A new format for the Under 19 SSE Airtricity League has been announced, with the League being reduced to two Divisions for the 2014/15 season.

Since its inception in 2011, the Under 19 league has been split into three divisions, with the Elite Division standing above the Northern and Southern Division’s.

The League will be now split into two divisions of 11 teams, the Southern Elite and Northern Elite. 

Mervue Utd will compete in this season's Southern Elite along with Athlone Town, Bray Wanderers, Cobh Ramblers, Cork City, Limerick F.C, Salthill Devon, Shamrock Rovers, UCD, Waterford United and Wexford Youths.

The Northern Elite will see Shelbourne FC, Bohemians , Derry City, Drogheda United, Dundalk, Fanad United, Finn Harps, Letterkenny Rovers, Longford Town, Sligo Rovers, and St Patrick’s Athletic competing against each other.

The season will kick off on the weekend of 30th August, with the fixtures out later this week. It will be a 20 game season, with a home and away fixture, with a Winner in each section.

The U19 League will be played over two rounds on a home and away basis and top team in each division will be crowned as Northern or Southern Divisional winners. The top four teams in each division will then go forward to the play-offs for the National U19 League Championship. The play-offs will be played on a knockout basis culminating in a final to see who lifts the Dr Tony O’Neill Cup.

In the quarter-finals of the Championship series the teams that finished in first and second in each division will have home advantage and the ties will be played on a north v south basis as follows:

SSE Airtricity League U19 Championship quarter-final draw

QF1: 1 North v 4 South

QF2: 2 North v 3 South   

QF3: 1 South v 4 North

QF4: 2 South v 3North.

The pairings for the semi-finals and the venues for the semi-finals and final will be decided by an open draw.

The SSE Airtricity U19 League Cup competition for the Enda McGuill Cup has been retained.

The 2014-15 SSE Airtricity U19 League season will kick-off on the weekend of August 30 and the fixtures will be published tomorrow, Friday, July 18.