The best young footballers from across Australia are ready to showcase their skills next month following the release of the National Youth Championships 2023 Fixtures.
CLICK HERE to view the Girls Fixtures
CLICK HERE to view the Boys Fixtures
CLICK HERE to download the Official National Youth Championships 2023 Digital Program
A total of 48 teams from Football Australia's nine State and Territory Member Federations will meet in Sydney and Wollongong in October with the eyes of scouts and National Team Selectors watching closely to identify the next star.
The National Youth Championships has long been an integral part of the Football Australia's talent identification program, proving an important stepping-stone for many current CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.
In a National Youth Championships first, Football Australia is funding an Indigenous team in the Under 14 Girls Age Group, listed as the Invitational XI, providing a further opportunity for aspiring and emerging Indigenous footballers to shine on the national stage.
The Under 14 Girls age group will involve twelve (12) teams, with ten (10) teams competing in the Under 16 Girls. Both age groups will run concurrently from October 9-13 utilising the premium sporting facilities of WIN Stadium and JJ Kelly Park in Wollongong.
In the Under 14 Girls tournament, Groups A and B will be treated as different competitions, the top four teams in Group A will contest the semi-finals with the winners progressing to the grand final as will the top four teams in Group B. The Under 16 Girls tournament will feature two groups, where the first-placed team from Group A will play the second-placed team in Group B, with the first-placed team from Group B to face the second-placed team from Group A in the semi-finals, with the respective winners to contest the final on Friday, 6 October.
Three tournament winners will be announced for the girls tournament, the Under 14 A winners, the Under 14 B winners and the Under 16 National Champions.
From 2-6 October, the two Boys' Age Groups will take place at the home of Football NSW, Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood.
Thirteen (13) teams will compete in both the Under 15 and Under 16's with a two-group system being employed. As with the Under 16 Girls' tournaments, the first-placed team in each group and the best-placed runner-up progress to the semi-finals, with the final to be held on Friday, 6 October.
Day one (1) of the Boys' age groups will showcase a total of 24 matches as teams work their way through the opening two rounds of action. The opening day of the Girls' tournament will see 16 matches across Rounds 1 and 2.
Day two (2) will see a further 24 matches for the Boys in Rounds 3 and 4, with the Girls contesting 16 matches as round 2 comes to completion and Round 3 and 4 get underway.
Days three (3) and four (4) will see the final matches of the group stages before the finals get underway on days four (4) and five (5). The Final will take place on day five (5) as the best teams of this year's National Youth Championships compete for the ultimate prize.
Over the two weeks, 118 group stage matches will take place before the semi-final stage of the round-robin tournament is reached.
While the highly competitive matches featuring potential future stars are the highlight of the National Youth Championships, the tournament also provides an amazing opportunity for coaches and officials.
Member Federation coaches will have access to coach education sessions and are also in the sights of various scouts, while the Member Federation nominated match officials who precede over matches will have access to education sessions and are also presented with a chance to impress.
All participants, coaches and match officials will be provided development opportunities through leadership and well-being sessions led by Football Australia's Technical and High-Performance Departments.
Football Australia would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the NSW Government, through the Office of Sport and Destination NSW along with Destination Wollongong.
This is a free event to attend with no ticket required.
