Football NSW publishes a maximum capped Player Registration Fee that every JDL club must comply with. For the 2026 season the maximum total for Mixed JDL Under 9 to Under 12 and Full Time Girls JDL Under 10 to Under 13 is 1,998 dollars, inclusive of the Football Australia National Registration Fee, the Football NSW Capitation Fee and the FNSW Insurance Fee. Part Time Girls JDL is capped at 889 dollars. The figure jumped 15 percent from the 2025 cap of 1,736 dollars. Your club cannot exceed the published cap for the year. If yours has, three moves get the conversation moving quickly.
What the JDL registration fee cap is and what it must include
The JDL registration fee cap, formally called the capped Player Registration Fee or PRF, is the maximum total amount a club can charge a player to participate in a JDL program. The current dollar figures are published in the Football NSW 2026 Competitions Registration Fees Circular v2, dated 3 November 2025 and signed by the FNSW CEO. The supporting rules for what the cap must include sit in section 17 of the Football NSW JDL Parent Information Guide March 2025. The cap is a maximum, not a minimum. Clubs are encouraged to charge less.
The cap must include every cost associated with the program. The FA National Registration Fee. The Football NSW Capitation Fee, which covers insurance. The club registration fee. The full kit (playing shirt, playing shorts, playing socks, tracksuit jacket and pants, training shirt, training shorts, training socks, polo shirt, kit bag). All training sessions across the 36 to 40 week program. All matches. Medical coverage at games (Level 1 Sports Trainer minimum). Team photographs. Trophies and medals. Pre-season and end-of-season presentations for the player and one parent. Any GPS or video analysis technology if the club uses it.
What the cap forbids is just as specific. Section 22 of the Parent Information Guide says clubs cannot charge a separate Club Administration Fee, Facilities Levy, or Coaching Levy. If a fee is for football, it sits inside the cap. If it sits outside the cap, it is not permitted.
The 2026 figures shown above are from the FNSW Circular published 3 November 2025 and are the confirmed amounts for the 2026 season. Football NSW publishes a new circular each November for the following year. If you are reading this for a 2027 or later season, ask the club for the current year's published cap before you commit.
Three things to do if yours is over
One. Ask the club for the invoice in writing showing every component. A compliant club will have no problem providing this. The current Parent Information Guide expects a club to "clearly provide information to parents about these principles". Phrase the email plainly: "Please send the breakdown of the Player Registration Fee for the 2026 season for [age group], showing the components covered by the capped PRF."
Two. Compare the total to the Football NSW published cap for the year. The cap is published in the relevant season's Parent Information Guide or fee circular on the Football NSW website. Note the exact figures and the age groups they apply to.
Three. If the total exceeds the cap, or if the invoice includes a separately listed Administration Fee or Coaching Levy, email Football NSW directly. The contact published in section 3 of the FNSW JDL Parent Information Guide for matters of this kind is neilm@footballnsw.com.au. Forward the invoice. Quote section 17 and section 22 of the Guide and reference the 2026 Circular for the dollar cap.
What happens next
Most clubs back down at the email stage. The cap is published, the breach is documented in writing, and the audit is annual. Clubs that hold the line tend to be the ones that are not actually breaching the cap and can explain the components. Either way, you have the answer in writing within a week.
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 extra paid sessions, see the rule on outsourcing and mandatory extras.