Starting with the 2024/25 season, the German Football Association (DFB) has completely overhauled its top youth leagues. The new system replaces the former A-Junioren-Bundesliga and B-Junioren-Bundesliga for both the U19 and U17 age groups. The reform aims to enhance player development, provide more balanced competition, and reduce unnecessary travel for young athletes. Both the U19 and U17 competitions follow a similar two-phase format, with slight differences reflecting the specific needs and structure of each age group.
Phase One: Preliminary Round
Structure:
- Regional Groups:
- All 64 teams in each age category are divided into eight regional groups.
- Each group consists of up to eight teams.
Objectives and Format:
- Geographical and Performance-Based:
- The allocation is designed to minimize travel distances and to ensure that teams compete against regional opponents.
- Teams are placed into groups based on their performance (using a multi-year rating system) rather than strict state or regional boundaries.
- Match Format:
- Each team plays a home-and-away round-robin over 14 matchdays.
- The results from these 14 games determine the team rankings within each group.
The regional teams of season 2024/2025 were geographically created as follows:
Phase Two: Main Round (Hauptrunde)
After the preliminary round, teams are sorted into two separate leagues based on their finishing positions:
League A:
- Qualification:
- The top three teams from each preliminary group qualify for League A.
- This creates a pool of 24 teams (for instance, the first two from each group plus the six best third-placed teams).
- Grouping and Format:
- These 24 teams are then divided into four groups of six teams each.
- They play an additional round-robin series (with ten matchdays) to further refine rankings.
- End-of-Phase Objective:
- The best teams from League A will advance to the knockout stage (playoffs) to determine the overall German Youth Champion in the respective age group.
League B:
- Qualification:
- All remaining teams from the preliminary round are placed in League B.
- Additionally, up to 11 extra amateur clubs (which do not have a formal youth academy structure) qualify via performance in the second-tier youth leagues.
- Grouping and Format:
- League B is organized into groups of up to eight teams.
- These teams also play a home-and-away format over 14 matchdays.
- Purpose:
- League B ensures that clubs not in the top tier still have a competitive platform, and it helps maintain a broader competitive balance across all teams.
Final Stage: Playoffs (Championship Phase)
For the U19 competition in League A:
- Knockout Rounds:
- At the conclusion of the main round, the best 16 teams from League A progress to a knockout stage.
- This phase is a single-elimination tournament starting with the round of 16 (often referred to as the “Achtelfinale”).
- Champion Determination:
- The winner of the knockout phase is crowned the German Youth Champion for that age group.
Note: The U17 competition follows a similar structure with minor adaptations in the qualification and group distribution to suit the developmental needs of younger players.
For the U19 competition in League B:
- Qualification for Future Seasons:
- For clubs with a youth performance center (NLZ), finishing in League B typically secures automatic participation in the next season’s U19 Nachwuchsliga.
- Amateur clubs (without an NLZ) must finish within the top four of their group in League B to qualify for participation in the following season. This mechanism creates a pathway for these clubs to gain experience at a higher competitive level.
- DFB Junior Cup Participation:
- In addition to league placement, the top finishing teams in League B are also eligible to qualify for the DFB Junior Cup, offering further competitive exposure.
Practical Experience from the New Youth League
The first impressions from clubs confirm that the reform is already bringing noticeable benefits. Ismail Gülec, head coach of SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball U17, draws a positive conclusion after about 60% of the season:
“Week after week, we compete against the best, which pushes our players to their limits. While individual development remains the top priority, football is still a results-driven sport. Without relegation pressure, we can plan more effectively, give younger players more playing time, and prepare them for the next season. At the same time, non-professional teams have the opportunity to prove themselves and qualify for the league. Of course, the increased travel and logistical efforts are a challenge, but they serve as valuable preparation for a future in professional football.”
This ability to combine high-level youth competition with better planning security and structured player development highlights the long-term vision of the new system.
Key Innovations and Objectives
- Focus on Development:
- The reform shifts the emphasis away from rigid promotion and relegation systems. Teams with established youth academies (Leistungszentren) do not face relegation, allowing them to focus on long-term player development rather than short-term results.
- Balanced Competition:
- By grouping teams regionally in the preliminary phase and then sorting by performance in the main round, the new system aims to ensure that games are competitive and that players are regularly challenged at the appropriate level.
- Inclusion of Amateur Clubs/Non-Academy Clubs:
- Up to 11 additional amateur teams are given an opportunity to participate in League B, creating a pathway for emerging talent outside the established youth academies.
- Efficient Scheduling Travel & Load Management:
- The regional grouping in the preliminary round minimizes travel, reducing the physical and logistical burden on young players, thus allowing more time for training and education.
- Focus on More Playtime
- To allow for more playing time and optimize individual player development, each team in the DFB Youth League can make up to seven substitutions per match (six field players plus a goalkeeper). This enables all 18 players of the permitted matchday squad to participate. Three substitution windows plus halftime are allowed.
- The Focus and Difference Between U19 & U17
- While both leagues share a common two-phase format and similar regional groupings, the U19 league is structured to provide a more intense, championship-oriented experience for players nearing the professional level, whereas the U17 league emphasizes technical and tactical growth with a slightly more developmental and less pressure-driven environment.
How successful is the German youth league system for talents’ path to become a professional?
Talking about concrete numbers is very difficult since the underlying data is not entirely transparent. However, if we look at the rosters of top professional teams, a clear trend emerges: many clubs consistently field a significant number of homegrown players. For instance, in the Bundesliga, it is not uncommon to see between 30% and 50% of a team’s lineup composed of players who came through the club’s own youth system. Clubs like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Schalke 04 are prime examples these teams regularly integrate several academy graduates into their first squads.
This pattern is a strong indicator that investing in youth football is an effective and efficient way to produce professional players who succeed both domestically and on the world stage. Not only do these figures highlight the success of the German youth league system in fostering talent, but they also underscore the importance of maintaining and further developing these youth structures as a cornerstone for long-term football excellence.
We will see in coming years how the new structure of the German youth league will influence the ratio of young players becoming professional. The numbers below reflect more the old known system.
Here are the first three teams per professional league in Germany with the most players from their own youth academy:
Bundesliga
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
- Currently 9 players in first team squad with a market value of ~32 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- SC Freiburg
- Currently 8 players in first team squad with a market value of ~30 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- Borussia Dortmund
- Currently 7 players in first team squad with a market value of ~67 Mio. € from their own youth academy
2nd Bundesliga
- Hertha BSC
- Currently 15 players in first team squad with a market value of ~28 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- FC Köln
- Currently 11 players in first team squad with a market value of ~21 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- FC Schalke 04
- Currently 8 players in first team squad with a market value of ~5 Mio. € from their own youth academy
3rd Bundesliga
- VFB Stuttgart II
- Currently 22 players in first team squad with a market value of ~8 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- SpVgg Unterhaching
- Currently 13 players in first team squad with a market value of ~3 Mio. € from their own youth academy
- Hannover 96 II
- Currently 13 players in first team squad with a market value of ~2 Mio. € from their own youth academy
A new milestone for the future of German football – highly important to keep an eye on
A Development-Oriented Approach for the Future Germany has long been known for its strong youth development, and the U19 and U17 DFB Nachwuchsliga represents a strategic shift to enhance player progression. By prioritizing competition, development, and sustainability, the new system aims to better prepare young players for the challenges of professional football. With the first season set to begin in 2024/25, this restructuring marks an important step in maintaining Germany’s reputation as a leader in youth football development. Will other markets follow that strategy?
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