each innings is 20 overs, and a bowler may bowl a maximum of three overs, so more players get a bowl.
- Matches are played primarily on turf.
The main change is the ball. Under 10, 11 and 12 use a 142g white leather ball; Under 14, 16 and 19 use a 156g white leather ball, for boys and girls alike. The same balls are used for selection and training, so a player moving up to Under 14 is practising with the heavier ball before they meet it in a match.
There is a quieter change at 12 as well. Under the league’s Photography and Media Policy, players aged 12 and over are asked for their own view on how their image is used, in words they understand, and if a player does not want an image used, it is not used, even if a parent has consented.
Register for December
December 2026 match days are 24, 27, 28, 29 and 30 December, with no play on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. A $20 registration fee enters a player into team selection.
Register for the December 2026 season, or read the season page first. The girls and women page covers the girls’ divisions in more depth.