Uncovering the landscape of youth football in Western Australia

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Western Australia football landscape

The recent inclusion of seven Perth Glory NPL players in the extended 28-player Joey squad for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup has sparked curiosity to explore the state of junior football in Western Australia (WA).

In this article, we will delve into the intricacies and nuances of the local youth football scene, shedding light on its current status and inherent flaws.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the system, it is crucial to examine its structure. The JNPL initiates at U13’s. From U16’s, up until senior football, teams are not subject to promotion or relegation. Instead, the league placement solely revolves around the standings of the Men’s first team.

As a result, we often see a jumble of constantly changing allegiances among players, fuelled by the success of clubs in the season prior. This dynamic leads to a lack of loyalty and makes establishing clear pathways into the first team difficult.

Armadale SC’s U18 JNPL team perfectly depicts this problem. They currently occupy 12th place in the table with only one point, having conceded 54 goals in 11 games. It’s clear that they fall short of the playing standard. However, as it stands, they won’t be relegated due to the Men’s first team’s current third-place position.

To address this well-recognised issue, recommendations have been put forth by both the NPL and Junior Standing Committees (last in 2020) to restructure the current framework.

The NPL Standing Committee proposed a solution involving the establishment of two leagues within the JNPL: JNPL1 and JNPL2. The objective is to foster more closely contested competitions throughout the year. This can be achieved by either aligning all NPL teams with senior NPL teams or structuring the leagues based on finishing positions from the season’s previous Championship rounds, followed by divisional stages.

On the other hand, the Junior Standing Committee recommended that the future competition structure of the Junior NPL be merit-based, promoting a meritocratic approach. This would entail clubs being promoted or demoted based on their performance at the end of each season.

Both suggestions were noted but not implemented by Football West at the time.

Returning to Glory’s Academy success, their flourishing talent production line can be attributed to a plethora of reasons, including but not limited to:

  • A clear elite player development model and age-specific curriculum
  • Sole professional team in the state
  • Ample opportunities for youngsters
  • Talent absorption within the region
  • High-quality youth coaching

Furthermore, when analysing the cohort of Perth-based players chosen by Brad Maloney for the upcoming Asian Cup, a noticeable pattern emerges; with the exception of two individuals, all of them are current members of the Perth Glory NPL (U21) squad.

This leads us to two significant conclusions. Firstly, it suggests that the overall standard of football in Western Australia is comparatively inadequate, as these 17-year-olds are excelling in the state’s premier competition at such a tender age. Secondly, it highlights the distinct approach of Glory, who are actively providing opportunities for these young talents.

At present, Football West is conducting a comprehensive assessment of junior football in Western Australia, and starting in 2024, implementation plans will be put into motion based on the findings.

Both players and clubs will be eagerly anticipating the rectification of the fundamental deficiencies that have persistently plagued the junior system.

The Junior Review WA Survey 2023 can be found here.

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Football West and Cook Government extend $960,000 mental health partnership through to 2027

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football West will host its fourth annual Think Mental Health Round across all leagues and competitions on 25-26 July, backed by a renewed state government commitment worth $960,000 to support mental health and wellbeing programs in Western Australian football.

The Cook Government has extended its Healthway partnership with WA Football until 2027, with funding directed toward initiatives including Talk to a Mate BBQs, mental health education and training across both men’s and women’s competitions.

The round, run in partnership with Healthway’s Think Mental Health campaign, invites clubs to participate through events, signage, social media messaging and facilitated wellbeing sessions. Football West is also organising a series of mental health and wellbeing sessions for clubs in partnership with A Stitch in Time, with details to be confirmed. The partnership also supports an expansion of the Footy Fundamentals program, which targets fundamental movement skills in early childhood.

A Fixture in the Football Calendar

Think Mental Health Rounds have featured in the WA football calendar since 2022, following an earlier rollout in country competitions. This year’s metropolitan round aligns with Round 11 of the West Australian Football League and Round 12 of the West Australian Football League Women’s, placing mental health messaging at the centre of both competitions simultaneously.

For club administrators, the round offers a low-barrier activation opportunity. Clubs can register and access resources through Football West’s online portal, with options ranging from hosting a BBQ to completing the True Sport eLearning module on mental health and wellbeing awareness.

Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said the partnership reflected the reach of football across Western Australian life.

“So many Western Australians have links to local football, whether they play, volunteer or support from the sideline, so this is a fantastic partnership and great way to generate awareness about this important issue,” Saffioti said.

Mental Health Minister Meredith Hammat said football clubs were well-positioned to shift the conversation around seeking support.

