Football Victoria has announced a new competition system for boys in 2026. Here we’ll take a look at the changes and see how it impacts South and players.

https://www.footballvictoria.com.au/news/junior-boys-competition-set-major-revamp-2026

Change number 1: Different Age groups

• Old Junior System: U14, U15, U16, U17
• New Junior System: U13, U14, U15, U16, U18

The first change to look at is the new age group structure. This will see the introduction of a U13s aged group and the U17s age group change to a U18 system. Overall this change seems reasonable and aligned with past practice. This however adds an extra junior category which the club will need to find space for. This should be managed well if the men’s U19 category is removed as expected.

Change number 2: Simplified Competition Format

• Old system: A two part season. In the first part of the season all clubs play against local rivals. In the second part of the season clubs are sorted into divisions based on ability
• New system: A simple home and away system with teams sorted by ability from the start of the year.

Before we get into the new promotion and relegation process let’s assess the new competition format. The new format is more traditional and allows for a full home and away fixture to be known at the start of the season. This improve planning for clubs, players and parents. The current format means that half the fixtures aren’t known until mid-way through the season and creates logistical challenges.

For South this new format may assist with ground scheduling. Currently the Grand Prix means South struggles to host home games at Albert Park in the first part of the season. The new system will allow South to play away games early in the season and schedule home games later in the season which should streamline ground allocations and see more games at Albert park.

Change number 3: Club promotion and relegation

• Old system: All clubs start at the same level and play local opponents early in the season. In the second part of the season each individual age group is placed in a league based on ability.
• New system: Clubs will be placed in divisions based on ability and will be promoted or relegated based on club wide results.

This is probably the most interesting change. The current system has the benefit of allowing each individual age group to ultimately play against teams of similar abilities (in theory), however to do so they will have to face teams of various ability (much better or much worse) early in the season. The new system will provide more certainty at the start of the season as teams will know if they are in the top or bottom division of junior competition, the new system will also judge promotion and relegation on a club basis allowing clubs to move through the pyramid.

There are a few impacts I can think of driven by this change. Club wide assessment for promotion and relegation may mean outlier teams suffer from other club results. This certainly doesn’t help player development. For example if a talented U13s teams wins every game in the season by the U14s-U18s of a club lose every game, the club will be relegated – meaning the all-conquering U13s will have to face weaker opposition. I can see this leading to more player movement at lower levels as good players will chase opportunities at clubs participating in the highest league.

The consequence of this? This will likely support ‘big clubs’ who can market division 1 status with certainty to parents and players with certainty. Generally I think this will support club development and improve elite pathways but could come at the cost of concentration of talent, crazy money being thrown around by clubs and parents, and even heightened politics at junior levels.

South may benefit from this – especially if we are placed in division 1 from the get go, however I think it underlines the need for clubs to protect and maintain healthy cultures in their junior ranks. The A-League sides will be the big winners from this system overall.

Change number 4: More clubs

The system will see an increase in elite junior programs from 47 to 52. It’s hard not to see this as a revenue generating exercise for FV, but is also a necessary evil of restructures. Changes are more palatable if existing clubs feel their status is being maintained rather than eroded through consolidation of club numbers in the elite stream.

Does Vicotria really need 52 ‘elite’ junior football clubs? Maybe I guess, but knowing that these clubs will be charging thousands of dollars for their programs seems ridiculous. Back of the envelope calculations (52 clubs * 5 teams * 16 players) shows over 4,000 players (and their parents) will be on the hook for fees upwards of $2,000. This is not sustainable nor is it where we should be aiming to be as a football culture. Widening the scope of ‘elite’ youth programs increasingly shuts out opportunities for players who can’t afford fees and limits the ability for clubs filled with these players to challenge these ‘elite’ clubs. That said Football Vicotria has opened the door to community clubs through a promotion process into the new system – so maybe the cream will rise to the top after all!

Overall

Far from perfect for a number of reasons but all in all probably better than the current system. The key factors to watch will be how clubs protect junior culture from the politics and money of top division egos and importantly how junior player movement is managed now that more status is on the line.

For South (assuming the U19s are canned) this should be a good thing for the club from a ground allocation perspective. However with many of our NPL teams currently competing in division 2, we may not be given a golden ticket to the top division of the new system which could seriously impact the club.