What are the Junior Development Leagues, and what happened to the Skill Acquisition Program?

The Junior Development Leagues (JDL) were introduced by Football NSW in 2025, replacing the Skill Acquisition Program (SAP) and the Girls Skill Acquisition Program (GSAP). They are known as the Mixed JDL and the Girls JDL.

The age groups remain consistent with the old program. JDL teams compete in modified playing formats of traditional football, with modified field size, player numbers, rules and ball sizes. Players in the JDL fit within Football Australia's Skill Acquisition Phase of the player development pathway.

Football NSW introduced the Club Standards and Benchmarking Framework during the 2024 season, and each season clubs are assessed against it and given a score and rating badge. Football NSW says it will not directly coach JDL teams.

Sources: Football NSW Junior Development Leagues page (footballnsw.com.au/competitions/skill-acquisition-program/); Football NSW JDL Parent Information, March 2025.