Georgian U-19 Liga


The U19 Golden League is the main youth football competition run by the Georgian Football Federation for under-19 teams, whose parent clubs usually compete in the Erovnuli Liga or lower leagues.
Created in mid-2016, it is named after distinguished player Givi Chokheli and consists of as many teams as men's and women's leagues.

Structure and format

A playing season of the league consists of two parts. During the first phase, teams play double round robin. The top five teams qualify for Championship group which determines the winner via an eight-game tournament. The remaining clubs take part in Relegation round with the bottom team to be relegated to the Silver League. The latter is the 2nd and last division of the youth league, contested by eleven teams in 2025.
Seasons run based on Spring-Autumn system.

History

The eight-team league competition started on 22 August 2016, replacing the tournament held among the reserve teams. Based on geographic principle, it was initially divided into eastern and western groups with top two teams advancing to semifinals. [FC FC Saburtalo Tbilisi|Saburtalo Tbilisi|Saburtalo] became the first champions after a narrow victory over Dinamo Tbilisi.
In 2018, the league featured nine teams. Locomotive under head coach Suliko Davitashvili produced an unbeaten run, winning 25 out of 28 games and claimed the champions' title.
The 2020 league season was abandoned after three rounds following a COVID-19 outbreak. The latter affected the next season as well with the competition completed in June 2022. Dinamo have dominated during the recent period, securing four out of possible five titles.

Current teams

There are currently ten teams competing in U19 Golden League.

Seasons

Note: Saburtalo changed its name to Iberia 1999 in February 2024

Player of the Year

Based on his individual performance in the Golden League, one U19 notable player is selected by the Football Federation each year.