There are three progressive age categories in Children’s Ringette - FUN1, FUN2, and U10 (FUN3).
FUN1 is for children who are new to ringette or skating, learning basic game structure, and still developing basic skills, this group plays cross-ice.
FUN2 is for children who are learning to lengthen their stride, ready to learn more rules of ringette, and have developed some basic skills, this group plays Mini Ringette.
U10 (FUN3) is for children who demonstrate that they have acquired the physical, cognitive, and social readiness for more challenging play, this group plays full-sized ringette.
Both FUNdamentals 1 & 2 divisions use small-sized nets and play adapted games of 3 on 3 and 4 on 4 respectively. Smaller spaces ensure more touches, interactions, shots on net, and passes. Teams are split into smaller squads to ensure the majority of players are participating at a time. With these adaptations in the FUNdamentals divisions, children can experience maximum participation, practice learned skills, and move through divisions based on skill and readiness.
What’s Next
Over the next few seasons, several positive changes will be introduced including scaling the game down through the implementation of small-area games (cross-ice and half-ice ringette) and grouping participants by developmental stages rather than chronological ages.
Changes, including introducing small-area games (cross-ice and half-ice ringette) as the standard of play, will be introduced in Ontario as follows: