National Premier Leagues NSW
The National Premier Leagues NSW are semi-professional soccer competitions in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, the organising body in New South Wales. The league is a subdivision of the second tier National Premier Leagues, which sits below the national A-League. Prior to becoming a subdivision of the NPL in 2013, the league was previously known as the NSW Premier League.
History
Origins
Since 1956, a top divisional New South Wales based league has been contested annually in various forms, with its early days remembered as Division One. The league, jointly with other state based leagues, were the highest tiers of soccer in Australia until the formation of a national league, the National Soccer League, in 1977. Prior to NSL, the Ampol Cup also ran concurrently as a state based cup competition. In 1977 Division One officially changed its name to NSW State League, however reverted to NSW Division One by 1983. The league continued to be contested throughout the winter months and included another name change in 1992 to the NSW Super League. During the 1980s and 1990s, Melita Eagles and Blacktown City FC were dominate in the league winning nine championships between them.Foundations
At the end of 2000, the top soccer divisions were revamped with the highest level of soccer being named the Premier League and being played over summer to align with the then top tier of soccer in Australia. The second highest NSW league was named the Winter Super League and played throughout 2001. The 2004–05 season saw the return of the New South Wales NSL giants in Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58, Wollongong Wolves and Marconi Stallions. This was the result of another overhaul of the entire national league structure. The NSL was abolished and the A-League took its place at the top of the soccer hierarchy in Australia. As this competition significantly reduced the teams from New South Wales to just three these clubs were forced to return to the state leagues. The NSW Premier League continued to be run over summer throughout this period but after the 2004–05 season reverted to a winter competition from 2006.In 2008 the whole New South Wales men's, women's and youth competitions were reconstructed to align youth teams with their respective senior clubs along with women's teams.
Development
In 2013 the FFA announced another re-structure, this time to tier 2 level of soccer in Australia. This saw the top league in each state united under a single banner called the National Premier Leagues, with the NSW Premier League rebranded as the National Premier Leagues NSW. Bonnyrigg White Eagles became the inaugural champions of this competition after defeating Rockdale City Suns 1–0 in the final. Sydney United 58 FC were crowned premiers after placing first in the standing at the end of the regular season, earning the right to compete in the inaugural National Premier Leagues Finals. Sydney United went on to win this tournament defeating Tasmanian side South Hobart FC 2–0 in the final. In 2014, premiers Bonnyrigg White Eagles failed to reach the grand final and Blacktown City FC were crowned champions. They defeated Sydney Olympic 2–1 after extra time.Name Changes
Competition format
League
There are 22 Rounds in total with each team playing each other twice; home and away.NPL national finals
At the completion of the league series, the NPL NSW top of the table, joins the winners from the other NPL subdivisions in a national eight team finals series. The national final series consists of a three round knock-out series based on geographically close subdivision champions playing each other, culminating in a grand final.NPL NSW finals
The top five sides at the end of the season compete in the Championship Series. The Championship Series consists of six games, whereby the five teams competing are whittled down to just two. The teams are seeded upon their entry into the Championship Series according to their final position on the ladder. The final two teams compete in the Grand Final, where a NSW Premier League Champion is decided.- First Week – Preliminary Semi-final – 2nd vs 3rd + Elimination Semi-final – 4th vs 5th
- Second Week – Major Semi-final – 1st vs Winner PSF + Minor Semi-final – Loser PSF vs Winner ESF
- Third Week – Preliminary Final – Loser of MJF vs Winner of MNS
- Final Week – Grand Final – Winner of MJF vs Winner of PF
Clubs
| Club | Location | Grounds | Capacity | Notes | |
| APIA Leichhardt | 7 | Leichhardt | Lambert Park | 7,000 | |
| Blacktown City | 7 | Blacktown | Lily Homes Stadium | 7,500 | |
| Manly United | 7 | Dee Why | Cromer Park | 5,000 | |
| Marconi Stallions | 5 | Bossley Park | Marconi Stadium | 9,000 | |
| Mt Druitt Town Rangers | 2 | Mount Druitt | Popondetta Park | 1,000 | |
| North Shore Mariners | 1 | Northbridge | Northbridge Oval | 1,000 | |
| Rockdale City Suns | 7 | Rockdale | Ilinden Sports Centre | 5,000 | |
| Sutherland Sharks | 7 | Miranda | Seymour Shaw Park | 5,000 | Withdrew during the season hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. |
| Sydney FC Youth | 3 | Sydney | Lambert Park Ilinden Sports Centre | 7,000 5,000 | |
| Sydney Olympic | 7 | Belmore | Belmore Sports Ground | 20,000 | |
| Sydney United 58 | 7 | Edensor Park | Sydney United Sports Centre | 12,000 | |
| 1 | Blacktown | Blacktown International Sportspark | 10,000 | Promoted From NPL 2 due to the withdrawal of Sutherland Sharks. | |
| Wollongong Wolves | 7 | Wollongong | WIN Stadium | 23,750 |
National Premier Leagues NSW Men's 1 Honours
Notes:Bold indicates Federation Double winners – i.e. League Championship and League Premiership OR League Championship and Federation/Waratah Cup OR League Premiership and Federation/Waratah Cup
Bold and Underlined indicates Federation Treble winners – i.e. League Championship, League Premiership and Federation/Waratah Cup winners
Honours pre-NPL (1957–2012)
Source:Bold indicates Federation Double winners – i.e. League Championship and League Premiership OR League Championship and Federation/Waratah Cup OR League Premiership and Federation/Waratah Cup
Bold and Underlined indicates Federation Treble winners – i.e. League Championship, League Premiership and Federation/Waratah Cup winners