Football Victoria is excited to announce a refreshed structure for the Advanced Junior Girls Competition ahead of the 2027 season.
These changes aim to promote an aligned club approach, stronger technical outcomes, and support with club resourcing and facility usage.
Importantly, it also solidifies a structure that allows aspirational clubs to enter and move up the junior girls’ pyramid, enabling certainty for clubs & participants with a full fixture release prior to season.
The new structure reflects extensive feedback provided by the football community within the current model and supports the broader goals of FV’s 2024–2028 Strategic Framework: to enhance competition pathways, remove participation and retention barriers, and identify & nurture young talent across the state.
Key Changes from 2027
1. Whole-of-club evaluation
From 2027, clubs will have all their age groups (U13, U15 and U17) evaluated as one.
Each age group will still compete in its own league; however, an aggregate club ladder will track results, goals for/against, and total points across all teams
2. New competition naming convention
The Girls Victorian Youth Premier League (GVYPL) will be expanded to include the Girls Victorian Youth State League (GVYSL) and Community A levels and follow the below structure:
- Girls Victorian Youth Premier League 1 (GVYPL1) – 16 clubs, 30 rounds
- Girls Victorian Youth Premier League 2 (GVYPL2) – 12 clubs, 22 rounds
- Girls Victorian Youth State League (GVYSL) – 12 clubs, 22 rounds
- Community A – Club numbers and rounds TBC
- Community A will act as a new entry point into the Advanced Girls pyramid. Clubs must field all required age groups (U13, U15, U17) and finish top in the Club Championship to progress
3. Expanded club participation
League structures for each league will be based off 2026 CPL results and ladder positions.
2027 GVYPL2 and GVYSL placement will be determined from the 2026 CPL Club Championship ladder.
To create the new GVYPL2 and GVYSL leagues, the current CPL U13, U15 & U17 North-West and South-East ladders will be combined to create a CPL Girls Club Championship Ladder.
From this, the top 12 clubs at the end of the 2026 season will automatically move into the GVYPL2 and the bottom 10 will play the 2027 season in the GVYSL.
2026 CPL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER
An additional 2 clubs will enter the structure in the GVYSL through an application process, bringing the total number of clubs up to 40. These new clubs will begin in the third tier.
4. Introduction of Promotion & Relegation
The new structure allows clubs to move up or down the Junior Girl’s competition tiers based on their aggregate performance.
At the end of each season:
- The bottom 2 clubs from GVYPL1 will be relegated to GVYPL2
- The top 2 clubs from GVYPL2 will be promoted to GVYPL1
- The bottom 2 clubs from GVYPL2 will be relegated to GYSL
- The top 2 clubs from GVYSL league will be promoted to GVYPL2
- The club finishing bottom in the GVYSL will be relegated to Community A
- The club finishing top of the Community A will be promoted to GVYSL
5. Pathway for Aspiring Clubs
Excitingly, 2 new clubs outside the current structure will have an opportunity to be promoted up into the GVYSL from the conclusion of the 2026 season.
To be eligible to be offered a position, clubs must:
- Have entered teams in “A” competitions in each of the three junior age groups
- Meet facility standards
- Meet coaching requirements
- These changes are designed to:
- Encourage club-wide development rather than isolated team success
- Improve technical standards across all levels
- Create a clear, merit-based pathway for clubs and players
- Provide greater certainty through full-season fixtures and a stable structure
Football Victoria Head of Competitions Jimmy Whitehead welcomed the changes and said that they now ensure the junior girls structure aligns to the strategic framework of FV.
"This is an extremely exciting moment for junior football in this state and one that has come off the back of months of hard work undertaken by FV staff, the Football Development Committee, Football Advisory Panel and our clubs.
"These changes to the junior girls structure promote investment across all elements of a club and each of their junior girls teams, they make the pathways to success clearer for all and they will create an environment where Victoria is producing excellent talent coming out of healthy clubs.
"We made it clear in our strategic framework that we would focus on our key pillars - our clubs and competitions, our participants, our pathways, our facilities and our future - these changes ensure we are doing exactly that.
"This is an exciting step for junior girls football and one which we hope will build momentum for future years.”
We understand that with any change, there may be questions or concerns. We’re committed to continuing our collaboration with clubs, coaches, and communities as we implement this exciting next chapter in Victorian Junior Girls football.
For more information please contact the FV Competitions Department.