The 1984 National Soccer League season was the eighth season of the National Soccer League in Australia. This season saw a restructure of the league, introducing a split into two geographical divisions, and an expansion from 16 to 24 teams. A Northern Conference comprised 12 clubs from New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, and a Southern Conference consisted of 12 Victorian, South Australian, and Queensland clubs.
This season also saw the introduction of the two well-supported Croatian clubs, Melbourne Croatia and Sydney Croatia, both of which had had recent success in the state-leagues.
For the first time in the competition, a finals system was introduced, whereby the five highest finishing teams in each conference had a playoff to determine a conference winner. The two conference winners then played each other in a two-legged Grand Final to be declared champions. The Grand Final was won by South Melbourne over Sydney Olympic.
Teams Twenty-four teams competed in the league (twelve in the Northern Conference and twelve in the Southern Conference) – the sixteen teams from the previous season and eight teams accepted from their respective state leagues.
Stadiums and locations
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order by conference. Team Location Stadium CapacityNorthern ConferenceAPIA LeichhardtSydney Lambert ParkBlacktown CitySydney Gabbie StadiumCanberra ArrowsCanberraCanberra StadiumMarconi FairfieldSydney Marconi StadiumMelita EaglesSydney Melita StadiumNewcastle Rosebud UnitedNewcastleAdamstown OvalPenrith CityPenrithCook ParkSt George-BudapestSydney St George StadiumSydney CitySydney ES Marks Athletics FieldSydney CroatiaSydney King Tomislav ParkSydney OlympicSydney Pratten ParkWollongong CityWollongongWollongong ShowgroundSouthern ConferenceAdelaide CityAdelaide Olympic Sports FieldBrisbane CityBrisbane Spencer ParkBrisbane LionsBrisbane Lions StadiumBrunswick JuventusMelbourne Olympic ParkFootscray JUSTMelbourne Schintler ReserveGreen GullyMelbourne Green Gully ReserveHeidelberg UnitedMelbourne Olympic VillageMelbourne CroatiaMelbourne Olympic ParkPreston MakedoniaMelbourne B.T. Connor ReserveSouth MelbourneMelbourne Middle ParkSunshine George CrossMelbourne Chaplin ReserveWest AdelaideAdelaide Hindmarsh Stadium
Managerial changes The Australian Soccer Annual 1984 reported 11 managerial changes. TeamOutgoing managerDate of vacancyPosition in the tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentAdelaide City Bobby Ferguson1984Pre-season Edmund Kreft1984Brisbane City Jim Hermiston Joe GilroyCanberra Arrows Attila Abonyi Doug CollinsHeidelberg United Jim Tansey Brian GarveyMarconi Fairfield Tony Henderson (caretaker) Les ScheinflugWest Adelaide Peter Koulizos Sam SalabasidisWollongong City Willie Wallace Adrian AlstonGreen Gully David Smallman Jimmy RooneyMelbourne Croatia Tommy Cumming Terry HennessySydney Croatia Josip Kuže Attila AbonyiPenrith CityInaugural Willie Wallace
League tables Northern Conference
Southern Conference
Results
Five matches occurred where the fixture was played a third time in the 1984 season. St George-Budapest 0–1 Blacktown City Brisbane City 1–0 Brisbane Lions St George-Budapets 1–2 Sydney Olympic West Adelaide 0–3 Adelaide City Footscray JUST 1–3 Green Gully
Finals series
Northern Conference
Southern Conference
Grand Final
South Melbourne win 4–2 on aggregate
Individual awards Award Winner Club National Soccer League Player of the Year Sergio Melta Adelaide City National Soccer League Under 21 Player of the Year Tony Franken Canberra City National Soccer League Coach of the Year Eddie Thomson Sydney City
References OzFootball Archives – 1984 NSL Season