Junior Premier League announce Australian, South East Queensland launch
The international sporting organisation on the cusp of launching a rebel Australian football league has revealed their plans to mirror the Socceroos of the early 2000s.
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A rogue international sporting organisation has launched plans to create a rebel football league in Queensland and announced its ambition to spread across Australia.
The UK-based Junior Premier League (JPL) has voiced its desire to form a South East Queensland league as soon as October 2024 and has already started approaching clubs to garner their interest in joining.
It comes at a time when football still boasts high participation rates but divides opinion on the back of skyrocketing fees.
The JPL advertises itself as the largest national competition in the United Kingdom, with more than 25,000 players aged from under-7s to 18s competing against some of the country’s most prestigious clubs and development programs.
It also has a global presence in over 10 countries with more than 45,000 participating players and explains that one in 11 players progress to professional football club academies by playing in the JPL.
“We see Australia as a country that has produced many top class players who have played at the very highest levels around the globe,” a spokesperson said.
“We are aware that there have been some challenges at domestic level and we want to be part of the solution in providing young players with a pathway, similar to that of your golden generation back in the early 2000’s, when Australia was seen as a major emerging force on the global stage.”
The Junior Premier League Australia will commence from October this year and run until February 2025.
Existing clubs, newly created clubs, private academies, and schools can express their interest in the new league.
In April, Queensland club Sunshine Coast Fire announced their entry into the UK-based under-18 JPL from September 2025 as well as the National Youth League for their under-16s team.
“We have received a very positive response from clubs, academies and schools and we will be staging an online meeting within the next few weeks,” they said.
“We believe the motivation for clubs, academies and schools to be included is centred around them exploring something different and affordable, which allows clubs to have an input on how the league is shaped, which is consistent to our leagues around the globe.”
They said clubs would not be required to remove its affiliation to Football Queensland or Football Australian in order to play.
“We have always tried to work with governing bodies around the globe and we have an extremely good relationship with the likes of the English FA and other National Governing Bodies (NGB’s),” he said.
“We would certainly be open to a conversation with Football Australia because our plan is to take the JPL national,” they said.
“From past experience we have come to understand that local governing bodies around the globe are less receptive, so we try and open up communication with each NGB.
“If NGB’s decline then we are more than happy to continue independently which is what we have had to do in some countries.
“The Junior Premier League would never ask a club, organisation or player to remove themselves from affiliation within the NGB or County Affiliation, although we have seen that some local associations will try the opposite method which can be disappointing and against true player development.”
Various SEQ clubs have already been approached for their expression of interest with a JPL statement confirming a state meeting would be held at the end of June.
They said clubs, players and parents would be ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the low costs and how finance will be injected into the league to assist with player and coach development.
“Queensland is only the starting point, as we plan to rollout to the rest of Australia over the course of the next 12 months.”
Any players and clubs wishing to make contact with the JPL or express their interest are urged to email info@jplaustralia.com
Football Queensland decline to comment on the matter.
Originally published as Junior Premier League announce Australian, South East Queensland launch
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