Sydney FC will play home games at the Sydney Football Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium, Marconi Stadium and WIN Stadium in Wollongong during the 2010/11 NYL season.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) today released the National Youth League 2010/11 season draw.
The third season of Australia-s premier under 21-s competition will again feature 9 teams including Adelaide United, Australian Institute of Sport, Brisbane Roar, Central Coast Mariners, Gold Coast United, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and Sydney FC.
Kicking off on 18 September, The National Youth League 2010/11 season will see 90 matches played over 23 weeks of competition. The structure of this edition of the competition will see a league only format without a final series, to reflect the developmental role that the National Youth League plays.
The Sky Blues, who won the inaugural NYL competition in 2008/09 and finished 5th last season, will be led by club legend Steve Corica – his first coaching assignment after his outstanding playing career.
Corica will be assisted by former Sydney FC first team assistant Ian Crook with goalkeeping legend Jim Fraser his goalkeeping coach.
This season will see the Sky Blues play four home games at the Sydney Football Stadium and two each at Campbelltown Stadium, Marconi Stadium and WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
“Our specific aim for the National Youth League is to focus increasingly on the development of players so that their transition to the Hyundai A-League is without difficulty,” said FFA National Technical Director Han Berger.
“The National Youth League is an important avenue to allow footballers to play ‘the right way- with a focus on skills, passing, movement and vision rather than just a focus on results.”
Head of Hyundai A-League Lyall Gorman believes the changed format allows for both development and a competitive competition.
“The National Youth League is a development league that showcases our best rising talents and prepares them for first team football,” said Gorman.
“A strong and vibrant national youth competition is essential to FFA-s on-going efforts to build football in this country and provide elite pathways for our best young players.
“In Week 3 of the Hyundai A-League we not only witnessed 5 pulsating matches but also saw the benefits of the National Youth League with 18 graduate players taking the field including 10 in the starting line-ups.”
The success of the National Youth League has already seen more the 30 players progress to the Hyundai A-League and other international domestic leagues.
As another level to FFA-s National Strategic Framework, the National Youth League puts a major focus on the development of players to progress seamlessly from to the Hyundai A-League and Australian national teams.
National Youth League season three sees fixtures scheduled at a greater number of venues including Marconi Stadium, WIN Stadium in Wollongong and venues in Inglewood (Perth), Budgewoi (Central Coast), Darebin (Melbourne) and Gepps Cross (Adelaide).
