Vietnamese football clubs have decided to enroll young players from their U-19 and U-23 teams to compete in the top-tier V-League in a bid to reduce costs from purchasing new players amid financial difficulties.

Around half of the domestic footballers registered for the 2015 V-League season, which starts in ten days, are young players from the U-19 and U-23 teams.

By using young players trained by their own clubs, teams can save billions of dong (VND1 billion ~ US$48,100) in transfer costs at the start of a season.

SHB Da Nang submitted their list of 26 domestic players to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) for the 2015 season, 13 of whom come from their U-19 and U-21 teams.

“The young players are trained by SHB Da Nang,” said Bui Xuan Hoa – the club chief. “Using them helps the club save a big sum for transfer fees.”

It is estimated that SHB Da Nang have saved at least VND7 billion ($336,500) by fielding the 13 young players.

Song Lam Nghe An are another V-League club that have a good supply of young players from their under-11 to under-21 teams.

“We decided to use local young players to lower costs,” said the club chief, Nguyen Hong Thanh. “Financial difficulties are the main reason behind the decision.”

He said his club may have midfielder Koen Bosma from the Netherlands as their only foreign player for the first stage of the coming season.

Under current regulations, a club must only pay the transfer fee to a player trained by the club when he reaches 25 years of age, according to Thanh.

Dong Tam Long An also enrolled many young players such as Pham Hoang Lam, 21; Huynh Tan Tai, 20; Cao Hoa Ky, 21; and Duong Anh Tu, 18.

Similarly, Sanna Khanh Hoa FC have 15 young players on their list of a total of 27 domestic players for the 2015 V-League. The young players are aged from 18 to 23.

Also, Hoang Anh Gia Lai have terminated contracts with 17 senior players to make space for their own under-19 players who are graduates of the first seven-year batch of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Arsenal JMG football academy.

To take part in the 2015 V-League, clubs have to spend at least VND50 billion ($2.4 million) a season, including VND20 billion for travel, food and accommodation costs; and VND30 billion as a deposit at the VFF.

As for the football governing body, VFF, it also needs at least VND50 billion a season to organize the top two leagues – V-League and First Division – and the Vietnam National Cup.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper revealed that an international company will spend VND100 billion ($4.8 million) to be the main sponsor of the 2015 V-League. The name of the sponsor will be officially announced at the signing ceremony in Hanoi on December 30.

The 2015 V-League will be organized in three stages with two breaks, starting on January 4 and ending on September 20.

The league will pause from February 15 to April 12 for Vietnamese national team members to take part in the qualifiers of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship in Malaysia from March 23 to 31.

The other interval is from May 3 to June 28 to facilitate the Vietnamese national team to compete in the 28th SEA Games in Singapore.

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