2025/26 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 33,000 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.
Introduction
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.
The Foundations of JPL
- 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 550+ clubs (over 33,000 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 10 can come together to learn in a safe environment in one central location.
Facilities
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 10 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.
Matchdays
Match days are different to traditional leagues, with all games being played over 3 periods (U11s 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.
Our Referees
This season, Central Venue Fixtures will operate with referees supplied by the Junior Premier League for games at Under 7 to Under 10. 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.
JPL U11's
Matchdays
Games are played on Saturdays throughout the country. Match days are different to traditional leagues, with all games being played over 4 periods. This allows more coaching during the breaks as opposed to coaching from the side-line during play.
The only exception to the league’s 4-quarter game structure is the cup competitions, where games are played over two halves to provide a different challenge for the players (as they are in professional academy matches).
Competition Format
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.
Referees
Clubs appoint their own referees (Home team) with the help of their local Referee Appointments Officer or CFA referee development Officer. As a league focused on development of young players, The Junior Premier League demands 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.
JPL 'Premier' Leagues
This season our most ‘premier’ divisions, the U12-U16 National Premier Conferences are a format that was designed to match best v best through competition, promotion and relegation. Based on feedback from our member clubs we introduced these leagues in 8 regions throughout England. Simply, the best 8 teams on and off the pitch play in the most competitive and challenging league in the region.
About The JPL 'Premier' Leagues
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.
For season 2025-26, based on further consultation with our clubs we’re simplifying the name to ‘JPL Premier leagues’.
Supported in region by multiple ‘Regional Championship’ leagues at U12 – U16, the introduction of promotion and relegation ensures that only the very best will compete in the JPL Premier leagues.
Competition Format
To conclude the season all Premier league winners will automatically qualify for the 4th annual ‘JPL National Champions Invitational’ in May 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
Key U12 - U16 Details
- 80 minutes match time - 4 x 20 minutes
- 50% playing time for all players
- 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 Premier leagues are the pinnacle of the Junior Premier League. They are expected to be larger geographically due to selecting the most high performing teams over a large region, therefore have slightly more travel that the ‘Regional Championship’ divisions.
Entry Criteria and Application Process
Entry Criteria
- 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 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 & 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.
Application Process
1. Application window opens 5pm, Friday 14th February. Clubs can apply via the the apply now’ link below.
2. Initial outline application submitted and received by the league.
3. Application acknowledged by the league:
a. Application provisionally successful accompanied by invoice of £100 non-refundable deposit per team (to be paid within 14 days).
b. Application unsuccessful.
4. Applications close 5pm on Friday 2nd May.
5. The invoice for the remainder of fees per team will be issued from the 5th 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 – Thursday 19th 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 May 2nd 2025 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.
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 etc and these look very professional.