Since focusing on coaching after a long and successful playing career, Lynden Prince won Northern Championship titles with Olympic's men and women before joining Launceston United to guide their passage into the Women's Super League.

Forming a formidable coaching team with former Riverside teammate Frank Compton, Prince took United to second-place finishes in league and cup in their inaugural statewide season of 2020-21 before going one better in both last year, landing a historic double.

The Olympic life member and state league centre-back has returned to coach in the newly-formed statewide under-21 competition, working alongside NPL Tasmania coach Helder Dos Santos Silva.

"I said I'd do two years at Launceston United and then weigh up my options," Prince explained.

"I always wanted to get back to Riverside because it's my home club and the under-21s was an opportunity to do that. Plus my son, Will, plays there."

Prince, whose other son, Tom, also wore the orange with distinction before moving to Hobart and joining Kingborough, has been impressed with Olympic's Portuguese head coach who is overseeing something of a reboot at the club.

"Helder is hard but he's fair. He communicates well and gives good instructions which the players need. Our sides train together and we work very closely together. Basically, at the moment it's start again across the board with a clean slate. It does feel like coming home for me and it does feel like a fresh start and Helder has set that up."

Prince welcomed Football Tasmania's introduction of an under-21 competition with fixtures mirroring those in the NPL and the teams travelling together to games.

"The concept is good. If players have nothing to aim for they can just fall away and the under-21s gives them something to aspire to and an opportunity to step up to the NPL.

"And being able to travel together, they can listen and learn from the senior players and they're not just going to one game and back by themselves. I'm a fan of it."

The competition is also being endorsed by the players.

"I think it's a really good idea because it gives an extra step between 18s and NPL," said Olympic defender Henry Routley. "It's good to have that bridging competition between the two.

"It's nice playing for Lynden. He's a very good coach and we're lucky to have him. Obviously with Helder as well as NPL coach, they form a very good partnership."