Melbourne City FC Youth

Melbourne City Youth
Full nameMelbourne City Football Club Youth
Nickname(s)City Youth
Founded2011; 12 years ago (2011)
GroundCasey Fields
Parade College
Capacity9,000
2,000
Youth ManagerAlessandro Diamanti
LeagueA-League Youth
NPL Victoria 2
WebsiteClub website

Melbourne City Football Club Youth is the youth system of Melbourne City Football Club based in Cranbourne East, Melbourne. The youth team plays in the NPL Victoria 2, the second tier of Victorian football in Australia and the hiatus A-League Youth competition. The club also fields under-21s, under-18s, and three other academy teams within the NPL Victoria system.

History

Early years (2011–2014)

The team was founded in 2011 as Melbourne Heart Youth, the season after their senior side Melbourne City (then known as Melbourne Heart FC), made their A-League debut. The inaugural manager was John Aloisi before he accepted the role as head manager at the end of the 2011–12 season. From 2012 onwards, Joe Palatsides had been the manager. The youth team's first match was played in the 2011–12 against local rivals Melbourne Victory in a 2–0 win at John Cain Memorial Park.[1]

Entry into National Premier Leagues (2014–2018)

On 7 November 2014, it was confirmed that Melbourne City would compete in the NPL Victoria 1 competition from the 2015 season onwards. The team consists mainly of Melbourne City's youth team, which also competes in the A-League Youth.[2] On top of this, Melbourne City opted to send a U-20 team to enter the concurrently-run development-level U-20 NPL league competition.[3]

The team finished on top of the table of the 2014–15 National Youth League, tied with Brisbane Roar FC Youth on both points and goal difference but were awarded the title having scored a greater number of goals.[4]

After several seasons competing in the NPL, Melbourne City announced they were expanding their participation to also enter teams into the U-18 and U-15 competitions, with the U-18 side notably being managed by former manager John van 't Schip's brother Davey.[5] In February 2018, the two new youth teams had joined the National Premier Leagues for the under-20s and under-18s side.[5]

Players

Youth current squad

These players can also play with the senior squad and compete in the A-League Youth and the NPL Victoria 2.

As of 6 October 2023[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Under-21s current squad

As of 6 October 2023[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Under-18s current squad

As of 6 October 2023[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Current staff

Head Coaches:

Alessandro Diamanti Youth manager
Stuart McDonald U21 Head Coach
Frankie Barilla U18 Head Coach
Lewis Potter U16 Head Coach
Matthew Conversano U15 Head Coach
Leroy Almenara U14 Head Coach

Staff:

Agim Sherifovski Assistant coach (Youth–U21)
Ben Morella Goalkeeping coach (Youth–U21)
Sakaria Hersi Assistant coach (U18–U16)
Luke Johnson Head coach (U15–U14)

Honours

Youth (Under-23s)
Under-21s
Under-18s

Stadium

The team hosts its home matches at CB Smith Reserve and Casey Fields. In previous years, home games have also been played at Epping Stadium, John Cain Memorial Park, John Ilhan Memorial Reserve and La Trobe University.

Seasons

As of 31 January 2016
Season A-League Youth Grand Final Top scorer
Pld W D L GF GA Pts Position Player(s) Goals
2011–12 18 8 2 8 35 37 26 5th – Zac Walker 7
2012–13 18 8 1 9 32 34 25 6th – Joshua Groenewald 8
2013–14 18 8 4 6 40 30 28 5th – Marcus Schroen 5
2014–15 18 10 5 3 40 27 35 1st – Wade Dekker 9
Conference format
2015–16 8 3 1 4 18 23 10 3rd Did not qualify Wade Dekker / Christopher Cristaldo 4
2016–17 8 5 1 2 18 12 16 1st Champions Yusuf Ahmed 5

See also

References

  1. ^ "Heart too good for Victory". A-League Youth. Football Federation Australia. 5 December 2017.
  2. ^ "NEWS: Melbourne City FC NYL accepted into Victorian NPL". Melbourne City FC. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  3. ^ "City commences 2016 National Premier Leagues (NPL) Season". Melbourne City FC. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Melbourne City FC win Foxtel NYL title". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b "City set sights on NPL with two new teams". melbournecityfc.com.au. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Under 23's (NPL) Squad". Melbourne City FC. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Under 21's Squad". Melbourne City FC. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Under 18's Squad". Melbourne City FC. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

External links