| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Australia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Conferences | 2 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Current champions | Sydney FC Youth (2019–20) |
| Most championships | Sydney FC Youth (3) |
| TV partners | Network 10, Paramount+ |
| Website | y-league |
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]
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]
- ^ "About the A-Leagues - KEEPUP". keepup.com.au. Australian Professional Leagues. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Official site on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ Matthew Comino (9 December 2020). "Around the grounds: Stefan Nigro joins Mariners, Western United announce NPL venture". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (31 August 2022). "A-Leagues put youth competition on hold, Townsend eyes national second division progress". ESPN. Retrieved 31 August 2022.