PROVE YOUR MOVES
PROVE YOUR MOVES
See a summary of 2024 changes here and here.
Welcome to the Ninja Challenge League (NCL) – Australia’s first ninja league, bringing together the top adult and youth competitors from NCL Qualifiers across the country to a national Finals event. The league will allow athletes across Australia to develop their composure under pressure, obstacle skills and overall fitness in a fair, supportive environment.
Competitors will compete in a series of official NCL Qualifiers held around Australia.
Competitors born 2007-2009 are eligible for either the Adult Male/Female Division or the Young Adult Division.
Competitors in this age range who feel ready to compete and qualify with Australia’s best adult athletes should select either Adult Male Division or Adult Female Division.
Similarly, competitors born in 1984 or older are eligible for either the Adult Male/Adult Female Division or the new Masters Division.
Competitors in these age ranges who would prefer to compete against and qualify with competitors their own age only should select Young Adult or Masters Divisions.
Competitors can change their mind between Young Adult/Adult/Masters before their first event, but after they have competed in either division they will be locked into that division for the remainder of the current season.
Please note, both Adults/Young Adults/Masters divisions will participate on the same courses in Qualifier events, but qualify separately.
Youth competitors are split into the following age divisions:
Youth competitors must compete in their indicated age division.
Competitors will compete on a course consisting of eight obstacles, with an obstacle defined as the obstacle or obstacles between each designated landing platform or area.
Competitors will be randomly assigned a spot in the run order at each qualifier on the day of competition to guarantee fairness.
Competitors will only have one attempt to complete the course at each qualifier, with the first fall making their official result, but each competitor will be able to attempt each remaining obstacle once after they have fallen.
Competitors are allowed up to 20 seconds of rest on the platform after the completion of each obstacle in the course.
The only exception to this is the Warped Wall, which allows 30 seconds rest between attempts.
Competitors must remain on the platform the entire time they are resting.
If a competitor does not begin the next obstacle when directed to do so by the judge for their event, they will be disqualified.
Where possible, the NCL will endeavour to make the course and rules for each qualifier will be made available on the Schedule page at least two weeks before that qualifier is due to be held.
Chalk and other performance aids will be provided where they are deemed necessary, but competitors will be allowed to bring their own chalk to use prior to the beginning of their run. However, wearable chalk bags are not allowed.
Following the announcement of the course, the facility hosting the course will ensure at least one opportunity to train all or some of the course in the two weeks before the event.
Competitors are encouraged to visit the facility in the lead-up to the event to better prepare themselves for the qualifier, but this is not a requirement.
Results will be determined using a competitor’s official result on a furthest the fastest basis.
If a competitor is disqualified for violating a rule, they must request a video review in person, or in writing to the Commissioner, immediately following the conclusion of their run.
The top male, female, young adult, and master competitors from each qualifier will be eligible to compete in the Ninja Challenge League Finals & Australian Ninja Open to be held on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6, 2024 at Geelong Ninjas in Geelong, Victoria.
The top youth competitors from each qualifier will be eligible to compete in any or all of the State Youth Finals scheduled to be held in August/September.
While we encourage youth competitors to travel to other State Youth Finals if they choose, only a limited number of spots will be available for non-local competitors at each event, so be sure to secure a spot early if you intend on travelling to another State Youth Final.
The number of adult men, adult women, young adults, masters, and youths who qualify for the NCL Finals or State Youth Finals at each event will be determined by the number of competitors of in each division in that qualifier.
Adults/Young Adults/Masters Divisions:
Youth Divisions:
However, a competitor who finishes last overall at an event is unable to qualify at that event, unless they are the only competitor in their division or they finish last despite clearing the course. For example, at an event with 15 women and one man, a man who finishes last overall will still qualify for Finals, because there were no other competitors in the male division.
Results from each qualifier will be made available on the News page as soon as possible following the conclusion of each event.
