The 2025 Academy season has concluded following last Sunday’s Junior Boys National Premier Leagues (JBNPL) Grand Finals, which were held at Home of the Matildas.
The U15s capped off an outstanding season by clinching the Premiership-Championship double after defeating Melbourne City 2-1 in a come-from-behind win.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time, an equaliser by Harper Zwiers and a long-range free-kick from Pavlos Pavlou proved to be the difference in an end-to-end contest.
Zwiers was rewarded for his contributions in the match by winning the Player of the Game award, with the result being a crowning moment for the Kristian Popovic-coached team.
Later in the afternoon, the U17s team were valiant as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City in another close encounter where both teams had their opportunities to win.
An 84th-minute goal by City’s Deng Mawith proved to be the difference between the two sides in what was the final game of the 2025 Academy season.
Following promotion to Victoria’s top-flight in 2024, Victory’s Senior NPL side battled hard for survival in the highly competitive NPL Victoria.
With the youngest squad in the league by a large distance, Victory had a promising start to the campaign, recording three wins and three draws in the opening 10 rounds before finishing third bottom and in one of the three relegation positions.
The U23s side finished second on the competition ladder after an exceptional season in which they finished as the highest scoring team in the league with 88 goals across 26 games.
They too were also the youngest team in their competition and gained valuable experience, with Brendan Hamill being an integral part of the team’s coaching staff.
Senior Coach and Academy Technical Manager, Boris Seroshtan, who joined the Club in November 2024 will depart Melbourne Victory at the end of his contract after overseeing Melbourne Victory’s maiden Senior NPL season.
“The Club is incredibly grateful to Boris for his tireless efforts during a hard-fought 2025 season,” said Director of Football, John Didulica.
“Leading a young group in the Victorian NPL was always a massive challenge and we are thankful to Boris for his steady hand and his selfless investment in the development of our emerging players.”
“The learnings that the Club, coaches and players will all take from the year will no doubt prove invaluable,” Didulica added.
“We thank Boris for his contribution and wish him all the best for the future.”
