A-League Youth

Last updated

A-League Youth
Founded2008
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Confederation AFC
Conferences2
Number of teams10
Current champions Sydney FC Youth (2019–20)
Most championships Sydney FC Youth (3)
TV partners Network 10, Paramount+
Website y-league.com.au

A-League Youth, formerly known as the National Youth League and Y-League, is an Australian national soccer youth developmental and under-21s league, founded by Football Federation Australia and now run by the Australian Professional Leagues. [1] The current league was established as a successor to the previous competition of the National Youth League (1984–2004) and commenced in August 2008. The league runs in conjunction with the A-League Men as a developmental or reserve league. The league, as well as the A-League Men and A-League Women are administered by the Australian Professional Leagues. [2]

Contents

In 2020 it was contested by ten teams, all of which competed in the A-League. From the 2020–21 season, the league was to expand to eleven teams with the introduction of Western United, [3] however the season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. It is currently unknown when it will return, as the tournament is currently on hold with the Australian Professional Leagues waiting on the future of soccer in Australia before potentially bringing it back. [4]

History

Map of Australia and New Zealand with an inset.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Red pog.svg
Adelaide United
Brisbane Roar
Canberra United
Central Coast Mariners
FFA CoE
Gold Coast United
Melbourne City
Melbourne Victory
Newcastle Jets
Perth Glory
Sydney FC
Western Sydney Wanderers

Foundation

A previous league under the same name, the National Youth League was an Australian national soccer league run in parallel to the National Soccer League (NSL) between 1984 and 2004.[ citation needed ]

The current league was announced by Football Federation Australia at the start of March 2008. [5] [6] It was set up in conjunction with the A-League in order to continue to develop young Australian talent into the league as well as into the Australian national team and its affiliates such as the under 17, under 20 and under 23 teams. [7] The league's inaugural season was made up of seven teams, each linked to the corresponding Australian club in the A-League (excluding Wellington Phoenix) and had strong links to players training at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The 2009–10 season saw the addition of Gold Coast United and a team from the Australian Institute of Sport Football Program.[ citation needed ]

Expansion

In the 2012–13 season, Gold Coast United were replaced by Western Sydney Wanderers. In April 2017, the closing of the FFA Centre of Excellence (previously the Australian Institute of Sport Football Program) was announced. [8] Before the 2017–18 season, it was announced that Canberra United were granted a National Youth League licence. [9]

All players in the youth teams are between the ages of 16 and 21 as of the start of the calendar year for each new season, while four over-age players from each of the senior teams are also allowed to be selected.

The competition was renamed "A-League Youth" to align with other Australian national competitions in September 2021. [10]

Competition format

Each club contracts a squad of 16 Youth Development Players. Players must be between the ages of 16 and 23 as of 1 January in the year the season commences. Four over-age players (including goalkeeper) are also allowed to be selected (except when playing the AIS where it is restricted to two), usually these coming from the senior team. Each youth player must receive a minimum of 30 minutes game time. Players under 21 signed for the first team filling foreign player spots are classed as over-age players. [5] These players can be any Australian player within the age group. A-League clubs must draw replacement players for their senior teams from the Youth League squad, except under certain circumstances. [5] Such would include severe injuries to over-age players where an injury replacement player is able to be signed.

Original format

Up until and including the 2014–15 season the league had an 18-round format with every team playing all other teams Home and Away. In previous seasons an end-of-season finals series playoff tournament was played between the highest-placed teams from the regular season, culminating in the Grand Final game. The aim of a league is to provide a pathway for young players and state league players to play regular high-level football, and allow reserve players from senior A-League teams to remain match fit.

Introduction of conferences

From the 2015–16 season a new format was introduced. From 2016, all A-League clubs now have youth teams entered into their local conferences of the National Premier Leagues. By having NPL teams, there is now less reliance on the A-League Youth to provide an avenue for youth players to their respective clubs. There was also pressure from A-League clubs to reduce travel budgets. [11] As such the season was shortened from 18 games per team to 8 games plus a Grand Final. The existing ten A-League Youth teams were divided into two conferences of five teams: Conference A consisted of teams from WA, SA, Victoria and Queensland, while teams from ACT and NSW were in Conference B. All teams play all other teams in their conference on a home and away basis. After the home and away series a Grand Final is played between the top teams from each conference. [12]

Clubs

12 clubs have played in the A-League Youth from its inception in 2008, up to and including the 2019–20 season.

