ESSENDON
Update, 11 August 2026: community and Kangaroos expressions of interest are now open as well. Read the Phase Two announcement for both forms.
Expressions of interest for season 2027 are officially open at Essendon Royals. If you want to wear red and white next year, this is the moment to put your hand up.
This first round covers our elite pathway: the Boys and Girls Victoria Youth Premier League squads, our VPL U20 and U23 teams, and the coaches and team managers who lead them. Community football and Kangas EOIs have since opened as well, and both forms are in the Phase Two announcement.
Boys BVYPL (U13 to U18)
Our highest level of boys football, competing in the Boys Victoria Youth Premier League from U13 through to U18, with the VPL U20 and U23 pathway sitting above it. Players get extra training with professional coaches and a weekly test against the best young footballers in the state. Squads are selected through trials, and submitting an EOI is how you put yourself in the frame for an invitation.
Girls GVYPL (U13 to U17)
Girls football at the Royals grows every season, and our Girls Victoria Youth Premier League squads are where our most committed young players test themselves. The GVYPL program runs from U13 to U17, with the NPLW U20 pathway above it leading all the way to our senior women.
VPL U20 & U23
Open-age pathway football directly beneath our senior men. If you are ready to push for VPL2 minutes and put yourself in front of our senior coaching staff, this is your expression of interest. Senior trials remain by invitation, and the EOI is how you get on the radar.
Coaches and Team Managers
Great teams are built by great people. If you want to coach, assist or manage a team in red and white in 2027, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your experience, the age groups you are interested in and what you would bring to the club.
Submit a Coach or Team Manager EOI →
What happens next
Every EOI is reviewed by our football department, and trial invitations and dates follow from there. Trial dates will be announced on our news page and socials. The club is oversubscribed in many age groups, so a staged EOI process helps us manage coaching resources, ground space and trial schedules fairly. Getting your EOI in early is the best thing you can do.
Not covered by this round?
Community football, MiniRoos and Kangas expressions of interest are now open as well. The Phase Two announcement carries both forms, or head to our Play at the Royals page, where every open EOI sits in one place.
Any questions, email our football department at hof@essendonroyals.com.au.