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The QJ League (Kazakh: Футболдан Қазақстан жасөспірімдер лигасы, Futboldan Qazaqstan jasöspırımder ligasy) — Kazakhstan Youth Football League, in which youth teams of professional football clubs in Kazakhstan take part. The official name according to the regulations from the 2023 season is Freedom QJ League. One of the ways to decipher the name — Qazaqstan Junior League.
 | |
| Founded | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Youth League |
| Current champions | Kairat (1st title) (2023) |
| Most championships | Kairat (1 title) |
| TV partners | Qazsport, QSport, InSport |
| Website | qjl.kz |
| Current: 2024 QJ League | |
History
editEstablished 2023.
In February 2023, at a meeting of the KFF Executive Committee, exclusive organizational and commercial rights to conduct part of the youth competitions in the senior age group were transferred to QJ League. The general partner of the project within the framework of the memorandum concluded with KFF is JSC Freedom Holding. The Board of Trustees of the QJ League is headed by the Kazakh entrepreneur and financier Timur Turlov, the president of the league is the famous Kazakh and Russian football functionary Rokhus Shokh.[1] The project received the approval and support of the President of KFF Adlet Barmenkulov. During his working visit to Kazakhstan on May 3, 2023, the President of FIFA Gianni Infantino got acquainted with the league project, expressed full support for it and wished it successful development.[2]
Format and features
editYouth teams of professional clubs of Kazakhstan no older than 18 years old participate in the League. The season follows the spring-autumn system, starts in April and ends in October, 12 participating teams hold a smooth tournament in two rounds in a week-long cycle with a break in June for exams in schools. The winner of the league receives the right to participate from Kazakhstan in the UEFA Youth League. The main feature of the QJ League is that all costs of financing logistics, accommodation and meals for teams in away matches, refereeing and inspection services, organizing live video broadcasts from 6-12 cameras and other marketing budget items are fully covered by the league itself.[3]
According to the project development concept, in 2025, QJ League competitions will be held among boys in three age groups (U-16 - U-18) in two divisions, and a league for girls will also be launched. The project is to become a bridge between youth and professional football, should involve about 2,000 of the most promising young Kazakhstani football players.
The league pays special attention to the digitalization of processes and the use of modern analytical data.[4] After the creation of the league, youth academies whose teams participate in the tournament received access to the sports analytics platform Wyscout, for the first time in the history of youth football in Kazakhstan.
List of champions
edit| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kairat | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
| Zhas Kyran | 0 | 1 | 2023 |
| Total | 1 | 1 |
- Notes
- Italics identifies either defunct or teams that lost professional status.
References
edit- ^ "QJ League employees". QJ League official website. 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ "FIFA President supported the creation of the QJ League". QJ League official website. 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Полное финансирование и еврокубки. В Казахстане создали новый футбольный турнир" (in Russian). Оvesti.kz. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "Казахстанский футбол взялся за цифру" (in Russian). kursiv.media. 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2023-11-29.