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| Founded | 2003 Rebranded 2022 |
|---|---|
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions | Wellington Phoenix Academy (2nd title) (2024) |
| Most championships | Auckland City (7 titles) |
| Website | Official web page |
The New Zealand Youth National League, formally National Youth League (NYL), is the premier competition for youth football players in New Zealand. Founded in 2003, it was a league competition consisting of the youth teams of each of the ten clubs that played in the New Zealand Football Championship. It was held each season between October and December, and consists of each team playing each other once; the fixture list mirrors that of the senior league.[1]
The last team to be champions of the original league and the most successful team of the competition was the youth team of Auckland City, finishing champions seven times in the sixteen years the original competition ran.[2][3]
In December 2021, New Zealand Football announced that they were bringing back the National Youth Development League to run alongside the National League.[4] The Competition will see eight teams from 3 qualifying leagues play-off in a knockout style tournament. Three teams qualify from the Northern League, three qualify from the Central League and two qualify from the Southern League.[5]
The regional leagues will run from August through to late September. The finals series will take place at a neutral location in October and will see all eight teams play 3 games in a knockout style competition.[5]
Wellington Phoenix Academy are the defending champions after winning the 2023 and 2024 editions.[6]
- ^ "National Youth League Draw confirmed for 2018". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Junior Navy Blues nab sixth title". Auckland City FC.
- ^ "Vollenhoven seals three-in-a-row". Auckland City FC. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ "New National Youth Development League format announced". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Youth National League launched, formats confirmed". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Phoenix Academy cap great weekend for club with national U-17 boys' title". friendsoffootballnz.com. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.