A-League Young Footballer of the Year

Marco Rojas is the only non-Australian to win the award.

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

Adrian Leijer was the second-ever recipient of the award.

The award has been presented on 11 occasions as of 2016, with 10 different winners.^[3]

Key

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

A-League Young Footballer of the Year winners

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

• Johnny Warren Medal
• A-League Golden Boot

References

1. "Hyundai A-League Awards". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
2. "NAB Young Footballer of the Year candidates named". A-League. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
3. "Our History". A-League. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
4. "'If I had my time again, I probably would've taken their advice'". Goal.com. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
5. Bernard, Grantley (28 February 2007). "Jet blocks Victory clean sweep". Herald Sun.
6. "A-League 2008 Awards Night". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2008.
7. Lynch, Michael (3 February 2009). "Melbourne's season not reflected in awards". WAtoday.
8. "Tommy tops young talent". Brisbane Roar. 17 February 2010.
9. "Flores takes top gong". The World Game. 6 March 2011.
10. "Ryan, Arnold honoured at Hyundai A-League Awards". Central Coast Mariners. 11 April 2012.
11. "Marco Rojas wins Johnny Warren Medal". Football Federation Australia. 15 April 2013.
12. 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.
13. "Jeggo named NAB Young Footballer of the Year". Football Federation Australia. 11 May 2015.