All 12-year-old Ty Maddison wants to do is play footy with his mates.
His mum Leah Maddison was frustrated that rugby league officials were blocking him from doing so.
"We live and breathe rugby league. It is a massive family event every Saturday," she said.
Ms Maddison tried to register Ty with the Morpeth Bulls under 13s in a Hunter Junior Rugby League competition for the upcoming season.
He played with East Maitland Griffins for four seasons, including last year when they made the grand final.
But the family moved to Chisholm, so Morpeth Bulls were closer to home.
Ms Maddison is a single mother of four who works full-time and can't take her son to training.
But Ty can ride his bike to Morpeth's ground from his house, or his mates' parents can take him to training.
East Maitland gave Ty a clearance to join Morpeth, but competition officials rejected it last week.
"Unfortunately your request to join Morpeth Junior Rugby League Club has been declined," the message said.
Ms Maddison was told she could appeal the decision but had to pay a $200 fee, which she could not afford.
She repeatedly sent messages to the league and clubs involved, outlining her situation.
She also told them she had a heart attack last year, spent three weeks in intensive care and had ongoing health problems.
But she was continually going "around in circles".
In a post on Facebook, Ty's dad Drew Maddison said: "Just let a kid play footy with his mates".
In a message to Hunter Junior Rugby League on February 19, Ms Maddison pleaded to let her son join Morpeth.
"Morpeth is a five-minute drive from our home," she said.
"If no clearance is provided to Ty, he won't play this year. Could you please take this into consideration."
The NSWRL Newcastle Maitland Region responded in a message on February 20 that "we can pass on your details for Thornton Beresfield" - another nearby club.
"Thornton Beresfield being local to your residence has advised they intend fielding 12s in 2024."
However, Ty didn't want to play for Thornton Beresfield and he is an under 13 player.
Ms Maddison's frustration was heightened this week when Morpeth Bulls said in a Facebook post that it had "six spots available for the under 13s team".
A Hunter Junior Rugby League document on clearances from last year stated that its priority was to retain players at their existing clubs from the previous season.
"There is no advantage to accepting registrations to the detriment of an already existing team," it stated.
"Any clearance requests will require an address and school verification for juniors."
Ms Maddison was prepared to provide these details.
However, Morpeth had told her it may have trouble getting approval from the league to register Ty because four players had already transferred from East Maitland.
NSWRL rules state that clearances could be denied if two or more transfers had already been granted from the same team last season to a new team this season.
They also state that clearances could be denied if four or more transfers had already been granted from any club last season to the same team at a new club this season.
However, the league may breach this policy in "exceptional circumstances", which include moving house.
After the Newcastle Herald contacted the NSWRL for comment, Ty's registration with Morpeth was approved in just over 24 hours.
NSWRL declined to comment on the matter.
Ms Maddison had heard of other kids who faced the same problem when trying to change clubs.
"The clearance system is broken and outdated. It needs to change," she said.
"It's ridiculous that parents have to contact a media outlet to be heard."
