Junior Canterbury clubs up in arms over policy to impose $100 fines for kids wearing wrong socks
PARENTS and clubs across the Canterbury Junior Rugby League competition are fuming following a proposal to fine clubs $100 for each kid not wearing the correct socks.
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JUNIOR rugby league clubs are being fined $100 for each player out of uniform — including kids as young as five wearing the wrong socks — leaving parents and local club officials fuming.
Fines will be doubled from $50 to $100 as of this weekend, 11 weeks into the season, but clubs were only informed of the increase via email on Tuesday night.
Berala Bears secretary Kylie Anne said many of the club’s players were from low socio-economic circumstances and, while she was all for setting standards, the $100 fine was excessive.
“I have refugees playing, and we have kids with single or absent parents,” Ms Anne said.
“If you are a parent who has eight kids and you can’t find a sock for your kid, it’s not at the top of your priorities.”
The fines apply to clubs within the Canterbury-Bankstown district, which has enforced uniform standards and financial penalties since 2016, when the fine was just $20 per player out of correct uniform.
Ms Anne said while some clubs were backed by major leagues clubs, others were not, and the sudden doubling of the fines disgusted her.
“We have a $7000 sponsorship from the local pub, everything else we earn comes through our canteen of a weekend,” she said.
“And let’s not forget we are in the Canterbury district and we’ve just gone through four weeks of Ramadan ... so we’ve had next to no canteen sales because many people are not eating.”
She said officials from at least five other clubs, including Chester Hill Hornets and Bankstown Sports Rugby League, had also vented their anger in conversations with her and via their club social media accounts.
Last weekend inspectors noted approximately 43 uniform offences, which would have totalled $4300 in fines under the new regime.
It is understood all fine money will go into a uniform rebate fund, which will pay a dividend at the end of the year to clubs which have complied with uniform standards.
“So it’s like Robin Hood in reverse,” Ms Anne said.
Canterbury Junior Rugby League competition manager Nathan Mairleitner, who took over the role three weeks ago, said “we are looking to raise standards to increase playing numbers”.
“We are not here to cause any further monetary concerns, it’s more a case of lifting standards by putting people on notice,” he said.
Mr Mairleitner also said he would review all current processes and policies.
“I’ve come in at halftime and I can review everything to make our junior league a better one,” he said.
While an email to clubs said fines were “not negotiable from now until the end of the season”, Mr Mairleitner they were open to negotiation in extreme circumstances.
“Bankstown Bulls were a big offender last week, they had between eight and nine players without a uniform,” he said, adding that it turned out a new shipment of uniforms was among the containers that fell off a ship in recent weeks.