‘Teams are loving it’ | Football Victoria Junior Comp up and running in Shepp

Teams fielded by Tatura, Shepparton United, Shepparton South and Shepparton SC have already played two rounds of fixtures in age groups from Under-8 up to Under 16, including Open Girls divisions.

“Being a brand new competition in the Goulburn Valley, the input from the clubs, the looks on the kids’ faces and the response from the parents has been amazing,” organization leader Lelliot said.

With the continued success of the Socceroos and the Matildas on the international stage, the future looks bright for Australia as the country looks to compete on a global scale for generations to come.

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will begin in less than a month’s time, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting the tournament in what promises to be a historic spectacle.

“We just know that we’re going to grow and be bigger from here,” Lelliot continued.

“You always see a spike (in popularity) when there is something like an Olympics or a World Cup as it draws attention to the sport - especially when you’ve got a national team that’s involved.

“So it’ll be great to see the Socceroos on the national stage and how that filters through down to under-sevens, hopefully we’ve got some Socceroos in the making!

“It’s not just the boys too, the girls are just as keen as the boys are and that’s something that we’re not shying away from and we want to get them as involved as possible.

“Having the Matildas being as successful as they are also helps to get the name out there in seeing the young women that they can aspire to be.”

“Even though this is a Football Victoria-led competition, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Tatura or Mansfield or Shepparton United; everyone’s trying to gather around the kids and make things happen.”

With trials having taken place at Tatura on May 11 for the all-star FV Shepparton team ahead of the King’s Birthday Long Weekend event down in Geelong, the future certainly looks bright for talented players across the region.

“The Country Champs has always been something people from this region have spoken about wanting to be involved in and we have under-12 boys, under-14 boys, under-13 girls and under-15 girls that we’re entering in from Shepparton, Lelliot said, as she discussed levelling the playing field for young players who are not from metropolitan areas.

“I think it’s one of the biggest things that you hear from parents and clubs.

“They are just as invested and are happy to travel two or three hours for a competition - just because they are regional kids, that doesn’t mean we don’t have the talent out here and we have great coaches.

“There’s definitely a cry out for the sport, it’s definitely growing and we want to be known as the place where regional junior football is blossoming the most.”

As part of the 2024 National Participation Report, it was estimated that participation numbers skyrocketed by 11 percent in the aftermath of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s been great to see, we have a family of four and their kids are all playing across the different age groups over the weekends,” Lelliot said of the engagement from the community so far.

“It’s been lovely seeing mums, dads, grandparents, aunties and uncles cheering on the sidelines and the numbers are incredible - we hope it grows from here on out!”

Players between the ages of seven and 11 can join in with the MiniRoos and then beyond that age, participants play a home and away season, with home games at the grounds of their respective clubs.

You can join in with teams every Saturday at John McEwen Reserve and follow Football Victoria Shepparton on social media for more updates.