The following 10 clubs competed in the Y-League during the 2019–20 season.

Current Clubs
Conference A
TeamLocationStadiumJoinedHead coach
Adelaide United Youth Flag of South Australia.svg Adelaide, SA Marden Sports Complex 2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Pezos
Brisbane Roar Youth Flag of Queensland.svg Brisbane, QLD Lanham Park2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Warren Moon
Melbourne City Youth Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Melbourne, VIC CB Smith Reserve 2011–12 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Diamanti
Melbourne Victory Youth Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Melbourne, VIC Epping Stadium 2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gareth Naven
Perth Glory Youth Flag of Western Australia.svg Perth, WA Dorrien Gardens 2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Richard Garcia
Conference B
TeamLocationStadiumJoinedHead coach
Central Coast Mariners Academy Flag of New South Wales.svg Gosford, NSW Central Coast Mariners Centre of Excellence 2008–09 Flag of Scotland.svg Nick Montgomery
Canberra United Youth Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Canberra, ACT Australian Institute of Sport 2017–18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ray Junna
Newcastle Jets Youth Flag of New South Wales.svg Newcastle, NSW Newcastle No.2 Sportsground 2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel McBreen
Sydney FC Youth Flag of New South Wales.svg Sydney, NSW Leichhardt Oval / Netstrata Jubilee Stadium 2008–09 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jim Van Weeren
Western Sydney Wanderers Youth Flag of New South Wales.svg Sydney, NSW Marconi Stadium / Popondetta Park 2012–13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Arthur Diles
Defunct Clubs
TeamLocationStadiumJoinedDissolved
Gold Coast United Youth Flag of Queensland.svg Gold Coast, QLD Owen Park2008–092011
FFA Centre of Excellence Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg Canberra, ACT Australian Institute of Sport 2009–102017

Honours

Champions

SeasonChampion
2008–09 Sydney FC Youth
2009–10 Gold Coast United Youth
2015–16 Sydney FC Youth
2016–17 Melbourne City Youth
2017–18 Western Sydney Wanderers Youth
2018–19 Brisbane Roar Youth
2019–20 Sydney FC Youth
2020–21Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic [13]
2021–22
2022–23No tournament [4]
2023–24

Wins by club

ClubChampionshipsWinning years
Sydney FC Youth 3 2008–09, 2015–16, 2019–20
Gold Coast United Youth 1 2009–10
Melbourne City Youth 2 2016–17
Brisbane Roar Youth 1 2018–19
Western Sydney Wanderers Youth 1 2017–18

Sponsorship

From 2013 to 2020, the competition had Foxtel as its naming rights sponsor. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

A-League Men is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competition for the sport. A-League Men was established in 2004 as the A-League by the Australian Soccer Association (ASA) as a successor to the National Soccer League (NSL) and competition commenced in August 2005. The league is currently administered by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), contested by thirteen teams; eleven based in Australia and two based in New Zealand. The men's, women's and youth leagues have now been brought together under a unified A-Leagues banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Gully SC</span> Football club

Green Gully Soccer Club is an Australian association football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Green Gully is one of the largest clubs in Melbourne, having participated in the now defunct National Soccer League between 1984–1986. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, with matches played at Green Gully Reserve in Kealba. Green Gully have won the Victorian state league title nine times, second only to South Melbourne FC with ten. It is one of seven state league teams to eliminate an A-League team in the FFA Cup, alongside Blacktown City FC, Heidelberg United FC, Redlands United FC, Adelaide City FC, Bentleigh Greens SC and APIA Leichhardt FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Football</span> Governing body for soccer in the Australian Capital Territory

Capital Football is the trading name for the ACT Football Federation Incorporated, the state governing body for soccer in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), but also has affiliated clubs based in surrounding areas of New South Wales. It is affiliated with Football Australia, the national governing body.

The National Premier Leagues South Australia, officially abbreviated to NPL SA and known for sponsorship reasons as the RAA National Premier League, is a semi-professional men's soccer league in the Australian state of South Australia. The league is one of eight that comprises the National Premier League, the second tier of Australian soccer. The league was founded in 2012 as a successor to the Super League, and is managed by Football South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Simon</span> Australian soccer player

Matthew Blake Simon is a retired Australian international football (soccer) player who played as a striker. Simon attended St Edward's College, East Gosford, where he was influenced to play soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccer in the Australian Capital Territory</span>

Soccer in the Australian Capital Territory is predominantly amateur with a local, interstate, national and international history. Soccer in the ACT is organised and administered by Capital Football and involves teams from within the ACT and surrounding NSW regions, Monaro, Southern Tablelands and Riverina.

