The JUEL of Ontario is an independent Provincial League providing opportunities for Players throughout the entire Province. Ideally no player will travel more than one hour to their practices. This will allow them time to focus on their education as well as personal life away from basketball. We believe that displacing young women at a young age will have negative impacts on their personal growth. As well as adding financial burdens on the family, moneys that could be put towards their College or University education. Our model and its successes have now become the foundation of other upstart leagues throughout Canada.

JUEL is inclusive of all Players because we provide opportunities for everyone exclusive of their financial status. We want the best players to play in our league, not just a selected few who can afford it. 

JUEL Prep was created in 2014 to provide opportunities for Players to develop and transition into JUEL.

Part of the initial plan for JUEL was to allow all of our players the opportunity to attend and play at their local High School during each fall, these are said to be the “best years of your life”. With this in mind, Basketball doesn’t become the only focus in a young women’s life, they still get the opportunity to be with their non-basketball friends and close to their families helping them become well-rounded.

The Women’s game is fortunate that the majority of players are able to excel on the court as well as in the classroom; this is why Regional teams are so successful. They provide the opportunity for each player to represent their Region as part of a stronger group while staying at home.

Players generally want strong Coaching, develop their game so they’re ready to step into a role at the next level, practice and compete against the best and give themselves the best exposure. JUEL has provided this since our first game on December 11, 2010. 

In Ontario alone, there are 18 OUA and 19 OCAA Schools competing in Women’s Basketball, if each roster contains 12 Players then there are 444 spots available annually. The OUA and OCAA must be our priority, this is why JUEL has worked hard to establish strong relationships and stressed the importance of our Players playing on their courts. Not only would the Players have an opportunity to play College or University basketball, they will receive a great education in preparation for their lives after basketball.

OCAA and OUA Coaches act as mentors to some of our teams during the season and assist in team selection during tryouts. JUEL has always provided direct access to all of our Players so they can make the best decision in selecting a school that will give them the greatest opportunity for education and basketball success.

The facts are clear; Players looking to play at the next level are using JUEL as their vehicle. Regular practices with and against the best players in their Region along with games against the best players in the Province have proven to be a recipe for success. JUEL’s relationship with the NCAA, CIS and OCAA, has provided our Players with the best exposure and opportunities for Basketball and Academic choices.

Graduates aren’t just succeeding on the court, but off the court as well. Every year Players submit, are evaluated and winners are selected for the Athletica Elite Community Service and Molten All-Academic Awards. The Awards are part of our annual Banquet where we honour all of the hard work done during the season. Note: the Awards Ceremony will replace the Banquet in 2020.

Beginning with our first game on December 11, 2010, Therapists have been on site for injury prevention and treatment.  This is a service that all of our Players must have access to every game. 

One of JUEL’s main focuses from the beginning has been to provide as many services for the best value. We understand there are financial burdens on families so allocating funds in the right areas is very important. 

Players have to make sacrifices to play at the highest level and give themselves the best opportunity to continue playing at the next level. With this in mind it is important that clubs and/or teams don’t add the burden of travelling more than an hour to-and-from practice twice possibly three times a week (also consider Workouts). 

Game Schedule

• The JUEL/JUEL Prep seasons will consist of 7 Regular Season weekends (teams will play a maximum of 2 games per day and 4 per weekend), the League Tournament which could include games as early as 9:00am on the Friday (potentially 2 games on Friday), 2 games on Saturday and potentially 2 games on Sunday and the All-Star Game.
• Although the season will host 7 Regular Season weekends, teams may not have games scheduled during all weekends. The Regular Season could include:
  • Weekday Games – Teams within a maximum 45-minute drive of each other may be scheduled to play during the week.
  • Weekday double Header – Teams represented in both JUEL and JUEL Prep and within a maximum 45-minute drive of each other may be scheduled to play during the week.
  • More Centralized weekends – Teams could stay overnight a maximum of 2 Weekends during the Regular season plus the League Tournament. Exceptions would be Ottawa, Kingston, Windsor St. Clair and St. Clair Stars.
  • Live Stats – The 2019 season included Live Stats with positive feedback thus they will return for future seasons. Coaches can request stats at halftime and end of their games. Box Scores and Stat leaders will be posted on the JUEL site after each weekend.
  • League Tournament Awards Ceremony – the Ceremony will replace the Banquet in 2022 and will include: team announcement and parade, Guest speaker, entertainment, all Awards and allow for Parents, Friends and Guests to attend. The Ceremony will be held at the University of Guelph Mitchell gym which can accommodate 1200 people.