Scores of young players signed on the dotted line for the 2009 junior rugby season in the Wakatipu Rugby Club on Saturday.
It was the third and final opportunity for children to register and between 130 and 150 from Queenstown and Arrowtown were estimated to have applied by the close.
First-timers jostled with returning players and Wakatipu-raised youngsters joined up alongside new arrivals to the Southern Lakes.
Subscriptions were $45 for one child, $30 for the second child in the same family and free for the third and subsequent children from the same family.
This season, after three years of negotiations with the Junior Advisory Board, an under-12 division has been introduced.
Junior club captain John Brooks said the new division would smooth the transition between grades and prevent 11-year-old players from leaving the game when pitted against larger, stronger 13-year-olds in an open grade competition.
Mr Brooks said there had been a good response with about the same number of players registering as last year.
A handful of girls were on board, Mr Brooks said.
A team in every grade, from under-7 up to under-13, was being filled, "and in some cases we have two teams, a reflection of the way Queenstown has grown", Mr Brooks said.
An open day will be held on the recreation ground on Saturday, from 10am, for players to meet coaches and the club to organise teams and gear.
A barbecue and activities will be laid on.
The 10-week season begins in earnest on May 2, when all grades will field teams for the first round.
Four teams will be vying for the JAB 2009 under-13 trophy in the open grade competition.
