National Youth Championship in Wollongong next week, what you need to know

The boys have been playing at Valentine Sports Park this week. Starting from Monday, October 9, the girls will take to the field at both WIN Stadium and JJ Kelly Park.

It's set to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for a number of aspiring athletes, including Shell Cove teenager Gabi White and Shellharbour's Kyani Dos Santos.

The National Youth Championships are the flagship youth event in the Australian football calendar, with teams from Football Australia's nine state and territory member federations competing not only to claim the coveted national title, but to impress attending national team technical staff.

The National Youth Championship has long been an integral part of the Football Australia's talent identification program, proving an important stepping-stone for many current Matildas and Socceroos.

The week will kick-off with the opening ceremony at WIN Stadium on Monday (October 9) at 8:30am, just before the first ball is kicked.

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There will be 22 female teams taking part across under 14s and under 16 divisions throughout the week, 12 in 14s and 10 in 16s. From the Monday through to the Wednesday, games will be played at simultaneous times at both venues.

Heading into the final two days, the U14s are scheduled to be split into two divisions, 'A' and 'B'. Semi-finals will again be played at WIN and JJ Kelly, before the three grand finals (U16, 14A, 14B) will be played on the Friday, October at WIN Stadium.

A closing ceremony and trophy celebration will follow. The full list of fixtures can be found here.

- NSW Metro

- Queensland Maroon

- Victoria

- South Australia

- Western Australia

- Northern NSW

- Tasmania

- NSW Country

- Northern Territory

- Capital Football

- Queensland Silver

- Invitational XI

- Victoria

- Queensland Silver

- Capital Football

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- NSW Metro

- Western Australia

- Northern NSW

- Queensland Maroon

- South Australia

- NSW Country

- Tasmania

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.

This is a free event to attend with no ticket required.

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