Information for Game Leaders, Team Managers and Parents

Supporting our youngest footballers and helping them to have fun and fall in love with the game is a highly rewarding and enjoyable experience. It doesn’t need to be taken too seriously, and participation and inclusivity is far more important in these age groups than scoring goals and winning.

MUFC relies on the involvement of parents to fill roles as Game Leaders and Team Managers. While the prospect of taking on one of these roles may seem intimidating at first, it certainly doesn’t have to be. If the kids finish their game with a smile on their face and are looking forward to coming back again next week, then you’ve done a great job. It’s all about discovery!

If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. While we need to have a designated Game Leader and Team Manager for each team, that doesn’t mean that you can’t encourage other parents to join in too and share in the fun. Each age group will have an Age Group Coordinator who can also assist with ideas, and Football Australia has a range of great resources to help get you started. So don’t stand back on the sidelines. Step forward and give it a go!

Mini Roos Teams

TRAINING

• Under 5’s - Training for the 5s is held as part of their 1hour of playing time on a Saturday from 10:15am-11:15am.  The first 20min is training, followed by a game of 2 x 20min (approx.) halves. 

• Under 6’s - 4:30pm-5:30pm Wednesdays (Location: U8/9 Fields, Lighthouse Oval)

• Under 7’s - 4:30pm-5:30pm Wednesdays (Location: Minis Fields 1-4, Lighthouse Oval)

• Under 8’s - 5:30pm-6:30pm Wednesdays (Location: U8/9 Fields, Lighthouse Oval)

Training is run by age group, not team, and attendance is non-compulsory. 

DRAWS

Field Locations

COMMUNICATION

The MiniRoos Coordinators will communicate with parents in a variety of ways through pre-season planning and the season proper via this webpage, email, FaceBook and/or Instagram. 

The email address used when registering your child is the email address we will contact you on.  If you have not received email communications from miniroos@mufc.net.au, please provide an up-to-date email address.

It is also essential you are a member of a team chat for your child’s team.  This is the main way any urgent information such as weather cancellations or changes to training will be communicated.  If you are not in a team chat, reach out to your volunteer coach or to miniroos@mufc.net.au and we will ensure you are linked in.

TEAM ALLOCATIONS

Milton Ulladulla Football Club is the largest club from north of Wollongong to the Victorian border, and one of the largest community clubs in NSW.  The MiniRoos Coordinators are looking after over 40% of registered players for the Club, which is a huge job!

The MiniRoos Coordinators spend a lot of time allocating kids to teams, attempting to ensure a fair spread of talent across teams, and an even distribution of boys and girls.  Teams will not remain the same from year to year as it brings positive benefits for the kids to meet and play alongside new people – it helps to build resilience!

The Coordinators receive countless requests for children to be paired together each season.  Whilst every attempt is made, we make no guarantee that your request can be accommodated.  Please be understanding of the sheer numbers of participants we are coordinating, and do your best to make the season a positive experience for all.

 We have had a huge influx of new registrations across all age groups in 2025.  Our Club is 100% powered by volunteers and as a result of increased registrations, increased support is therefore needed to run enjoyable training sessions.    

 We aim to have a coach to player ratio of 1:10 for training.  Training is a mix of skills and game play set up as stations that the kids move through.  Even if you have no experience as a player or coach, you can support training by helping to supervise a game and keep the ball moving.  Or you can pair up with an experienced coach and help to supervise a skills station to ensure the adult:child ratio continues to be ideal.  These are just examples of the type of help you could provide. 

 Please reach out to miniroos@mufc.net.au to advise if you are able to assist with training in any capacity.  We will link you in with your relevant age coordinator.   

 It is vital that you are prepared to assist with training to ensure the success and enjoyment of the session for all. If there are not enough parent helpers, the relevant age group coordinator will cancel training until sufficient numbers can be identified. 

EQUIPMENT

Essential equipment for each game: Boots and shin pads (no exceptions), long white socks to cover shin pads and black shorts, drink bottle and hat.

SportsPower Ulladulla can assist you with all equipment required. PH: 02 44555 950. Located at the top of the hill, Ulladulla (in the ToyWorld building).

