A-League Men Young Footballer of the Year
The A-League Young Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in the A-League. It is currently called the NAB Young Footballer of the Year for sponsorship purposes.[1] The award has been presented since the 2005–06 season and the winner is chosen by a panel of experts and media representatives.[1] In 2014, the age for eligibility was lifted from 21 to 23.[2] The first winner of the award was Perth Glory midfielder Nick Ward. The current holder is Jamie Maclaren, who won the award for his performances throughout the 2015–16 campaign for Brisbane Roar.
As of 2015, Mathew Ryan is the only player to have won the award on more than one occasion. Marco Rojas is the only non-Australian winner of the trophy. Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 23 or under at the start of the season remain eligible to win the Johnny Warren Medal, and in 2013 Rojas won both awards.
Since 2009, one player has been awarded a nomination for the award each month of the season, with the eventual winner then selected from the nominees.
Winners
The award has been presented on 11 occasions as of 2016, with 10 different winners.[3]
| Player (X) | Name of the player and number of times they had won the award at that point (if more than one) |
|---|---|
| § | Denotes the club were A-League champions in the same season |
| Season | Player | Nationality | Club | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Nick Ward |  Australia |
Perth Glory | [4] |
| 2006–07 | Adrian Leijer | Australia |
Melbourne Victory§ | [5] |
| 2007–08 | Bruce Djite | Australia |
Adelaide United | [6] |
| 2008–09 | Scott Jamieson | Australia |
Adelaide United | [7] |
| 2009–10 | Tommy Oar | Australia |
Brisbane Roar | [8] |
| 2010–11 | Mathew Ryan | Australia |
Central Coast Mariners | [9] |
| 2011–12 | Mathew Ryan (2) | Australia |
Central Coast Mariners§ | [10] |
| 2012–13 | Marco Rojas |  New Zealand |
Melbourne Victory | [11] |
| 2013–14 | Adam Taggart | Australia |
Newcastle Jets | [12] |
| 2014–15 | James Jeggo | Australia |
Adelaide United | [13] |
| 2015–16 | Jamie Maclaren | Australia |
Brisbane Roar |
Breakdown of winners
By nationality
| Country | Total |
|---|---|
| Australia
|
10 |
| New Zealand
|
1 |
By club
| Club | Total |
|---|---|
| Adelaide United | 3 |
| Brisbane Roar | 2 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 2 |
| Melbourne Victory | 2 |
| Newcastle Jets | 1 |
| Perth Glory | 1 |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Hyundai A-League Awards". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "NAB Young Footballer of the Year candidates named". A-League. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ "Our History". A-League. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "'If I had my time again, I probably would've taken their advice'". Goal.com. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Bernard, Grantley (28 February 2007). "Jet blocks Victory clean sweep". Herald Sun.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "A-League 2008 Awards Night". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2008.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lynch, Michael (3 February 2009). "Melbourne's season not reflected in awards". WAtoday.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Tommy tops young talent". Brisbane Roar. 17 February 2010.
- ^ "Flores takes top gong". The World Game. 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Ryan, Arnold honoured at Hyundai A-League Awards". Central Coast Mariners. 11 April 2012.
- ^ "Marco Rojas wins Johnny Warren Medal". Football Federation Australia. 15 April 2013.
- ^ Gardiner, James (28 April 2014). "Adam Taggart wins 2014 Young Player of the Year, Golden Boot award: photos". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Jeggo named NAB Young Footballer of the Year". Football Federation Australia. 11 May 2015.