The NFL’s best junior footballers are preparing to showcase their talent in the 2016 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships.
Kicking off on Wednesday June 1, the AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships provides the first stage of the AFL Victoria talented player pathway and gives respective TAC Cup regions an opportunity to view these players at a higher level than they experience each week in club matches.
The five week long Championship series brings together the best of the best in the Under 14, Under 15 and Under 15 Youth Girls age groups.
Eight metropolitan leagues will have representative teams participating this season, including sides from the Northern Football League (NFL), Eastern Football League (EFL), Essendon District Football League (EDFL), Riddell District Football Netball League (RDFNL), South East Juniors (SEJ), South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL), Western Region Football League (WRFL) and Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL).
The tournament will see all teams compete in a three-round competition, with the top two teams in Division 1 Pool A and Pool B playing off in Grand Finals.
The Under 15 Division 1, Under 15 Division 2 and Youth Girls Grand Finals will be played on Saturday June 25 and Under 14 Division 1 and Under 14 Division 2 on Saturday July 2.
This is the second season under the current format for the boys’ competitions, with the NFL again fixtured in Division 2 this year.
The league which finishes on top of Pool A Under 14 Division 2 will be promoted to Division 1 for the following year in both Under 14 and Under 15 competitions.
The Youth Girls competition will in 2016 change to a similar format as the boys in an effort to achieve more competitive matches between teams.
There will be two divisions of competition in the Youth Girls, with the top two teams in the Division 1 Pool playing off in a Grand Final.
Present throughout the Championships are AFL scouts and TAC Cup scouts viewing the players for consideration in their elite development programs.
The pathway for players from these Championships is to be selected for the TAC Cup Development Squads -> Victoria U16 Metro team -> TAC Cup team selection -> Victorian U18 Metro Team -> AFL Club Draft Selection.
The NFL wishes all of its players and coaches the best of luck in their pursuits at the Championships.
CLICK HERE to view the fixtures for the 2016 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships.
