Georgian U-17 Liga
| Organising body | Georgian Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Country | Georgia |
| Number of clubs | 11 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 (of under-17 age group) |
| Current champions | Iberia 1999 (2024) |
| Most championships | Dinamo Tbilisi (4 titles) |
| Website | gff.ge |
The U17 Golden League (Georgian: 17 წლამდელთა ოქროს ლიგა) is the main youth football competition run by the Georgian Football Federation for under-17 teams, whose parent clubs usually compete in the Erovnuli Liga or lower leagues.
Created in mid-2016, it is named after distinguished player Mikheil Meskhi[1] and currently consists of eleven teams.
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, which is the 2nd division, contested by ten teams as of 2025.[2]
Seasons run based on Spring-Autumn system.
History
The U17 competition started in 2016. Based on geographic principle, 27 teams were initially divided into four groups. Their winners, runners-up and two best three-placed teams then formed a ten-member Championship group.[3] Locomotive became the first champions after a 4–1 victory over Saburtalo in the final match of the season.[4]
Starting from 2019, Dinamo Tbilisi have been represented in the league with two teams. Twice in a row in the early 2020s, Dinamo-2 even surpassed the main team, becoming champions in 2022.[5] A year later, Saburtalo also doubled their representation.
The 2020 league season was abandoned after seven rounds following a COVID-19 outbreak. The latter also affected the next season which was completed in July 2022 only.[6] Iberia 1999 have dominated during the recent period, securing three out of four league titles.
Current teams
There are currently ten teams competing in U19 Golden League.
- Celero
- Dinamo Tbilisi
- Dinamo Tbilisi-2
- Gagra
- GFF Academy Kutaisi
- Iberia 1999
- Iberia-2 1999
- Locomotive
- Marani Martvili
- Torpedo
- 35th Football School
Seasons
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Locomotive | Saburtalo | |
| 2017 | Dinamo Tbilisi | Locomotive | |
| 2018 | Dinamo Tbilisi | Saburtalo | Locomotive |
| 2019 | Dinamo Tbilisi | Saburtalo | Dinamo Tbilisi-2 |
| 2020 | Abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Saburtalo | Dinamo Tbilisi-2 | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2022 | Dinamo Tbilisi-2 | Saburtalo | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2023 | Saburtalo | Dinamo Tbilisi | 35th Football School |
| 2024 | Iberia 1999 | Dinamo Tbilisi | Dinamo Tbilisi-2 |
Note: Saburtalo changed its name to Iberia 1999 in February 2024[7]
Player of the Year
Based on his individual performance in the Golden League, one notable U17 player is selected by the Football Federation each year.
| Year | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2018 | Nika Talakhadze | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2019 | Luka Gagnidze | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2020 | Not awarded | |
| 2021 | Gabriel Sigua | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2022 | Soso Kopaliani | Locomotive |
| 2023 | Rezi Danelia | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| 2024 | Saba Kharebashvili | Dinamo Tbilisi |
References
- ^ "17-წლამდელთა ლიგის ჩემპიონი "დინამო თბილისი 2" გახდა" [Dinamo Tbilisi-2 wins U17 league]. 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 12 December 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "2025 U17 Silver League" (in Georgian). Georgian Football Federation. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "17 წლამდე ლიგა: ათეული შეიკრა" [U17 league formed]. worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 13 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "17 წლამდელთა ლიგა თბილისის ლოკომოტივმა მოიგო" [Locomotive Tbilisi are the winners of U17 league]. gff.ge (in Georgian). 4 December 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "17-წლამდელთა ლიგის ჩემპიონი "დინამო თბილისი 2" გახდა" [Dinamo Tbilisi-2 claim U17 Liga title]. 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 12 December 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "საბურთალო 17-წლამდელთა ლიგის გამარჯვებულია" [Saburtalo win U17 league]. gff.ge (in Georgian). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ ""საბურთალოს" სახელი შეეცვალა და ოთხი ლეგიონერიც წარადგინეს" [Saburtalo changes name and introduces four foreign players]. worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 27 February 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.