Scottish Junior Football Association
The
Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is the organising body for the 'junior' grade of
football (soccer) in
Scotland. This grade of football is commonly mistaken for a level at which boys football is played, but the term 'junior' refers not to the age of the players, but the level of football played. Football for youngsters is generally known as 'youth' (up to Under 19) or 'juvenile' (which is to level Under 21) football.
The SJFA is headquartered at
Hampden Park,
Glasgow, which is the Scottish national stadium.
Junior football, as distinguished from senior football, has existed since the early 1880s. However, the SJFA, the national body under which the local Junior associations existed, wasn't formed until
1886. This association acted as an umbrella for the many local Junior associations that had began to appear across Scotland, as well as running the
national cup competition.
The local associations continued to run their leagues until
1968, when the SJFA instituted major reforms, running all the leagues itself, removing the need for the many local associations, replacing them instead with six district committees. These six regions - Ayrshire, Central, East, Fife, Tayside and North - still exist to a certain extent, as divisions in the national league structure and as operators of many cup competititions.
The last major league reform took place in
2002, with the six districts "merging" to create a three-pronged league setup; see Organisation and Regions.
The 'senior' grade of football in Scotland is played in the
Scottish Premier League, the
Scottish Football League as well as the three senior non-leagues, the
Highland Football League, the
East of Scotland Football League and the
South of Scotland Football League. The distinction between the two grades 'senior' and 'junior' is basically that the two types of club do not play each other in competitive games.
Despite the lesser media coverage the 'juniors' get many of the club sides are fairly popular and some of the bigger games between their clubs can attract attendances in the thousands, although crowds were bigger in the past compared to the level of support attracted now. Although mocked by many followers of the 'seniors', many consider that the best 'junior' clubs would be very able to compete at least at the third division level of the SFL.
The main league structure is organised on a geographical basis, being split into three regions:
*
West Region*
East Region*
North RegionEach region contains several divisions, the East and West regions also being split into further geographical sections in the lower divisions. This is a remnant of the pre-
2002 system in which there were six district committee setups that comprised the leagues. Pressure to create more competitive leagues and a higher number of 'big games' caused the rationalisation to three main district leagues.
As well as the local leagues, there are a number of local cup competitions competed for as well. However the biggest competition is the
Scottish Junior Cup which every 'junior' club competes for annually, with the final generally held each May. This cup is a well established competition being some 120 years old. Highlights of the advanced stages of the competition are broadcast on national television, with the final match usually being broadcast live. The cup's sponsor is the
OVD Demerara Rum company.
The 'juniors' also play internationally as well, with the best players being picked to play for the Scottish Junior International team against other countries non-league select teams.
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Scottish Football Association Museum - History of Junior Football*
SJFA Website
