The youth system is one of goalunited's most rewarding mid-game features. Once unlocked, it gives you a free pipeline of developing talent that can supplement or even replace your transfer market activity. Mastering it takes patience, but the payoff; a homegrown star with known attributes and low contract cost is among the best long-term investments in the game.
Your youth team has 22 fixed slots divided by position: 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders, 5 wingers, and 5 strikers. You cannot change this distribution, and you cannot have more than 22 youth players at any time.
Youth players are aged 17–19 when they join. They automatically leave when they turn 20 (unless still under observation), and are released at 21 at the latest. The youth team plays in a parallel youth league following the same schedule as your first team; matches are held 24 hours before your senior fixtures.
When a player joins the youth team, you know almost nothing about them except their position. Uncovering their full profile requires observation — actively monitoring them across match days. Each phase reveals more:
Phase | What Is Revealed | Match Days Required |
Phase 1 | Age | 1 match day |
Phase 2 | Personality and dominant foot | 2 more match days (3 total) |
Phase 3 | Average strength, experience, and form | 3 more match days (6 total) |
Phase 4 | All 5 individual skill values | 5 more match days (11 total) |
Phase 5 | Talent and opens the first talent slot | 3 more match days (14 total) |
You can promote a player after Phase 4 (11 match days). Phase 5 is optional but worthwhile for players you intend to keep; a fully trained talent slot from the start saves significant time later.
Once a day, you can dismiss one youth player to make room for a replacement. Before accepting whoever joins automatically, you can use a Scout card to preview up to three candidates and choose the best one for that position slot.
Scout Card | Guaranteed Minimum Strength | Extra Info |
Youth Scout (Common) | 1.6 | Strength only |
Youth Scout (Rare) | 2.0 | Strength only |
Youth Scout (Ultra-Rare) | 2.4 | Strength + age |
Top Youth Player (Special) | 3.6 | Strength + age, max 3 per season |
Gold Youth Player (Special) | 4.0 | Strength + age, max 3 per season |
Wonderkid (Special) | 5.0 | Strength + age, max 3 per season — player is age 16 |
Prodigy (Special) | 4.0–6.0 | Age 15–16, skills limits 101–115+, talent at level 5 fully trained |
After each youth league match, the Ratings tab shows how your players performed using a 1–5 star system. The four best players on the pitch receive 5 stars; the next four receive 4, and so on.
Ratings are relative; a player rated 5 stars against a strong opponent tells you more about their potential than 5 stars against a weak one. Look for players who consistently earn high ratings across multiple matches, especially in games against stronger youth sides. This consistency reveals the ceiling better than any single match rating.
Your Youth Coach provides balanced training to all players automatically. Beyond that, each observation slot allows you to assign individual training units; the more slots you have active, the more you can concentrate development on specific players.
Individual Training Slots Assigned | Training Quality |
1 slot | Moderate — equivalent to the general youth training |
2 slots | Better than the general program |
3 slots (all on one player) | More effective than the professional team's individual training |
Once Phase 4 is complete, click the player's detail screen and use the 'To Professional Team' button. The promoted player arrives with:
An automatic 18-week contract.
A salary calculated as: Strength × €1,000/week — significantly lower than market equivalent.
Their morale set randomly in the Okay or Good range (48–89).
Several building upgrades enhance the youth system significantly:
Youth Turf (Common) unlocks a 4th observation slot.
Youth Hub special buildings (up to 5) → each adds +1 squad slot for one position, and owning all 5 lets you reveal a skill after each youth match.
Talent Plus upgrade reveals talent at Phase 1 with a fully trained first slot.
Change Talent Plus (Common/Rare) lets you reroll a youth player's talent once each.
Change Personality Plus lets you reroll a youth player's personality once.
Youth Academy upgrades allow more flexible formations for the youth team.
Assistant Youth Coach (staff upgrade) gives your youth players a 10% training bonus