The Professional Footballers' Association
Young Player of the Year award, first made
in 1974, goes to the young player deemed to have turned in the season's best
overall performance in English league play. The winner is chosen by vote of the
Association's members based on performance in the
season ending in the year the award is made. Any player under 23 years
of age in England's
football leagues is eligible for the award regardless of his country of birth.
As of 2009, the award had been made 36 times, and
22 England players had won the award 24 times, two of
them (Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney) having
gained it twice. Not all of them had won their first senior cap when
they received the award, of course.