MUFC has a boot bin of donated children’s boots, free to use. Most are in great condition and only seen a few games use. The boot bin is available every Saturday, please enquire in the Canteen. If you have a spare pair of boots that you no longer need please bring them down and add them to the collection.

Shirts are provided by the Club to be worn for games.  ALL SHIRTS MUST BE RETURNED AT THE END OF THE SEASON.  FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN FINES BEING APPLIED. 

PARENTS: Bring a warm jacket. Lighthouse oval is well known for cold temperatures and icy winds during winter.

Field set up and pack down   

It is essential that you provide assistance with field set up and pack down each week.  This information is included in the draw.  If your game is delayed due to no field set-up, your game time will not be extended.   

INSURANCE RESTRICTIONS

Like most sports, insurance regulations are becoming increasingly stricter. Unfortunately, children will not be covered and therefore unable to play unless they are registered and wearing shin pads at every game.

Please also note that jewellery is not to be worn when playing.  It is not acceptable to tape earrings, they must be removed.

FACILITIES

Age division fields - Each age division is identifiable by a large flag. Age divisions will play on the same field/s all season.

Toilets are located behind the canteen.

Food & Beverage -The canteen is located down by the seniors playing field, now with Eftpos facilities. A coffee van will also be available from 11 May. A sausage sizzle will be running weekly at the Canteen from 9am.

Please do not bring dogs to MiniRoos games. Whilst many of us consider them part of the family, many children are scared of dogs.  This is the first experience of playing a weekend sport for many children, and it is important that we create a fun and enjoyable environment. The Club discourages spectators from bringing dogs and asks that if it cannot be avoided please ensure that the dog stays outside the fence line.

About the MiniRoo’s

The MiniRoo’s program provides opportunities for boys and girls of all abilities aged between 4 and 8 to play small-sided games on the weekend. The nationwide initiative uses short, game-based sessions to introduce the sport of football to newcomers in an inclusive way. It focuses on learning new skills, being active, making life-long friends and, potentially, unearthing the next generation of Socceroos or Matildas. It is all about fun, friends and a bit of football! The Mini’s is a great program to get your child active with their peers.

On Saturday mornings we have a different time for each age group which can change year to year. The Mini’s Coordinator will send out information on what age group is on when close to when the Mini’s season begins. The Mini’s play small-sided games with modified rules to promote inclusiveness, engagement and technical ability. The smaller fields, modified rules and fewer players mean a more enjoyable game with more opportunities to touch the ball and more opportunities to score goals, once again increasing the likelihood of an overall positive experience.

Coaches and Game Leaders

Each year we are seeing significant increases in the number of MiniRoos, and with that we need more help to keep them running. Please send us an email to miniroos@mufc.net.au if you can help coach in your child’s age division.

It can be daunting taking up a coaching role but understand it will be organised chaos. If players are running around like crazy, balls are flying everywhere and the sound of laughter fills the air, your session is going well. All you have to do is steer the ship so that ALL players are involved and having fun. MUFC will always support our coaches and will help you in any way we can. We even have resources for you to utilise at training designed specifically for these young footballers in the making.

The main role of game leaders is to keep the game moving fluently, limit stoppages and assist players with all match re-starts. It is important to keep these games going as the more game time the kids can get the better! The great thing about this role is you don’t need to be a full time football parent that knows everything about the game, you can have no experience at all! You can learn together with your child and try not to get hooked.

The Club requires all volunteers to have an up-to-date Working With Children Check.  This if free for volunteers and can be applied for here.  You will also need to register as a coach via the same registration process that you completed for your child.  This is also free.  Your WWCC number can be entered during the registration process.  If you have already completed your registration and your WWCC number was pending, please email it directly to the Club at miniroos@mufc.net.au.   

Registering as a coach provides you with access to all MUFC coaches Club-wide.  This means you can ask questions, attend other’s training sessions for training ideas, or get tips and tricks for training.  Many of our coaches have a wealth of experience and knowledge – make sure you take advantage of it!

Coaching Resources: Grassroots

Whilst the internet is great for information, there is a heap of it out there which can make it hard to find what your looking for. So we have made that easy and have put a link below with some information on the Mini Roos and resources involving skill challenges that can be practised at your next training session or even for your child to try at home.