A-League Young Footballer of the Year


The A-League Young Footballer of the Year is an annual soccer 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. The award has been presented since the 2005–06 season and the winner is chosen by a panel of experts and media representatives. In 2014, the age for eligibility was lifted from 21 to 23. The first winner of the award was Perth Glory midfielder Nick Ward. The current holder is Chris Ikonomidis.
As of 2017, Mathew Ryan and Jamie Maclaren are the only players to have won the award on more than one occasion. Marco Rojas is the only non-Australian winner of the trophy. 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 14 occasions as of 2019, with 12 different winners.
Player Name of the player and number of times they had won the award at that point
§Denotes the club were A-League premiers in the same season

SeasonPlayerNationalityClubRef
2005–06AUSPerth Glory
2006–07AUSMelbourne Victory
2007–08AUSAdelaide United
2008–09AUSAdelaide United
2009–10AUSBrisbane Roar
2010–11AUSCentral Coast Mariners
2011–12 AUSCentral Coast Mariners
2012–13NZLMelbourne Victory
2013–14AUSNewcastle Jets
2014–15AUSAdelaide United
2015–16AUSBrisbane Roar
2016–17 AUSBrisbane Roar
2017–18AUSMelbourne City
2018–19AUSPerth Glory

Breakdown of winners

By nationality

By club