A-League National Youth League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| A-League National Youth League | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Association football |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Motto | 90 minutes, 90 emotions |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia |
| Related competitions | A-League |
The A-League National Youth League is a Australian national association football league run in parallel to the A-League. 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. The league was announced by Football Federation Australia at the start of March 2008, and the inaugural league will start in August 2008 alongside the A-League 2008-09 season.[1][2]
All Australian A-League clubs - that is, all A-League teams except Wellington Phoenix - will field a youth league side.
Contents |
[edit] Format
The season will take a 21 round format which will run in parallel with the A-League. Due to having seven teams, each team will end up playing 18 games and having three byes.[1][2]
[edit] Player regulations
Each club should have 10–12 Youth Development Players. These players must be between the ages of 16 and 21. Four over-age players (including goalkeeper) are also allowed to be selected. Each youth player must receive a minimum of 30 minutes game time.[1]
These players can be any Australian player within the age group, and can be from the Australian Institute of Sport. A-League clubs must draw replacement players for their senior teams from the Youth League squad, except under certain circumstances.[1]
[edit] Teams
For the 2008-09 season, the seven clubs are:
| Team | City | Years in competition |
|---|---|---|
 Adelaide United |
Adelaide, SA | 2008-09 |
 Central Coast Mariners |
Gosford, NSW | 2008-09 |
 Melbourne Victory |
Melbourne, Vic | 2008-09 |
 Newcastle Jets |
Newcastle, NSW | 2008-09 |
 Perth Glory |
Perth, WA | 2008-09 |
 Queensland Roar |
Brisbane, Qld | 2008-09 |
 Sydney FC |
Sydney, NSW | 2008-09 |
Wellington Phoenix had considered having a Youth League team based in Canberra[3], but later put these plans on hold.[4]
A Tasmanian youth team, organised by Football Federation Tasmania, will play four friendly matches against A-League youth teams during the season.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "National Youth League to start in August", A-League, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
- ^ a b "Youth 'A-League' to kick off in August", Fox Sports, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
- ^ "Phoenix's Canberra Invasion For Youth", FourFourTwo, 2008-03-18. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ "Phoenix Put Youth Plans On Ice", FourFourTwo, 2008-04-12. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ "A-League on agenda for youth", The Mercury, 2008-05-27. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
[edit] External links
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