Germany Implements Fundamental Reform of Youth Football Competitions

The German Football Association has decided on a fundamental reform of the youth competitions from the 2024/25 season. Instead of the previous A and B junior federal leagues, the best young German footballers will in future compete in so-called youth leagues, as the DFB announced on Wednesday after a corresponding decision by the board. “Today the big winners are our talents,” said Joti Chatzialexiou, sporting director for national teams at the DFB.

Instead of the previous system with three seasons, there will in future be regional preliminary rounds and a national main round with leagues A and B in the junior leagues. In addition, amateur clubs can also qualify for League B during the current season through regional and state competitions. The number of participating teams is not capped. The best teams in the main rounds play out the German champions.

What is changing in the youth leagues?

“I am absolutely convinced that this step is necessary,” said Chatzialexiou. Among other things, the DFB hopes that the reform will result in less pressure on the clubs to achieve results, less effort due to regional duels and more participation by amateur clubs. “It’s time to make bold changes to give our players even better opportunities to develop,” said Chatzialexiou.

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With the future project in 2018, the DFB initiated far-reaching reforms in the youth field. In addition to restructuring the competitions, changes are also being sought in the areas of coach development, support structures and football development. There had been criticism of some projects, including from state associations and clubs. “My impression is that we simply find it a bit more difficult to make changes,” said Chatzialexiou. “For our process, this means that we had to have a lot of discussions and combine different needs.”

2023-06-28 23:13:00
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