Pathway
Try-outs & selection
One trial, two squads: the HPIP camp squad and the December junior franchises. Open to new and existing VECL players aged 9 and over — boys and girls, and senior men and women.
Dates and venues
Wednesday 4 November & Monday 9 November 2026
Two evening sessions in Melbourne, one in St Kilda and one in the west. Players may attend either session or both, chosen when you register in the booking app. The squad is named after the trials, and everyone who tries out is told where they stand.
7:00pm–9:00pm. Arrive at 6:45pm, in full kit, and bring water.
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Trial one
Wednesday 4 November 2026 Confirmed
7:00pm–9:00pm, arrive 6:45pm · Cricket Victoria, Junction Oval indoor centre, St Kilda
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Trial two
Monday 9 November 2026 Confirmed
7:00pm–9:00pm, arrive 6:45pm · Elite Cricket Academy, 87 Elm Park Drive, Hoppers Crossing
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Squad announced
After the trials
Around twenty players travel to KIOC. Every player and parent receives structured feedback after the trials, selected or not.
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Camp
13–22 December, Bengaluru
Eight days at KIOC, then home for the VECL December tournament from 24 December.
Who can try out
New and existing VECL players, aged 9 and over.
One trial picks two squads: the HPIP camp squad and the December junior franchises. Anyone aged 9 and over can try out, and trying out is how a new player joins the league. The HPIP camp squad is chosen from players aged 12 and over.
You do not need to be playing in the VECL already. The pathway is open to boys and girls, and to senior men and women — it is not a junior programme, whatever the league used to be called.
Where a player lives does not decide whether they can try out. The pathway is open to players from anywhere in Australia and from overseas.
You do not have to be in Melbourne on 4 or 9 November to be considered. If you cannot get to a trial, tell us before those dates and we will assess you another way — an interview to begin with, and whatever else the selectors need to form a view. It is the same standard, reached by a different route, and like everyone else you are told where you stand.
Players under 18 try out with a parent or guardian involved from the start. Everything about supervision, accommodation and duty of care is set out on the parents page and settled in writing before anyone travels.
The format
Indoors: batting, bowling and fielding.
Both trials are indoor sessions, each covering batting, bowling and fielding.
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Batting
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Bowling
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Fielding
What selectors are looking for
Four things, stated plainly.
Elite and KIOC are assessing for the same things. Saying so publicly means the players who decide this is not for them can do that before paying anything, which is better for everyone.
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More than skill
Character, conditioning, cardio, strength and agility are assessed alongside batting, bowling and fielding.
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Seriousness
Whether a player is genuinely invested in the programme, rather than along for the trip. Both Elite and KIOC assess for this, and saying so is a filter in itself.
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Response to training demands
How a player handles volume and intensity across consecutive days, not how they look in one session.
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Response to overseas conditions
Heat, unfamiliar surfaces, unfamiliar opposition, and being away from home. A camp week asks all four at once.
Cost
The programme cost comes in writing with every offer.
We are not publishing a number until it is final. The programme cost and what it includes are still being finalised and will be shared shortly. Selected players receive the full details in writing in their offer email after the try-outs. The try-out itself costs $20, and nothing further is payable until a place is offered and accepted.
Registering interest
Registration for the try-out runs through our booking app, not through this website. The chooser makes sure you land on the right one — the pathway try-out and the December season are different programmes.