Cricket Australia redefines age guidelines for Futures League Pat Howard has informed grade clubs of the changes. In a significant shift for Cricket Australia, the much-maligned age restrictions in the state second XI competition have been scrapped as part of a drive to keep experienced players in the grade system. Many players felt the restrictions turned the second XI, or Futures League, into a glorified juniors competition instead of the strong contest, sprinkled with the odd exceptional teenager, that once acted as a bridge between grade and the Sheffield Shield. Grade cricket suffered because many older players, juggling jobs and families with little prospect of making the next level, quit the game. CA's performance boss Pat Howard has written to grade clubs informing them states can pick more than six players over 23, emphasising the importance of keeping hardened, experienced players around to help the development of young players. "Every young player with the potential to go on to a higher level needs to be in a dressing room which is dominated by older players who are able to stretch young talent," Howard wrote in his email to club presidents. The young players going on to state and international levels can come from any club in Australia and need to be exposed to the difficulties of playing against older players, and as early as possible. One of the changes that you may want to reinforce to your talented older players is that Cricket Australia has changed the Futures League/second XI concept of playing lots of young players from a rule to a guideline. This hopefully leaves a carrot for your older players to know that representation at the next level is still attainable ... within an overall objective of stretching and developing youth in the interests of Australian cricket. Howard said the change was designed to give states more flexibility rather than a response to criticism led by former state players Dirk Nannes and Theo Doropoulos. "If you're a player of 24 or 25 and you were worried the door was closed to higher honours, well it's not closed," he said. Grade is so important. We know our best players play cricket at a young age and we want to make sure they are exposed to older players. Cricket Victoria boss Tony Dodemaide, who helped drive the change, said the drain of experience from grade ranks was "an Australia-wide trend." We're concerned that premier cricket is becoming younger and younger. Certainly it's very different from when we were playing against former first-class players, if not Test players, every week. Dodemaide believes CA's youth focus, championed by Greg Chappell, has created a "better balance" but the need for experience is exacerbated by the fact state and international players rarely turn out for clubs. "There are more emerging players coming through in state cricket," he said. Anything we can do to keep senior guys in the game is a good thing. Age restrictions were introduced in 2008 because CA felt the system was too weighted towards journeymen who would never play for Australia. Three months ago Chappell launched a vehement defence of the age restrictions, claiming experience was "overrated" if players had stagnated. "I can understand why players, who are making a good living, want to maintain their position ... but this can't be at the expense of clogging up the system," he said at the time. Poll: Will England win the second Test? It will be a draw Total votes: 821. Poll closes in 370 days.