A-League Youth
| Organising body |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Country | Australia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Conferences | 2 |
| Number of clubs | 10 |
| Current champions | Sydney FC Youth (2019–20) |
| Most championships | Sydney FC Youth (3) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Network 10, Paramount+ |
A-League Youth, formerly known as the National Youth League and Y-League is a defunct Australian national soccer youth developmental and under-21s league, founded by Football Federation Australia and later run by the Australian Professional Leagues. 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.
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, however the season was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
Following the end of COVID restrictions the league did not return, and the clubs now focus on their development through their entries in the National Premier Leagues system in each state. The new system benefits the clubs by removing the expensive interstate travel, and exposes the players to a tougher level of competition over a longer period with more matches.