Žalgiris U19

Vilnius's senior side had existed since 1947, under the Dinamo name at first, but the U19 side only took shape once that elite youth league gave academies a proper ladder to climb — the team ran under the banner FA "Žalgirietis" in the U-18 bracket before settling into U-19 football in 2015-16.

The step forward came in the 2021/22 season, when the side won the Lithuanian U-19 Championship. Domestic form since has been steadier than spectacular — fourth place in 2023/24, with FK Garliava taking that title — but the academy's real currency has been the players it sends out. Jokūbas Žebrauskas moved on to Inter Milan, Motiejus Šapola went to Spezia before a switch to Pisa, and Adomas Buikus left for Bologna. The 2024/25 season also brought the club's first appearance in the UEFA Youth League, a stage the U19s had only touched at the margins before, in 2022.

Derby weekends against FK Riteriai carry their own weight in the city, green and white against a rival with no shortage of needle in the fixture. Home games are played at the LFF Stadium, a ground that holds just over 5,000 and sits at the heart of a city where the Green Whites' academy has become as much a talking point as the first team itself.