Due to the effects of COVID-19, the Premier League and Prince League have been consolidated to form the “Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020.” The league will kick-off on Saturday 29 August in the Tohoku and Kansai regions, while action at the Tokai, Chugoku, and Kyushu regions will kick-off on Saturday 5 September.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Tohoku

Last year’s Premier League Champions, Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) will be featured at the Super Prince League Tohoku. The league will kick-off on Saturday 29 August, where 12 teams will be divided into two groups to compete in a league format, followed by play-off rounds.

It will be the first time for the Aomori Yamada side to compete in the Prince League, and it is expected that they will showcase their dominating presence they have nurtured over the past decade.

In Group B, Aomori Yamada Second (Aomori) will be joined by Shoshi High School (Fukushima), who played in the Premier League during the 2011 and 2019 seasons. After being relegated to the Prince League with a mere two points, Shoshi High School will try to regain their winning ways.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Tokai

The Super Prince League Tokai will kick-off on Saturday 5 September, where three teams from the Premier League; Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi), Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka), and Jubilo Iwata U-18(Shizuoka), will be featured.

14 teams will be divided into two groups, where they compete in a single round-robin format, followed by the play-off rounds.

After winning back-to-back titles at the 44th JAPAN Club Youth (U-18) Football Championship and the 2019 J Youth Cup 27th J.League Youth Tournament, Nagoya Grampus has also advanced to the Premier League Final, making them the centre of attention in this league.

Teams from Shizuoka, also known as the “Football kingdom,” will also feature the league, as last year’s All Japan High School Soccer Tournament champions Shizuoka Gakuen Senior High School, and Fujieda Higashi High School, who has won the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament four times in the past, will showcase a high level competition.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Kansai

With close competition jostled in the league, it is inevitable to see fierce battles at the Kansai region.

From the Premier League, Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto), Cerezo Osaka U-18(Osaka), Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka), and Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) will feature the league, as 14 teams will be divided into two groups to compete in a group league, followed by the play-offs. The league will kick-off on Saturday 29 August and last until Sunday 4 October.

Competing against the four Premier League teams are high school teams like Kyoto Tachibana High School (Kyoto), Riseisha High School (Osaka), and Hannan University Senior High School (Osaka), who also have the experience of playing in the Premier League. Other notable teams like Kokoku High School (Osaka) will also be in the mix to heighten the level of competition at the Kansai region.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Chugoku

The Super Prince League Chugoku will kick-off on Saturday 5 September, with 12 teams competing in a round-robin format. Among the 12 teams, Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth is the only team joining from the Premier League.

Regular members of the national championships such as Okayama Gakugeikan High School (Okayama) and Hiroshima Minami High School (Hiroshima) will be joined by Yonago Kita High School (Tottori), who has played in the Premier League during the 2017 season. It will be interesting to see how Sanfrecce Hiroshima will compete against these high school powerhouses.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Super Prince League 2020 Kyushu

Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka), Sagan Tosu U-18 (Saga), and Ozu High School (Kumamoto) will be the three teams competing in the Super Prince League Kyushu, which will kick-off on Saturday 5 September. 12 teams will be divided into two groups, where they will compete in a single round-robin format, followed by the play-off round.

The play-off round is scheduled to take place from Saturday 21 November, where a knock-out tournament will be held to determine the standings. It will be interesting to see how the players develop through these high-level competitions and what kind of drama awaits the viewers.