Football Victoria has completed a clean sweep of the National Youth Championships 2023 Boys’ Tournament winning both the Under 15 and 16 Age Groups at Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood.
The stands were overflowing with eager spectators and supporters who on Friday witnessed the culmination of five days of high-quality competition from Football Australia’s nine state and territory Member Federations. Over 340 goals were scored across the tournament which featured a total of 440 players.
Both the Under 15 and Under 16 Victorian Blue sides were triumphant in their respective Finals and also fostered the eventual Players of the Tournament for each Age Group.
Under 16 Victoria Blue Head Coach, Jake Hacken said the future of Football in Victoria is in very safe hands: “It’s a special moment for Victoria. We have such an immense talent pool in Victoria and it’s a credit to everyone involved.”
The final result in the Under 16 clash was decided by penalties as nothing could separate NSW Metro White and Victoria Blue after the allotted 60 minutes of play.
Tensions skyrocketed as the fate of the National Youth Championships 2023 was held in the balance of a spot kick, and as the match-winning conversion found the back of the net, it was clear to see how much it meant to the Victorian side.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen this week is our Victorian spirit, these guys are all heart, endless passion and they leave everything on the pitch,” continued Hacken.
“It was a great game of football and a very great brand for Australia. Both teams were exceptional, these boys are so very adaptable when it comes to tactics, so they took onboard all my feedback at halftime really well.”
In the Under 15 tournament, Victoria Blue produced a complete performance to upset last year’s Premiers Queensland White, 3-0, thanks to a double from Aaron Cartwright which guided the Victorian side to victory.
Victoria Blue Head Coach Stan Roumpos was thrilled with the result and praised the control and determination of his side during the match and throughout the tournament.
“We’re absolutely elated with the result. The boys have really stepped up the last few days and to knock off the reigning champions three-nil was an outstanding result and an outstanding performance from all 17 players,” Roumpos said.
“Winning for Victoria is something special and something I'll never forget. To give something back to the boys after they missed out on the semis last year, I'm just ecstatic and over the moon for them.”
Alexander Houridis from the winning Victoria Blue side was presented with the Under 15 Player of the Tournament award by Head Coach – Australian Under 17 Men’s National Team, Brad Maloney for his consistency and ability to transform a match over the course of the week.
Christian Polyzoudis from the winning Victoria Blue side was presented with the Under 16 Player of the Tournament award by Football Australia Technical Director – Men’s Football & Head Coach Australian Under Men’s National Team, Trevor Morgan for his outstanding overall performance.
Noah Ellul from Football South Australia was presented with the Under 15 Goalkeeper of the Tournament award by Football Australia Head of Goalkeeping and CommBank Matildas’ Goalkeeper Coach, Tony Franken.
Franken also presented the Under 16 Goalkeeper of the Tournament to Robert Cook from Football Western Australia.
Football Victoria's Referee Development Manager and Isuzu-Ute A-League Assistant Referee, Andrew Meimarakis presented the Under 15 Referee of the Tournament award to Football Victoria’s Michael Ouliarias and Football Queensland’s Jack Powers in the Under 16 Age Group.
Former Socceroo Josh Kennedy was also in attendance to present all the runners-up and champions medals to all players who participated in the Finals.
Football Australia would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the NSW Government, through the Office of Sport and Destination NSW along with Destination Wollongong.
The National Youth Championships Girls’ Tournament will take place across WIN Stadium and JJ Kelly Park, Wollongong from October 9-13. CLICK HERE to view the full National Youth Championships Digital Program.
Players of the Tournament:
Under 15: Alexander Houridis, Football Victoria
Under 16: Christian Polyzoudis, Football Victoria
Goalkeepers of the Tournament:
Under 15: Noah Ellul, Football South Australia
Under 16: Robert Cook, Football Western Australia
Referees of the Tournament:
Under 15: Michael Ouliarias, Football Victoria
Under 16: Jack Powers, Football Queensland
Under 15 Final:
Queensland White 0 def by Victoria Blue 3
Victoria Blue: Aaron Cartwright x2, Daniel Matina
Under 16 Final:
Victoria Blue 1 (5) def NSW Metro White 1 (4)
Victoria Blue: Christian Polyzoudis, Joseph Pezzano (own goal)
Under 15 Group A
| Pos | Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 1 | QLD White | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Victoria Blue | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 13 |
| 3 | NSW Metro Blue | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | South Australia | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Capital Football | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 5 |
| 6 | NSW Country | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 0 |
Under 15 Group B
| Pos | Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 1 | Western Australia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 16 | 16 |
| 2 | NSW Metro White | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 19 | 13 |
| 3 | Northern NSW | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 11 |
| 4 | QLD Maroon | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| 5 | Victoria White | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 |
| 6 | Tasmania | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 22 | -17 | 3 |
| 7 | Northern Territory | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 31 | -27 | 0 |
Under 16 Group A
| Pos | Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 1 | Victoria Blue | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| 2 | NSW Metro Blue | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 3 | South Australia | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | QLD White | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 7 |
| 5 | Capital Football | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 7 |
| 6 | NSW Country | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 23 | -21 | 0 |
Under 16 Group B
| Pos | Team | Played | Win | Loss | Draw | For | Against | Difference | Points |
| 1 | NSW Metro White | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 14 |
| 2 | Victoria White | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 23 | 13 |
| 3 | Northern NSW | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| 4 | Western Australia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 12 |
| 5 | Tasmania | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 6 |
| 6 | QLD Maroon | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 3 |
| 7 | Northern Territory | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 43 | -41 | 0 |
