JDL trial fees are not permitted: what Football NSW says clubs can legally charge before selecting your child, and what to do if they ask for money upfront.

Football NSW does not permit JDL clubs to charge a fee for a player to trial. The rule is written into section 9 of the Football NSW JDL Parent Information Guide March 2025 and the sanctions sit at Football NSW's absolute discretion. They apply to the club and to individual club staff. If your club has asked for a trial fee, two moves get the matter resolved.

What the JDL trial fees rule actually says

Section 9 of the Parent Information Guide is direct. Clubs are not permitted to charge players a fee to trial. The same section also limits retention fees: clubs cannot charge a retention fee to secure a place in a program unless that fee is offset against the capped Player Registration Fee. In other words, a retention fee that disappears off the registration invoice if your child signs is permitted. A retention fee that is in addition to the cap is not.

Football NSW publishes the trial-permitted dates each season. Clubs cannot run trials earlier than the date set by Football NSW. If a club is running trials and asking for money to participate, both elements may be in breach.

Failure to comply with the directive may result in sanctions on the club and on individual club staff, "as determined by Football NSW in its absolute discretion". That language is in section 9 of the Guide. It is not guidance. It is a written directive with a published consequence.

Two things to do today

One. Reply to the club's email asking which Football NSW regulation authorises the charge. Most clubs that try this back down at this step because they cannot point to a regulation. Phrase it plainly: "Section 9 of the 2025 JDL Parent Information Guide says clubs are not permitted to charge a fee to trial. Could you share the regulation that authorises this charge?" Include the URL of the Guide in the email.

Two. If the club holds the line, forward the original email and your reply to Football NSW at neilm@footballnsw.com.au, the contact published in the 2025 Guide for compliance matters of this kind. Reference section 9. Note whether the trial dates match Football NSW's published window for the season.

The email is the artefact. Do not pay the trial fee while the matter is open.

What this rule is actually for

JDL trial fees became a quiet revenue stream at some clubs in the SAP era. Section 9 in the 2025 Guide closed it. The rule treats trials as part of the development pathway, not as a paid product. A child should be able to be assessed by a club without their family paying for that assessment.

For the broader picture on what JDL is and how the four parent protections fit together, see what JDL actually is in NSW. For the related rule on the fee cap, see the JDL registration fee cap.