Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Talent League Boys season | |
 | |
| Formerly | TAC Cup (1992–2018) NAB League (2019–2022) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| First season | 1992 |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Sandringham Dragons (6) |
| Most titles | Calder Cannons (6) |
| Official website | afl.com.au/talent-league |
The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights[1] and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Football League (AFL). It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing one of twelve Victorian regions, while a thirteenth team from Tasmania was reintroduced in 2019.
The competition is the primary sources of recruitment for the clubs of the AFL with around three quarters of all players selected from its ranks in each AFL draft.[2] It provides an opportunity for talented young regional players to participate in a high standard competition without having to relocate too far from their place of origin. The competition has a very successful pathway with players missing AFL selection often being recruited by semi-professional state, country and regional leagues throughout Australia. An equivalent competition for female footballers, known as the Talent League Girls, is also contested on an annual basis.
The league was known as the TAC Cup until 2018, the NAB League in 2019 to 2022, and since 2023 it has been known as the Coates Talent League.[1]
- ^ a b "Coates Talent League to take off in 2023". afl.com.au. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ Dominance of private school prospects in AFL draft expected to continue in 2024 By Erin Marsicovetere for ABC News 17 November 2024