Competitor tickets for the NCL Finals will be available following the first qualifier of the season. Competitors who qualify for the NCL Finals will have 14 days the day they receive their invitation to accept their invitation and purchase a ticket to the NCL Finals 2024.
Competitors who decline the invitation, fail to respond or do not purchase their ticket within this period will forfeit their invitation to the next eligible competitor from that qualifier.
If a competitor forfeits their invitation from a previous qualifier, they are eligible to qualify again at subsequent qualifiers, if any remain on the schedule.
Once a competitor qualifies, they are not required to compete at further qualifiers and results in subsequent qualifiers will not have any impact on a competitor’s invitation from previous events.
Put simply, if a competitor wins an event then falls on the first obstacle in another event, they will still be qualified for the Finals.
If a competitor who has already qualified performs well enough to earn a qualifying position in a subsequent event, the qualifying spot is given to the next eligible competitor at that event.
The only exception to this is when a competitor forfeits an earlier qualifying result as detailed above.
Qualifiers will be held in different states and territories, but ninjas are not restricted to qualifying only in their home state.
Following each qualifying event’s conclusion, points will be allocated based on the results.
Points will be awarded after each qualifier based on the competitor’s position in the standings for that event with the following bonuses:
Each competitor’s three highest-scoring qualifier results across all states and will be used to determine their overall ranking on the national leaderboard.
In addition to being a fun way to see where they rank among their fellow competitors, the adult competitor with the most points across their three best events at the end of the qualifier season will appear as the logo on the exclusive NCL Finals t-shirt for 2024.
However, these points have no bearing on eligibility for the Finals, competitors will still need to have finished high enough at an individual qualifier event to earn an invitation.
For example, if Competitor A finishes first in a single qualifier and earns 50 points but does not compete again and Competitor B finishes with 70 points accumulated over three qualifiers but does not finish in the top five of any of them, Competitor B will still not be eligible for the NCL Finals, despite having more points and being ranked higher in the standings.
A 2023 debut ticket to an NCL Qualifier costs $25.00, with standard tickets costing $50.00.
A ticket entitles the competitor to a single official attempt at the course.
See the up-to-date schedule of upcoming NCL Qualifiers in 2024 and book a ticket here.
Competitors who have accepted their invitations and purchased a ticket to the NCL Finals will compete at on Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6, 2024 at Geelong Ninjas in Geelong, Victoria.
Tickets to the NCL Finals 2024 cost $TBC and include the Finals competitor exclusive 2024 Finals tee in the size indicated in the competitors’ membership profile, as well as entry to the Australian Ninja Open.
The Finals will consist of up to three stages of competition over the course of the weekend.
The young adults and masters division will have a longer time limit that the adult divisions on Stages One and Two, and will run before the adult divisions on all stages. However, competitors in the young adults and masters divisions will not be eligible to win Total Victory, Last Ninja Standing, Last Woman Standing or Last Man Standing.
The run order for ALL STAGES in both divisions will be determined by how many points competitors scored at events throughout the year, with the highest-scoring competitors running later in the day.
The course for the Finals stages will be revealed on the morning of the first day of competition at the latest.
Competitors will not be allowed to practice any part of the course unless otherwise specified on the day.
Competitors must complete each stage within the designated time limit (where applicable), beginning with Stage One to progress to the next stage.
If a competitor fails an obstacle on Stage One or Stage Two, they can use the remainder of their time limit to unofficially attempt the remaining obstacles on that stage.
If a competitor falls on Stage Three, they will have three minutes to unofficially attempt the remaining obstacles of Stage Three in that time, if they choose.
If less than 20 competitors in the adult division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 20 competitors will advance to Stage Two for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage One.
If less than 10 competitors in the young adult division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 10 competitors or 50 per cent of the field (whichever is lesser) will advance to Stage Two for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage One.
If less than 5 competitors in the adult division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 5 competitors will advance to Stage Three for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage Two.
