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2026/27 Season

Welcome to the Pro:Direct Junior Football league

Thank you for choosing the Junior Premier League for your Club. To be the best, you must play with the best – and that is what the JPL is all about.

With over 40,000 young footballers signed up for the 2025/26 season, now is the time to be a part of an ever-growing League at the forefront of youth football provision.

The following document will outline the various opportunities we have available for your Club. This ranges from boys and girls football between the ages of U7-U18.

The Junior Premier League (JPL) launched for the 2011/12 season. The original membership of the JPL consisted of a group of large clubs from the Midlands & Southern England who wanted to develop young footballers by employing high standards of coaching and better-quality matches.

The JPL is aimed at clubs who want to develop their players through a ‘best with best’ ethos. The JPL’s primary objective is to provide a season of quality and competitive football matches to every team & player within the league.

All JPL coaches must be accredited with up-to-date qualifications and CPD. The JPL is committed to our high entry standards to help us strive towards the best environment for our players to play.

  • Provides a comprehensive football pathway for clubs with teams from u7 to U16 (U18s football also available depending on region).
  • Supported by the Football Association.
  • Grown from 12 to 600+ clubs (over 40,000 players).
  • Tough club entry criteria, focusing on player development, ethos and quality.
  • Promoting a safe, friendly environment in which every player can enjoy their football.

Central Venue

The Central Venue Fixtures (CVF) concept was developed to create an environment where all coaches, players, and parents from Under 7 to Under 11 can come together to learn in a safe environment in one central location.

If you’re looking for 3v3 football, visit here.

The format of the season will be in four blocks, 2 x development and 2 x competitive. This ensures we offer a varied, purposeful season in line with FA directives for these age groups. Players will experience a winter Cup/Trophy competition followed by competitive fixtures in a Spring Premier/Championship division.

The Junior Premier League offers quality facilities throughout its CVF network, providing a demonstrable football pathway for clubs with teams with age groups from Under 7 to Under 11 within the league demographics.

All venues are checked and monitored by the Junior Premier League to ensure that each meets the exceptional standards the league demands. Central Venue games are played on Saturdays throughout the country.

Match days are different to traditional leagues, with all games being played over 3 periods (U12s and above games are played over 4 periods). This format allows more coaching points during breaks and reduces the need for coaching from the sideline during play.

This season, Central Venue Fixtures will operate with referees supplied by the Junior Premier League for games at Under 8 to Under 11. As a league focused on development of young players, we demand the best and safest environment. In line with FA RESPECT guidance, players are encouraged to play within the laws and spirit of the game, duly supported by coaches of all teams.

In line with the FA Future Fit our teams will be playing:

  • U7 – 3v3 with a maximum game time of 60 minutes
  • U8 & U9 – 5v5 will play 3 x 17 minute periods
  • U10 & U11 – 7v7 will play 3 x 17 minute periods
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JPL 'Premier' Leagues

Our Premier divisions format was designed to match the best teams against one another through competition, promotion and relegation.

Based on feedback from our member clubs we introduced these leagues throughout England. Simply, the best teams on and off the pitch play in the most competitive and challenging league in the region.

Our clubs have told us that they want leagues to be even more competitive. This applies to the weakest team at the club as much as the strongest.

So we introduced the National Premier Conference.

Supported by multiple ‘Regional Championship’ and ‘League 1’ leagues in the London area.

The introduction of promotion and relegation ensures that only the very best will compete in the JPL Premier Leagues.

Sitting under our Premier leagues in each region are multiple JPL Regional Championship and JPL League 1 (London) leagues. Promotion and relegation are utilised each season, and Championship winners can qualify for our end of season ‘JPL National Champions Invitational’ through a playoff system. 

To conclude the season all Premier league winners will automatically qualify for the  annual ‘JPL National Champions Invitational’ in Summer 2026, the winner of which to be crowned the JPL National Champion!

The JPL Premier leagues are where the very best teams play.

With an entry criteria more difficult to pass than our other leagues, the Premier leagues minimum criteria will raise over the next few seasons, creating the highest of standards both on and off the pitch for JPL member teams. For example:

  • Enhanced facility inspection
  • League standard match ball
  • On-pitch success determining league placement
  • 80 minutes match time - 4 x 20 minutes
  • 50% playing time for all players
  • 4 hours Coaches Voice CPD required
  • Minimum FA Level 2 lead coaches
  • Upload Match Data - via the JPL game management system and secure logins
  • Age appropriate size pitches and goals
  • Ensuring its ‘best against the best’ focusing on development and challenge for players
  • Home team responsibility to provide and pay referee for fixtures
  • Home team provide changing rooms and toilets

JPL U17/18 LEAGUE

The JPL U17/18 leagues offer high-level competition over a 2-year age band for players transitioning towards senior football.

