Content approved 17 August 2026
Aim
The aim of NSJCA representative cricket is to enable committed, talented players to develop skills and enjoy participating in a high standard of cricket.
Metropolitan Youth Championships
NSJCA’s boys’ and girls’ representative teams compete in the Metropolitan Youth Championships (MYC), which are run by Cricket NSW (CNSW). MYC teams are from across metropolitan Sydney, Wollongong, the Southern Highlands and Newcastle.
Each season, NSJCA aims to enter:
- girls’ teams in competitions for the U13 and U15 age groups
- boys’ teams in competitions for the U11-U15 inclusive age groups.
Season Length, Match Days and Formats
U13 Girls
- Season starts in early December, breaks until the second or third week of January and concludes in early March.
- Matches use the 30 over format, are played on Sundays and on synthetic pitches.
U15 Girls
- This competition has a carnival-style format. The season starts in about the third week of December, breaks for two weeks over Christmas, recommences at about the end of the first week of January and concludes in late January.
- Typically, there are two T20 matches with the remainder following the 50 over format. Regular season matches are on weekdays and Sundays. Finals matches are usually played on Sundays. Matches are played on turf with synthetic back-up.
U11 Boys
- Season starts in around early December, breaks for school holidays, recommences late January/early February and concludes in early March.
- Matches use the 40 over format, are played on Sundays and on synthetic pitches.
U12-U15 Boys
- Season approximates term four of the school year, concluding in mid-December.
- U12 and U13 boys’ matches use the 40 over format. U14 and U15 boys’ matches use the 50 over format. U12-U15 boys’ matches are played on Sundays.
- U14 and U15 boys’ matches are played on turf with synthetic back-up. U12 and U13 boys’ matches are played on synthetic pitches.
Preparing Junior Players
To prepare for representative cricket, players in U10 and U11 age groups are encouraged to play in Stage Two club cricket at the earliest opportunity and, if possible, in the 30 over format.
Selection and Eligibility
NSJCA generally uses a two-stage trial process to select representative players. Girls’ selections may require only one trial. Information about trials, including registration and rough dates, can be found here. Information about eligibility can be found here.
Codes of Conduct
Information about codes of conduct that apply to representative players, their parents and officials can be found here.
Commitment
The length of matches, standard of competition and travel required to play representative cricket require a high level of commitment from players and families.
Information about the cost of participating in NSJCA’s representative program can be found here. Information about specific obligations and training can be found here.
Squad Training
Other than girls U15 squads, which participate in a carnival-style competition, squads typically undertake weekly training for between 90 minutes and two hours.
Unequal Opportunity
Compared to club cricket, there is less emphasis on providing players with equal opportunity in representative cricket. This reflects the rules used for representative formats, which enable talented players to extend themselves.
To a large extent, the opportunity afforded to players depends on their team role and performance. In addition, where one or more players excel in a match, opportunities for other players can be limited.
Oversight
NSJCA’s Representative Cricket Sub Committee (‘Sub Committee’) oversees NSJCA’s representative cricket program, which is run by volunteers. NSJCA’s Executive Committee (‘Executive Committee’) overseas the Sub Committee. Information about governance can be found here.
Contact
The Sub Committee can be contacted via: reps@nsjca.asn.au.
Parental Involvement
Parents can express interest in helping to run NSJCA’s representative cricket program:
- as managers and coaches, when registering their children to trial
- in any other capacity, by contacting the Sub Committee directly.
Parents may be required to help umpire and will be required to score at matches. They may also be asked to assist at training.