Nova Youth Club Championship – Club Feedback Summary and What’s Coming in Season 2026

Football SA extends its thanks to all club administrators and technical directors who contributed their valuable feedback to the 2025 YCC club review, conducted throughout May and June. Around 20 YCC clubs took part in workshops held both in person and online, ensuring a wide range of perspectives were heard. Clubs input continues to shape the future of youth football in South Australia. Here’s a summary of what’s working well, where we can improve, and what’s coming in 2026.

What’s Working Well

• Game Day Experience:
  Centralised venues and consistent time slots have created a strong football community feel, where families stay to support, and club canteens thrive.
• Coaching Collaboration:
  Head Coaches and Technical Directors are now meeting three times a year with Football SA’s Technical Director to share ideas and review best practices. These sessions focus on how coaches and technical directors can work together to improve coaching standards and, ultimately, player development.
• Growing Coach Education:
  More coaches are completing their C and B Diplomas, showing a strong commitment to ongoing learning and raising the overall quality of coaching across the competition. Bonus points for workshop attendance and meeting minimum coaching qualifications are positively influencing club behaviour, encouraging a stronger focus on coach development and ensuring more coaches are appropriately accredited.
• Club & Coach Engagement:
  Regular coach meetings at Clubs and visible Technical Directors at venues have strengthened communication and alignment within and between clubs and Football SA.
• Positive Sideline Behaviour:
  The disciplinary points deduction system has led to noticeable improvements with on field and sideline conduct.
• Player Development Opportunities:
  Young players are being placed in their own age group and given chances to play in higher age groups when required, which is helping to accelerate their development in a supportive environment.
• Video Review (VEO):
  Many clubs are using VEO cameras for performance review, analysis and education with some sharing footage with opposition teams to support collaborative development.

What Needs Work

• Referee Coverage:
  Referee shortages and officiating standards were raised, especially on match days with long hours or overlapping games. With more fixtures and a higher standard of play in the YCC, the expectations on referees have increased—placing pressure on those officiating. However, this also presents a valuable opportunity for young and emerging referees to gain experience, develop their skills, and grow alongside the competition. Clubs support the continued prioritisation of YCC for referee appointments but are calling for more support, training, and consistency across all matches.
• Squad Sizes & Player Movement:
  Feedback on squad sizes is mixed—some clubs want larger squads to cover injuries, while others find managing game time with too many players challenging. Movement rules between teams are now understood however some clubs would like more flexibility. Better communication with players and their parents about the YCC prescribed windows and what does it mean for the player and their development journey is important. Parents are placing increased expectations on club volunteers, often relying on them not only for team management and communication but also for resolving issues beyond their traditional roles.
• Girls' Football Pathways:
  Some clubs are unable to field YCC girls’ teams due to not being able to provide a full pathway to senior elite football. The Tier 2 girls' league is stretched thin, with frequent byes and uneven matchups. There needs to be more opportunities for female players ageing out of Under 17’s and not ready for Community or Senior Elite Football.
• Scheduling Challenges:
  A 22 round competition, Cup rounds, end of season finals series and preseason trials cause stress for clubs and a growing commitment for families. The football calendar is becoming a 12-month commitment for everyone and continues to place added pressure on already stretched club volunteers.
• Technology Use:
  While some clubs use VEO effectively, others lack the capacity or knowledge to manage it consistently.

Looking Ahead – What’s Coming in 2026

Thanks to your feedback, here’s what we’re working on:

✅ Clearer player movement rules, for goalkeepers which is a specialised position.
✅ Better referee training and appointment processes to improve coverage and development of young match officials. The Orange Armband and Respect campaign to continue with a focus on those match officials that are under the age of 18 years.
✅ Girls’ football investment—supporting a future U18 Girls YPL that will replace the U17 Girls YPL to better support players development and allow them another year in Youth Football prior to transitioning into the Women’s Community and Senior Elite Leagues.  
✅ Expanded coaching access, including more C and B Diploma opportunities
✅ Format reviews, better integration and fixturing of the U12 YPL to align with the Tier Clubs.
✅ Stronger use and sharing of VEO footage to support coach and player development

The Youth Club Championship Brochure – Our Commitment to Creating Positive Youth Football is now available for parents and players to view. This brochure outlines what the Nova YCC is all about, including the values clubs promote, how the competition works, and your clubs commitment to creating the best possible environment for young footballers. We encourage families to take a moment to read it and learn more about the YCC journey.
View the Nova YCC Brochure | [Click Here]

Youth Club Championship – Mid-Season Audit

Football South Australia has completed the 2025 Nova Youth Club Championship (YCC) Mid-Season Audit.

As part of our ongoing commitment to club development, accountability, and fairness, bonus and deduction points have been applied based on each club’s performance against the YCC criteria. These include:

• Coach accreditation
• Workshop attendance
• Use of camera systems
• Player coaching and player tracking systems
• Disciplinary conduct

This audit process ensures clubs are actively investing in their programs, maintaining high standards, and fostering positive football environments for players, coaches, and families.

Bonus points and deductions are intentionally weighted to encourage best practice, support coach and player development, and influence positive change in both on-field and sideline behaviour. Pleasingly, this season has seen a reduction in disciplinary matters across YCC teams.

Each club has now received its individual audit report. For transparency, a summary of the bonus and deduction points criteria is available in the Football SA Competition Regulations 2025 [Click Here] 
To view your club’s Youth Club Championship Audit points as of 9 September 2025, including bonus and deduction allocations, please [Click Here].

Football SA State Squad
The Football SA State Squad has not been allocated bonus points. This decision is based on the fact that, as a state development program, all minimum criteria required for bonus points are already met through the program’s structure. The Football SA State Squad operate under best-practice standards, ensuring the highest level of player development and program delivery.

Disciplinary Points
Disciplinary deduction points have been attributed as of 9 September 2025.  The disciplinary deduction points will continue to be calculated and added to the YCC standings at the conclusion of Round 22.

We thank all club administrators and team officials for their ongoing support of the YCC and their commitment to improving the delivery of junior football in South Australia.

Youth Club Championship – Final Series

For the first time, Football SA is introducing a Finals Series for Youth Club Championship (YCC) teams—a three-week competition based on individual league standings. The Top 6 boys teams in each league and the Top 4 girls’ teams in each league qualify. The Grand Finals will take place on the weekend of 10–12 October, providing an exciting opportunity for more best vs best matchups to conclude a highly competitive season.

Following the model used in senior men’s football, Football SA has decided that the U15, U14, and U13 teams will follow the U16 teams’ home fixtures during the first two weeks of the three-week Final Series. This means that the first two weeks of the final series will see four matches hosted at the venue of the U16 team designated as the home side.

YCC Girls – Top 4 Team Finals of Each Age Group

YCC Boys - Top 6 Team Finals of Each Age Group

Final Thoughts

YCC continues to grow not just as a competition, but as a community. The strong collaboration between clubs, coaches, families, and Football SA is helping to create a better experience for every player.

Thank you for being part of the journey. Let’s keep building together.

— Football South Australia