This is particularly beneficial for non-league clubs with an eye on retaining future talent or post-16 programmes supplementing their offer to players.

Competition Format: Teams have Cup groups, Cup knockouts and a traditional league throughout the season.

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JPL Cup Competitions u12+

For U12-U16, we begin the season with cup group games, which are used as seeding towards one of 3 JPL knockout competitions;

  • JPL Cup
  • JPL Trophy 
  • JPL Vase


For U17/18 cup group games are used to seed the draw for a knockout JPL Cup.

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JPL referees

Clubs are responsible for appointing match referees for home fixtures, with support available from their local Referee Appointments Officer or County FA Referee Development Officer.

As a league committed to the development of young players, the Junior Premier League places the highest priority on providing safe, positive, and well-managed matchday environments. In line with The FA’s RESPECT guidance, players are expected to compete within both the laws and the spirit of the game, supported by coaches and staff from all teams.

HOME facilities

All facilities must be approved by JPL staff to ensure they meet expectations. 

  • Individual changing rooms
  • Male & female toilets
  • On-site parking 
  • A decent playing surface are the minimum requirements.
  • All 4G home pitches must have an in-date FA Bounce Test safety certificate.
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Where Possible

All facilities have the ability for visitors to purchase refreshments e.g. tea, coffee, water. We appreciate some venues won’t and this is out of your control. You may consider sending away teams a welcome email in the pre-match confirmations with directions to the nearest shop or supermarket to your venue if there are no on-site options. Some of our clubs even send a full welcome PDF to each opponent with directions, postcodes, spectator details.

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Entry Criteria and Application Process

  • All clubs applications and entry fees must be in/paid on time in accordance to the application process.
  • All clubs and teams must be affiliated by their County FA to be placed in fixtures.
  • All clubs must be England Accredited
  • All clubs must provide demonstrable previous football league experience. 
  • All clubs must have, and supply when requested, a club development plan.
  • All facilities must be approved by JPL staff to ensure they meet expectations. Individual changing rooms, male and female toilets, on-site parking and a decent playing surface are the minimum requirements.
  • All teams MUST have 2 coaches per team with necessary safeguarding, emergency aid and DBS documents in date. The lead coach must be at Least an FA level 2 coach.
  • All clubs must provide at least the head coach contact number and email for each team.
  • All games should be arranged and confirmed by the deadline each week.
  • All games must have a neutral official referee supplied by the home team.
  • All coaches must complete and produce a Team Sheet for each fixture and provide Player ID Cards prior to kick off.
  • All teams must have home and away kits with distinguishingly different colours.
  • Each playing kit must be individually numbered with no names on the shirt.
  • Team entry deposits are non-refundable.
  • Full entry fees of £300 (mini-soccer) or £350 (11v11) must be settled in full before entry to cups and league divisions.
  • All JPL teams must have a fully stocked medical kit pitch side for every game.
  • All 4G home pitches must have an in-date FA Bounce Tests safety certificate.
  • All match data including scores, scorers and reports must be complete by Sunday night after the matchday.
  • All clubs must sign an agreement prior to the season start, agreeing to the criteria for their divisions.
  • All new non-member clubs are required to pay an £100 application fee that is non-refundable.
  1. Application window opens 5pm, Monday 2nd February. Clubs can apply via the the ‘apply now’ link below.
  2. Initial outline application submitted and received by the league. New non-member clubs to receive an invoice of £100 non-refundable application fee (to be paid within 14 days).
  3. Application acknowledged by the league:
    1. Application provisionally successful accompanied by invoice of £100 non-refundable deposit per team (to be paid within 14 days).
    2. Application unsuccessful.
    3. Clubs will receive a link to a useful ‘Fit to Play’ pathway, to support with next steps in readiness for playing JPL football in September.

4. Applications close 5pm on Friday 1st May.

5. The invoice for the remainder of fees per team will be issued in May (to be paid within 14 days).

6. More detailed information submitted and received by the league (team names, key club contacts etc. – we will prompt and support clubs through this).

7. AGM – TBC / June – official acceptance to league for new clubs.

8. Team provisionally placed in a division.

9. Removal of teams not ‘Fit to Play’.

10. League and Cup Group formation.

11. Cup Groups released – Friday mid August (Games played September -October).

12. League divisions released – early October (games played October onwards).

13. Any applications received after after the closing date may not be accepted, and would be subject to a single invoice for the full team entry if accepted.

Please note – all invoices are required to be settled within 14 days of receipt.

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