If less than 3 competitors in the young adult division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 3 competitors will advance to Stage Three for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage Two.
The following cash prizes are on offer at the event for the top male and female competitor:
The top men, women and young adults at the NCL Finals 2024 will also qualify to compete in the World Ninja League World Championships in the United States in mid-2025.
For more information about the World Ninja League, visit www.nationalninja.com.
To start your journey to the Ninja Challenge League Finals in 2024, book into an official NCL Qualifier event on the Schedule page.
If you have any questions about the Ninja Challenge League’s rules or format, contact the Commissioner directly at commissioner@ninjachallengeleague.com.
The Ninja Challenge League State Youth Finals are the culmination of a season of qualifiers across Australia, providing an opportunity for the top youth athletes from across the country to test their skills, develop their abilities, and socialise with fellow ninja enthusiasts.
Competitors who have qualified at an event this season will compete at State Youth Finals held in each region in August/September.
Competitors will be eligible to compete at any State Youth Final or more than one, but will only have a guaranteed place at the State Youth Final for their local region.
Limited spots will be available at each State Youth Final for non-local competitors.
Confirmed State Youth Finals (last updated: 18/1)
The State Youth Finals will consist of up to two stages of competition over the course of one to two days (may vary depending on venue).
A rough schedule, spectator tickets and more details will be released closer to the date of competition.
As with the regular season, youth competitors will be split into four different divisions based on year of birth:
KIDS: Born 2016-17
MATURE KIDS: Born 2014-15
PRE-TEENS: Born 2012-13
TEENS: Born 2010-11
Competitors must complete each stage within the designated time limit (where applicable), beginning with Stage One to progress to the next stage.
If less than 12 competitors in an age division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 10 competitors will advance to Stage Two for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage One.
The course for the Finals stages will be revealed on the morning of the first day of the competition at the latest.
Competitors will not be allowed to practice any part of the course unless otherwise specified on the day.
The run order for ALL STAGES will be determined by how many points competitors scored at events throughout the year, with the highest scoring competitors running later in the day.
The top competitors in each age division will win fantastic prizes from our sponsor OZIGRIP.
The top boys and girls in each age division of the NCL Youth Finals 2024 will also qualify to compete in the World Ninja League World Championships in the United States in mid-2025.
For more information about the World Ninja League, visit www.nationalninja.com.
If you have any questions about the Ninja Challenge League’s rules or format, contact the Commissioner directly at commissioner@ninjachallengeleague.com.
The Australian Ninja Open (ANO) is the Ninja Challenge League’s team format, which will run concurrently with the NCL Finals (Adults) at Geelong Ninjas in 2024.
The ANO will be open to all NCL Finals competitors (who will have their ANO entry included in their Finals entry).
In addition, a number of spots in the ANO will be allocated to non-Finalists, which will be given on a first-come, first-served basis once bookings open.
To be eligible to purchase a ticket to compete in the ANO, competitors must be a 2024 NCL member, and be born in 2011 or older.
This means that for the first time, our Teens Division competitors will have a chance to compete against the adults.
All ANO competitors will take on Stage One of the NCL Finals to determine who is eligible to enter the Ninja Draft and join a team.
Non-Finalists will take on Stage One first, followed by Young Adults, then Masters, then Adults.
The run order for non-Finalists will be randomly determined.
To be entered into the Ninja Draft and participate in the team section, competitors must rank high enough according to furthest fastest across all divisions (the exact number of spots in the Ninja Draft is TBC).
The top competitors across all divisions will be named captains and draft fellow competitors from the pool of available ninjas, which will take place after the conclusion of Stage One on Saturday, October 5.
The team competition will commence with the conclusion of Stage Three of the NCL Finals, with pool play, knockout stages and a championship round.
More details of the format will be released closer to the event.
To get a sense of the general Australian Ninja Open format, we encourage you to look back on previous iterations: