2025-2026 season
WELCOME TO THE PRO DIRECT JUNIOR PREMIER 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.
ABOUT THE PRO DIRECT JUNIOR PREMIER LEAGUE
-
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 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.
JPL WARRIORS
The JPL Warriors is our highest standard girls football league aimed at the very best teams in England that currently sit outside of the FA PGA programme.
The league includes clubs such as Watford, West Ham United, AFC Bournemouth, Millwall, Derby County and Huddersfield Town along with a vast array of other girls teams that hit the standards expected to be in this amazing league.
Games are played on a Saturday, and all matches are played over 4 periods to allow for coaching input in-line with the professional academy game (U18 2 x 45 mins).
All JPL Warriors 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.
-
In the summer of 2019, after 8 years of unparalleled success with JPL boys, the FA embraced our vision of starting our first dedicated girls league. From a small beginning of only 7 teams in the Under 16s age group, the 2024/25 season saw us have over 270 teams from regions across the South, Midlands and North of England.
-
The ethos of the league is development before results, with the primary objective to provide a season of quality, competitive football matches to every team and player within the league.
OUR VISION
Raising Standards. Creating Opportunities. Inspiring Change.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
To create a player-focused journey with outstanding opportunities. The JPL allows players to develop to be the best they can be, while playing with a smile and always having fun.
• Age appropriate match duration split over 4 periods
• 50% playing time for all players
• Minimum FA Level 2 lead coaches Upload Match Data - via the JPLs website and secure logins
• Age appropriate size pitches and goals
• Ensuring its ‘best against the best’ focusing on development and challenge for players
In the 2025/26 season the JPL Warriors will have leagues for all age groups from U12-U18. Make sure your club is part of the fastest growing league in England!
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.
-
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. 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.
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.
-
• One hour match time – 3 x 17 minutes with 3 minutes break between periods
• Referees included where possible
• 50% playing time for all players
• Minimum FA Level 2 lead coaches
• Upload Match Data - via the JPL game management system and our website secure logins.
• Age appropriate size pitches and goals
• ‘Best against the best’ focusing on development
• Match fees (£30-£40 dependent on age group and location)
JPL U11s
Our U11s offering is the next step in the JPL journey, as players will be graduating from the Central Venue environment and getting their first taste of home & away football.
-
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).
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.
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.
-
• 80 minute match time. 4 x 20 minute periods.
• Home clubs allocate referees
• 50% playing time for all players
• Minimum FA Level 2 lead coaches
• Upload Match Data - via the JPL management system and our website secure logins
• Age appropriate size pitches and goals
• ‘Best against the best’ focusing on development
• Home team responsibility to provide and pay referee for fixtures
• Home team provide changing rooms and toilets
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.
-
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.
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
-
• 80 minute match time. 4 x 20 minute periods.
• Home clubs allocate referees
• 50% playing time for all players
• Minimum FA Level 2 lead coaches
• Upload Match Data - via our website secure logins
• Age appropriate size pitches and goals
• ‘Best against the best’ focusing on development
• 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.
• 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
• Official licensed referee
• 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
JUNIOR PREMIER LEAGUE - ENTRY CRITERIA
CVF, U11, Regional Championships & JPL Warriors
-
• 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.
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.
JPL 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.
