PROVE YOUR MOVES

Rules and Format

Introduction:

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.

General Rules:

  1. All competitors must pay the NCL membership fee of $30.00 AUD each season. Registration available from the www.ninjachallengeleague.com home page. No matter when they are purchased, memberships expire after the NCL Finals each year. Competitors who have not paid their NCL membership fee will not be allowed to compete in NCL competitions. This fee is non-refundable.
  2. Competitors in the adult competition must be at least 15 years of age or turning 15 in the calendar year for that season.
  3. Competitors in the masters division must be born in 1986 or older to participate in this division in the 2026 season.
  4. Competitors in the youth competition must be at born in 2019 at the earliest and enter the appropriate age bracket at each event based on their year of birth.
  5. Competitors may only compete once at each individual event.
  6. The adult competitor pool at a single event is capped at 50 competitors across all divisions. Youth divisions are capped at 20 competitors per division.
  7. When a competitor fails an obstacle or is disqualified for the first time, the clock will stop and this will represent their official result, but they will be able to attempt each of the remaining obstacles once.
  8. Competitors are required to wear shoes when competing at all NCL events.
  9. Tickets to NCL events are non-refundable except with the special permission of the NCL Commissioner, which can be obtained in writing at commissioner@ninjachallengeleague.com.
  10. By purchasing a ticket to an NCL event, all competitors agree to the risk inherent in athletic pursuits and will follow all directions from the staff of the host facility and NCL officials as indicated in the NCL liability waiver which is signed upon registration.
  11. Competitors must be present at the designated start time for each event unless given special exemption from the Commissioner in writing.
  12. Competitors are eligible to qualify at any event in any state or territory, regardless of their place of residence.
  13. If an NCL official thinks a violation has occurred but wants to check the video review before making a final ruling, they will flag this during the run, but the competitor will be allowed to continue and the incident will be reviewed afterwards. Any change in ruling after this video review will be final.
  14. If a competitor is disqualified for violating a rule and wants to appeal the decision, they must request a video review to the Commissioner through the NCL official at this event, immediately following the conclusion of their run, but must accept any ruling made by the Commissioner.

Ninja Challenge League Qualifiers – Rules & Format:

Competitors will compete in a series of official NCL Qualifiers held around Australia. Qualifiers will feature either all divisions (from Kids through to Masters) or just youth divisions (Kids through to Teens), but there will be no standalone Adults qualifiers. Qualifiers will run across either one or two days on a single weekend, depending on the availability of the host venue. For events taking place over two days, be sure to check when your division is competing. Competitors born in 1986 or older are eligible for either the Adult Male/Adult Female Division or the Masters Division. Once they have competed in their first event, they cannot switch to a different division within the same season. Please note, both Adults/Masters/Teens 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 athletes from each division at each qualifier will be eligible to compete in either the NCL Youth Finals 2026 or the NCL Finals & Australian Ninja Open 2026. The NCL Youth Finals 2026 will be held for the Kids, Mature Kids and Pre-Teens divisions at West Coast Warriors on Wednesday 30 September and Thursday 1 October 2026. The Ninja Challenge League Finals & Australian Ninja Open 2026 will be held for the Teens, Adult Male, Adult Female and Masters divisions at Geelong Ninjas on Saturday 3 October and Sunday 4 October 2026. The number of athletes who qualify for the NCL Finals at each event will be determined by the number of competitors of in each division in that qualifier: 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 21 days from the day they receive their invitation to accept their invitation and purchase a ticket to the NCL Finals 2026. 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 2026. 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 2026 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 2026 and book a ticket here.

International Wildcards

Want to participate but don’t live in Australia? The Ninja Challenge League has a long history of welcoming talented ninjas from overseas at our Ninja Challenge League Finals as international wildcards. We know how far it is to travel to us here, so we are happy to have international wildcards participate without needing to qualify first – there’s nothing worse than getting on a long flight and then whiffing on the qualifier before the big event! If you do not reside in Australia but are interested in participating in the Ninja Challenge League Finals as an international wildcard, please send us an email expressing your interest to contact@ninjachallengeleague.com

Ninja Challenge League Finals 2026 (Adults) – Rules & Format:

Competitors who have accepted their invitations and purchased a ticket to the NCL Finals will compete at on Saturday 3 October and Sunday 4 October 2026 at West Coast Warriors in Scarborough, Western Australia.  Tickets to the NCL Finals 2026 cost $135.00 and include the Finals competitor exclusive 2026 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 Masters and Teens divisions 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 Teens 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 10 competitors in the Adult Male division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 10 adult male competitors will advance to Stage Two for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage One. If less than 10 competitors in the Adult Female division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 10 adult female 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 Teens division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 5 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 Masters division clear Stage One, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 5 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 Male division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 5 adult male competitors or 50 per cent of the field (whichever is lesser), will advance to Stage Three for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage Two. If less than 5 competitors in the Adult Female division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 5 adult female competitors or 50 per cent of the field (whichever is lesser), will advance to Stage Three for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage Two. If less than 3 competitors in the Masters division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 3 Masters competitors will advance to Stage Three for unofficial runs, based on furthest-fastest on Stage Two. If less than 3 competitors in the Teens division clear Stage Two, then as many non-finishers as needed to reach 3 Teens 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: To start your journey to the Ninja Challenge League Finals in 2026, 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.

NCL Youth Finals 2026 – Rules & Format:

The Ninja Challenge League 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. The NCL Youth Finals will consist of up to three stages of competition over the course of one to two days, hosted at West Coast Warriors on Wednesday 30 September and Thursday 1 October 2026. 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 2017-18 MATURE KIDS: Born 2015-16 PRE-TEENS: Born 2013-14 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 10 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. If less than 5 competitors in an age 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. 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 sponsors. If you have any questions about the Ninja Challenge League’s rules or format, contact the Commissioner directly at commissioner@ninjachallengeleague.com.

International Pathways

The NCL Finals and NCL Youth Finals are a special event qualifier for the World Ninja League World Championships. This means the top competitors at the NCL Finals 2026 and NCL Youth Finals 2026 will also qualify to compete in the World Ninja League World Championships in the United States in mid-2027.

FOR AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES

Qualification spots for Australian athletes at the NCL Finals will be awarded as follows based on the number of competitors per division, per state:

FOR INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES

Qualification spots for international athletes at the NCL Finals will be awarded as follows: For more information about the World Ninja League, visit www.worldninjaleague.o

Australian Ninja Open

The Australian Ninja Open (ANO) is the Ninja Challenge League’s team format, which will run concurrently with the NCL Finals (Adults) at West Coast Warriors in 2026. The ANO will be open to all NCL Finals competitors (who will have their ANO entry included in their Finals entry). All NCL Finals competitors will take on Stage One of the NCL Finals to determine who is eligible to enter the Ninja Draft and join a team. 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 3 October 2026. 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:
© 2026 Ninja Challenge League | Website Design by Twymedia