“WA Football’s upcoming Think Mental Health Rounds serve as a reminder of how important it is to check in and support one another, and make sure no one faces their struggles alone,” Hammat said.

Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said the government’s goal was to build capacity at club level.

“Through Healthway’s partnership with WA Football, we are equipping clubs with the tools and knowledge to champion mental health and wellbeing, build resilience and create stronger communities,” Winton said.

Just an awareness campaign?

Beyond the health outcomes, rounds like this carry practical significance for the football ecosystem. Clubs that foster psychologically safe environments tend to retain players and volunteers at higher rates, a factor that matters in a state where grassroots football competes for participants across a crowded sporting landscape.

Volunteer burnout and player dropout are persistent pressure points for football administrators across Australia. Programming that addresses mental health at club level, rather than directing participants elsewhere, positions clubs as genuine support structures within their local areas. That reputation has tangible effects on registration numbers, family engagement and the willingness of people to take on coaching and administrative roles.

The $960,000 commitment across two years also signals that the state government views football infrastructure as more than turf and floodlights. Embedding health initiatives within the competition calendar gives federations and clubs a degree of programming certainty, reducing the reliance on ad hoc grant applications to fund welfare activities.

For Football West, the extension means mental health support sits within a funded, multi-year framework through the back half of the decade, rather than being renegotiated season by season. In a state as geographically dispersed as Western Australia, where clubs in regional areas often operate with limited resources, that continuity carries weight beyond the metropolitan competitions it most visibly supports.

Football West’s Female Football Week draws record engagement from Metropolitan Perth to Remote Kunurra

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Image Credit: Football West

Football West has wrapped up its 2026 Female Football Week with activations spanning metropolitan Perth, regional Western Australia and national online platforms, as participation data from the state’s most remote football association underlined the scale of demand for women’s and girls’ football beyond the city.

Kununurra Soccer Association, situated in the East Kimberley more than 3,000 kilometres from Perth, recorded 47 new female registrations aged 7 to 12 across the first two terms of 2026 through Football West’s Junior Girls United program, representing a 30 percent increase in female membership that coaches Hannah Grominsky and Evie Marchetti described as overwhelming.

“The support from the community has been simply awesome,” Grominsky said. “We’re up to nearly 50 registered girls now. The majority of them have never played before or aren’t part of our association, so it’s great to give them a positive football experience in a comfortable environment.”

The program, supported by the Federal Government’s Play Our Way grant, now runs every Wednesday and has extended football activity into the cooler months of the Kimberley calendar, a season when the association would not traditionally operate. The result is a cohort of players new to the game, in a region where access to organised sport has historically been constrained by geography, infrastructure and seasonality.

Recognition across the state

Back in Perth, Female Football Week’s centrepiece event was the Women in Football Celebrate You Breakfast at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, featuring two panel discussions covering officiating pathways, coaching development and advocacy for women in football.

Subiaco AFC NPL Women’s head coach Christine Coppin, who is one of few women coaching at her level in the region, said events like the breakfast were critical to making the pathway visible for others.

“I’d love to see more women coaches putting their hat in the ring, both at junior and senior levels, realising that there’s more to football than just playing,” Coppin said. “They can stay involved in the sport as they get older in different ways.”

A regional Women in Football Breakfast in Albany drew more than 30 attendees, while a Girls Day Out event in the same city attracted more than 50 participants aged 6 to 16 for a come-and-try introduction to the game, extending the week’s reach into the Great Southern and reinforcing Football West’s stated commitment to building women’s football outside metropolitan areas.

Recognising those who make it happen

The week’s awards, nominated by the WA public, recognised five individuals whose contributions to female football across the state were judged most significant over the past year. Cassandra Paxman of Albany Rovers FC was named Coach of the Year, Georgia Whitelaw of Great Southern JSA and Albany JSA took Referee of the Year, Karen Harris of Carramar Shamrock Rovers FC was named Volunteer of the Year, Georgia Aiesi of Mandurah City FC received the Player of the Year award, and Melissa Spillman of Football Futures Foundations was named Community Champion of the Year— a recognition she also received at the national level.

Football West Female Football and Advocacy Manager Sarah Carroll said the week had reinforced both the momentum and the responsibility facing the sport.

“Female Football Week continues to showcase the incredible passion and growing appetite for the women’s game,” Carroll said. “It’s a reminder of how important it is that we keep working together to drive the game forward.”

The contrast between a packed breakfast at the Sam Kerr Football Centre and a Wednesday afternoon program in Kununurra working around wet season schedules captures something essential about where women’s football in Western Australia actually lives. The growth is real, and it is happening in places the cameras do not always reach.

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