Kerry Premier Junior Football Championship
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The Kerry Premier Junior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Kerry Petroleum County Premier Junior Football Championship and abbreviated to the Kerry PJFC) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by the top-ranking junior clubs in the county of Kerry in Ireland. It is the third tier overall in the entire Kerry Gaelic football championship system.
The Kerry Premier Junior Championship was introduced in 2016 following a restructuring of the entire Kerry Gaelic football championship system at all levels.
In its current format, the 16 participating club are drawn into four groups of four teams and play each other in a round-robin system. The four group winners and the four runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the Final. The winner of the Kerry Premier Junior Championship, as well as being presented with the Tom Keane Perpetual Cup, qualifies for the subsequent Munster Club Championship.
The competition has been won by ten different teams.
History
Beginnings
The Kerry Premier Junior Championship was introduced in 2016 following a restructuring of the entire Kerry Gaelic football championship system at all levels.
Format
Group stage
The 16 clubs are divided into four groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed three group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals and the bottom team in each group advance to the relegation playoffs.
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals: The 4 group winners and 4 group runners-up contest this round. A group winner will play a group runner-up of another group. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions and are promoted to the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship.
Relegation playoffs
Relegation semi-finals: The 4 group losers contest this round. The two losers from these two games advance to the relegation finals.
Relegation finals: The two semi-final losers contest the relegation final. The losing team are relegated to the Kerry Junior Football Championship.
Qualification
At the end of the championship, the winning club qualify to the subsequent Munster Junior Club Football Championship.
Teams
2026 Teams
| Club | Location | Division | Colours | In championship since | Championship titles | Last championship title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annascaul | Annascaul | West Kerry | Blue and white | 0 | — | |
| Ardfert | Ardfert | St Brendan's | Black and white | 0 | — | |
| Ballyduff | Ballyduff | Shannon Rangers | Green and white | 0 | — | |
| Brosna | Brosna | St Kieran's | Tangerine and white | 0 | — | |
| Castlegregory | Castlegregory | West Kerry | Green and gold | 0 | — | |
| Churchill | Tralee | St Brendan's | Green and black | 0 | — | |
| Currow | Currow | St Kieran's | Red and white | 2024 | 0 | — |
| Dromid Pearses | Dromid | South Kerry | Maroon and white | 1 | 2017 | |
| Duagh | Duagh | Feale Rangers | Maroon and gold | 2025 | 0 | — |
| Keel | Keel | Mid Kerry | Blue and white | 0 | — | |
| Listry | Listry | East Kerry | Green and white | 0 | — | |
| Reenard | Reenard | South Kerry | Blue and white | 2024 | 0 | — |
| St Patrick’s, Blennerville | Blennerville | St Brendan's | Red and white | 0 | — | |
| St Senan's | Listowel | Feale Rangers | Blue and yellow | 0 | — | |
| Tarbert | Tarbert | Shannon Rangers | Red and black | 2026 | 0 | — |
| Waterville | Waterville | South Kerry | Red and white | 0 | — |
Sponsorship
Since 2019 the Premier Junior Championship has been sponsored by Kerry Petroleum. The competition was previously sponsored by Castleisland Mart.
Trophy and medals
The Tom Keane Perpetual Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. Colin McGillycuddy of Glenbeigh-Glencar was the first recipient of the cup when it was presented to him after the 2016 final replay. In accordance with GAA rules, the County Board awards a set of gold medals to the championship winners. The medals depict a stylised version of the Kerry GAA crest.
Roll of honour
By club
| # | Team | Titles | Runners-Up | Winning years | Losing years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Na Gaeil | 1 | 2 | 2019 | 2016, 2018 |
| Ballymacelligott | 1 | 1 | 2025 | 2023 | |
| Gneeveguilla | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Firies | 1 | 1 | 2024 | 2017 | |
| Glenbeigh-Glencar | 1 | 0 | 2016 | — | |
| Dromid Pearses | 1 | 0 | 2017 | — | |
| Beaufort | 1 | 0 | 2018 | — | |
| Ballydonoghue | 1 | 0 | 2020 | — | |
| Fossa | 1 | 0 | 2022 | — | |
| Listowel Emmets | 1 | 0 | 2023 | — | |
| 11 | St Senan's | 0 | 2 | — | 2019, 2025 |
| Skellig Rangers | 0 | 1 | — | 2021 | |
| Listry | 0 | 1 | — | 2022 | |
| Ardfert | 0 | 1 | — | 2024 |
By division
| Division | Titles | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Kerry | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Mid Kerry | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| St Brendan’s Board | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Feale Rangers | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| South Kerry | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| St Kieran's | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Shannon Rangers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kenmare District | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Kerry | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tralee District | 0 | 0 | 0 |
List of finals
Legend
- Gold – All-Ireland junior club champions
- Silver – All-Ireland junior club runners-up
List of Kerry PJFC finals
| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Venue | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Score | Club | Score | |||
| 2025 | Ballymacelligott | 2-17 (AET) (pens:4) | St Senan's | 3-14 (AET) (pens:1) | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2024 | Firies | 0-16 (AET) | Ardfert | 1-11 (AET) | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2023 | Listowel Emmets | 0-24 (AET) | Ballymacelligott | 1-18 (AET) | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2022 | Fossa | 4-15 (AET) | Listry | 0-22 (AET) | FitzGerald Stadium | |
| 2021 | Gneeveguilla | 0-12 (AET) | Skellig Rangers | 0-09 (AET) | FitzGerald Stadium | |
| 2020 | Ballydonoghue | 3-20 (AET) | Gneeveguilla | 3-18 (AET) | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2019 | Na Gaeil | 3-14 | St Senan's | 1-10 | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2018 | Beaufort | 4-13 (AET) | Na Gaeil | 2-18 (AET) | Austin Stack Park | |
| 2017 | Dromid Pearses | 0-17 (AET) | Firies | 1-11 (AET) | J. P. O'Sullivan Park | |
| 2016 | Glenbeigh-Glencar | 1-06 1-16 (R) | Na Gaeil | 0-09 0-12 (R) | FitzGerald Stadium |
Team records and statistics
Performances by divisions
| Division | Titles | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kerry | 3 | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2024 | 2017, 2020, 2022 |
| Mid Kerry | 2 | 0 | 2016, 2018 | — |
| St Brendan’s | 1 | 3 | 2019 | 2016, 2018, 2024 |
| Feale Rangers | 1 | 2 | 2023 | 2019, 2025 |
| South Kerry | 1 | 1 | 2017 | 2021 |
| St Kieran’s | 1 | 1 | 2025 | 2023 |
| Shannon Rangers | 1 | 0 | 2020 | — |