Melbourne City FC Youth
| Company type | Youth football academy |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Cranbourne East, Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Youth football teams (under-23, under-21, under-14 to under-17) |
| Website | www |
Melbourne City Football Club Youth represents the youth system of Melbourne City Football Club, situated in Cranbourne East, Melbourne. This development structure features an under-23 squad participating in senior Victorian competitions, presently competing in the Victorian Premier League 1, alongside an under-21 team engaged in under-23 tournaments.
Established in 2016, the Melbourne City Academy consists of four age groups ranging from under-14 to under-17, all competing within the youth divisions of the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
Initial period (2011–2014)
Originally formed in 2011 as Melbourne Heart Youth following the senior team’s introduction to the A-League, the youth team was first overseen by John Aloisi, who moved to head coach duties after the 2011–12 campaign. Beginning in 2012, leadership transitioned to Joe Palatsides. Their debut match resulted in a 2–0 triumph over local adversaries Melbourne Victory during the 2011–12 season.
Participation in National Premier Leagues (2014–2018)
On 7 November 2014, Melbourne City announced their inclusion in the NPL Victoria 1 division starting from the 2015 season, mainly featuring their youth roster which also competes in the A-League Youth. Concurrently, they entered a U-20 squad into the development-focused U-20 NPL competition.
The youth team clinched the 2014–15 National Youth League crown by finishing tied on points and goal difference with Brisbane Roar FC Youth, ultimately prevailing due to a superior goals scored record.
Expanding their footprint within the NPL framework, Melbourne City introduced U-18 and U-15 squads. In February 2018, these youth teams were integrated into the National Premier Leagues for under-20 and under-18 contests, with Davey van 't Schip appointed as coach of the U-18 side.
Youth
Players at this level may also be selected to represent the senior squad in both the A-League Youth and VPL 1.
Current staff
Head Coaches:
| Alessandro Diamanti | Head Coach - Youth |
| Lewis Potter | Head Coach - U21 |
| Daniel Topping | Head Coach - U17 |
| Leroy Almenara | Head Coach - U16 |
| Luke Johnson | Head Coach - U15 |
| Frankie Barilla | Head Coach - U14 |
Support Staff:
| Stuart McDonald | Assistant Coach - Youth |
| Daniel Topping | Assistant Coach - U21 |
| Daniel Cappellaro | Assistant Coach - U17 & U16 |
| Josh Sasic | Assistant Coach - U15 & U14 |
Honours
- Youth (Under-23s)
- A-League Youth Premiership
- Champions (2): 2016–17, 2017–18
- Runners-up (1): 2018–19
- A-League Youth Championship
- Champions (2): 2014–15, 2016–17
- Runners-up (1): 2017–18
- Victoria Premier League 2
- Runners-up (1): 2022
- Under-21s
- Victoria Premier League 1 U-23 Premiership
- Champions (1): 2023
- Victoria Premier League 1 U-23 Championship
- Champions (5): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023
- Runners-up (2): 2018, 2022
- Victoria Premier League 2 U-23 Premiership
- Runners-up (1): 2022
- Victoria Premier League 2 U-23 Championship
- Champions (1): 2022
Stadium
The club hosts its home fixtures at CB Smith Reserve and Casey Fields. In earlier periods, matches took place at venues including Epping Stadium, John Cain Memorial Park, John Ilhan Memorial Reserve, and La Trobe University.
A-League Youth
| Season | A-League Youth | Grand Final | Leading scorer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final standing | Player(s) | Goals scored | ||
| League structure | ||||||||||||
| 2011–12 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 26 | 5th | – | Zac Walker | 7 |
| 2012–13 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 25 | 6th | – | Joshua Groenewald | 8 |
| 2013–14 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 28 | 5th | – | Marcus Schroen | 5 |
| 2014–15 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 27 | +13 | 35 | 1st | – | Wade Dekker | 9 |
| Conference structure | ||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 10 | 3rd | Did not qualify | Wade Dekker Chris Cristaldo |
4 |
| 2016–17 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 16 | 1st | Champions | Yusuf Ahmed | 5 |
Football Victoria
| Season | Football Victoria | Leading scorer | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | League name | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final position | Player(s) | Goals scored | |
| 2015 | 3 | NPL Victoria 2 West | 28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 56 | 45 | +11 | 44 | 5th | Wade Dekker | 10 |
| 2016 | 28 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 70 | 45 | +25 | 46 | 3rd | Christopher Cristaldo | 10 | ||
| 2017 | NPL Victoria 2 East | 28 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 68 | 49 | +19 | 41 | 3rd | Austin Wong | 9 | |
| 2018 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 34 | 6th | Moudi Najjar | 14 | ||
| 2019 | 28 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 32 | 7th ↓ | Ramy Najjarine | 13 | ||
| 2020 | 4 | National Premier Leagues Victoria 3 | 'No fixtures held due to COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||||||||
| 2021 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 25 | 5th [lower-alpha 1] | Max Caputo | 12 | ||
| 2022 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 13 | +30 | =52 | 2nd ↑ | = Arion Sulemani | =12 | ||
| 2023 | 3 | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 54 | 56 | ||||||
| 2024 Victoria Premier League 1 | Victoria Premier League 1 (VPL 1) | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 55 | 41 | >+14 | >41 | >5th | > Medin Memeti | >9 | |
| 2025 Victoria Premier League 1 | >15 | >10 | >5 | >0 | >43 | >14 | >+29 | >35 | >1st [lower-alpha 2] | > Arion Sulemani | >9 | ||
See also
External links
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