# Singapore Youth League

The Singapore Youth League (SYL) is a youth football tournament for clubs that are affiliated to the Football Association of Singapore. SYL was launched in 2024 to provide a competitive platform for young players to showcase their talent and gain valuable match experience.
The inaugural season is set to feature over 200 registered teams from 52 clubs and academies across various age groups. The league will kick off on the weekend of 24 and 25 February 2024.

## History

On 3 August 2023, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced that Singapore Youth League (SYL) will be launched in 2024 to provide a competitive platform for young players to showcase their talent and gain valuable match experience. The league is part of the Unleash the Roar! (UTR!) national football project.
The tournaments under FAS's governance follow a programming matrix that specifies the minimum number of games each age group must play to ensure their comprehensive youth development. By establishing these competitive platforms and age-specific leagues, the SYL tournament aims to nurture young talent and provide them with the best environment to progress in their football journey.
FAS Academy Accreditation System (AAS) was also introduced to recognize and support various academies while fostering youth development in Singapore through specific criteria for their enhancement. Clubs and academies will be accredited based on the following criteria of Talent Identification, Coaching, Player Performance, Player Welfare, and Annual Assessment. Successful academies will then be accorded with different levels of accreditation from Level One (highest level) to Level Three (base level). The AAS will also provide an “avenue” into a structured competition - Singapore Youth League.
The competition will involve children of various age groups from U-8s, U-10s, U-12s, U-13s, U-15s and U-17. A promotion-relegation system, with three divisions planned for U-13s, U-15s and U-17s, are in the planning.
On 15 December 2023, FAS shared on various social media platforms that a total of 216 teams have been registered from 53 Clubs and Academies that have signed up via the Academy Accreditation System across the different age groups. This included invited teams such as ActiveSG Football Academy, Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. and Singapore Sports School.
On 6 February 2024, FAS officially announced the league is set to feature over 200 registered teams from 52 clubs and academies across various age groups. The league will kick off on the weekend of 24 and 25 February 2024.
Prior to the inaugural season, teams will undergo an initial classification round of matches to help determine their level. Based on the results of the classification round, teams will be placed in divisions consisting of sides of similar strength for the league proper. The SYL will include a promotion/relegation feature across all age groups, where teams can move up or down divisions based on performance.
SYL will be introducing a Girls-only division for Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 for the 2025 season. The 2025 season will see 316 teams taking part in the SYL, a 58 per cent increase from last year’s inaugural season.
The league enter the Singapore Book of Records for most football teams kicking off simultaneously on 9 February 2025. 36 teams in the Under-8, Under-9, Under-10, Under-15 and Under-17 categories kicked off their matches at 8am across multiple venues. The 2025 season will see 316 teams taking part in the SYL, a 58 per cent increase from last year’s inaugural season.

## Competition format

Age-group categories :
| Categories | No. of Teams | Format | Duration per match |
| Under-17 | 28 teams | 11v11 | 90-minute |
| Under-15 | 33 teams | 11v11 | 90-minute |
| Under-13 | 25 teams | 11v11 | 80-minute |
| Under-12 | 39 teams | 9v9 | 60-minute |
| Under-10 | 46 teams | 7v7 | 30-minute |
| Under-8 | 38 teams | 5v5 | 24-minute |

## Past champions
### Under-17

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 |
| 2024 | Lion City Sailors | St Michael's Soccer Assoc. | Verde Cresta Combined SC |
| 2025 | | | |

### Under-15

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 |
| 2024 | Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (Malaysia) | Barcelona Academy | East Coast United FA |
| 2025 | | | |

### Under-13

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 |
| 2024 | Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (Malaysia) | Flair Football Academy |
| 2025 | | |

### Under-12

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
| 2024 | Island City FC | Albirex Singapore FA | Pasirian Lions FC | Liverpool FC IA SG Gakpo |
| 2025 | | | | |

### Under-10

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
| 2024 | Geylang International AFA | Junior NDC U9 Team White | Tanjong Pagar United AFA | First Kick Hypernovas |
| 2025 | | | | |

### Under-8

| Season | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 |
| 2024 | Spanish Soccer Club Asia | Junior NDC Team Red | Balestier Khalsa AFA | FFF Academy |
| 2025 | | | | |