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Australia's young footballers believe the Y-League season isn't long enough and the competition needs greater integration with the A-League.

Australia's young footballers are dissatisfied with the length and structure of the national youth competition, the Y-League.

In a PFA survey of 110 current Y-League players, 90 per cent of respondents believed the competition should be extended beyond its current format to provide more playing opportunities, and greater align with the fixtures of A-League clubs.

The Y-League regular season is only eight games long - a stark contrast to the A-League's 27 rounds - with teams split into two five-team conferences. The two conference winners play off in the grand final.

"In its current format the Y-League does not meet the needs of the players, A-League clubs or Australian football," PFA chief executive John Didulica said in a statement.

"We have an opportunity now to re-design the Y-League to ensure it broadens its competition reach, commits to a better balance between football and education, and can become a genuine incubator of future talent."

The Y-League has featured more than 700 footballers since it was restructured in 2015, with players spending an average of 1.9 seasons in the competition.

Only 20 per cent of those Y-League graduates have gone on to make an A-League appearance.

Of 109 Y-League graduates from 2018-19, only 21 transitioned to the A-League, with another seven playing overseas. The majority (73 players) have ended up across various state NPL competitions, while a further eight no longer play.

"The youth league should continue because all the A-League teams have started to get their own junior academies, so I think they need to have as many games as possible," Melbourne City midfielder Denis Genreau said.

"In terms of the amount of games, eight games just weren't enough. (It doesn't) give the youth players the chance to show the first team coaches why they should be in the first team or not."