The National Premier Leagues Capital Football 1 is a soccer competition contested by clubs affiliated to Capital Football. The league is the highest level competition in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) region. It is a subdivision of the National Premier Leagues and sits in Level 2 in the overall Australian league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-League Women</span> Association football league in Australia

A-League Women, formerly the W-League, is the top-division women's soccer league in Australia. The W-League was established in 2008 by Football Australia and was originally composed of eight teams of which seven had an affiliation with an existing A-League Men's club. As of the 2022–23 season, the league is contested by twelve teams. The league, as well as the A-League Men and A-League Youth are administered by the Australian Professional Leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canberra United FC</span> Australian professional soccer club

Canberra United Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Founded in 2008 by Capital Football, the club was an inaugural member of the W-League and the only club not affiliated with an A-League Men team. Canberra United currently competes in the A-League Women league. Canberra's home stadium is McKellar Park and the club is a two-time champion and three-time premier of the W-League.

The Expansion of the A-League Men is the ongoing process of establishing new clubs in the A-League Men. The A-League Men was established to replace the National Soccer League as the top division in the Australian football league system. It is the only professional football league in the country. Founded in 2004 with eight teams commencing competition in the 2005–06 season, the league has since expanded into new markets across Australia and New Zealand. From the 2024–25 A-League Men season, 13 clubs will compete in the league, after Auckland Football Club was granted an expansion license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Cup</span> Australias largest national knockout association football competition

The Australia Cup is the national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, known as Football Federation Australia until 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Premier Leagues</span> Football league

The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a men's national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based federation within Australia. In total the NPL is contested by clubs from eight divisions; these are ACT, NSW, Northern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The NPL is overseen by Football Australia, in partnership with participating state-based member federations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Geria</span> Australian soccer player (born 1993)

Jason Kato Geria is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for A-League club Melbourne Victory, and the Australia national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gungahlin United FC</span> Football club

Gungahlin United Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Canberra district of Gungahlin, ACT. Gungahlin currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Capital Football with home matches played at the recently constructed Gungahlin Enclosed Oval.

The 2015 Capital Football season was the third season under the new competition format in the Australian Capital Territory. The overall premier for the new structure qualified for the National Premier Leagues finals series, competing with the other state federation champions in a final knockout tournament to decide the National Premier Leagues Champion for 2015.

The 2015–16 National Youth League was the eighth season of the Australian National Youth League competition. The season ran in a different, reduced format to previous years, and in parallel with the 2015–16 A-League season.

The 2016–17 National Youth League was the ninth season of the Australian National Youth League competition.

The 2017–18 Y-League was the tenth season of the Australian Y-League competition.

Marco Tilio is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a winger for A-League club Melbourne City, on loan from Scottish Premiership club Celtic, and the Australia national team.

Jordan "Jordi" Swibel is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Canadian Premier League club Valour FC.

References

  1. ↑ "About the A-Leagues - KEEPUP". keepup.com.au. Australian Professional Leagues. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Official site on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Matthew Comino (9 December 2020). "Around the grounds: Stefan Nigro joins Mariners, Western United announce NPL venture". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 Lynch, Joey (31 August 2022). "A-Leagues put youth competition on hold, Townsend eyes national second division progress". ESPN . Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "National Youth League to start in August". A-League. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
  6. ↑ "Youth 'A-League' to kick off in August". Fox Sports . 5 March 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
  7. ↑ "Launch Dates On Track". FourFourTwo (Australia). 1 July 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  8. ↑ Davutovic, David (26 April 2017). "Centre of Excellence to close doors in August". Herald Sun .
  9. ↑ "Canberra United granted Foxtel National Youth League licence". Canberra United. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Australia's football leagues rebranded as A-League Men and A-League Women". ABC News . 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ↑ David Lewis. "National Youth League in danger of axe as clubs prepare to pull out". SBS.
  12. ↑ "FFA announces revamped 2015/16 Foxtel NYL" . Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Lynch, Joey (24 January 2021). "Y-League cancelled for 2021 as APL flags reform for Australia's talent pipeline". ESPN . Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ↑ "Foxtel and Football Federation Australia announce new grassroots initiative". Foxtel. 8 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.