National Premier Leagues Men's

The National Premier Leagues Men's (NPL Men's) is a men's national association football league in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League Men. The NPL consists of the highest level men's state league in each state-based federation within Australia. In total the NPL is contested by clubs from eight divisions; these are ACT, NSW, Northern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The NPL is overseen by Football Australia, in partnership with participating state-based member federations.

From 2013 to 2019, one representative from each Member Federation participated in the NPL Championship, a knock-out competition to determine a national champion.

Since the 2025 season, a subset of NPL clubs, including the NPL Premiers from each Member Federation, play in a post-season spring competition called the Australian Championship, played between October and December each year.

History In October 2010, Football Federation Australia (FFA) commenced a National Competition Review, its main objective being to review the current structure of soccer competitions in Australia, and to monitor and improve elite player development. By May 2012 the results of the National Competition Review were released. In it, a proposal to re-brand and revitalise state-based competitions in Australia.

On 13 February 2013, the establishment of the NPL was announced. As a direct outcome of the National Competition Review, the league would rebrand the premier league in each state under a single banner. The competition was initially named the "Australian Premier League", but because of a violation of naming rights held by Lawn Bowls Australia the original name was scrapped and replaced with "National Premier Leagues".

The inaugural season of the NPL began in March 2013. It included teams from five of the nine state-based federations:

Australian Capital Territory New South Wales Queensland South Australia Tasmania

The other four of the nine state-based federations joined the NPL in 2014:

Northern New South Wales Northern Territory Victoria Western Australia

Those federations who joined in the 2014 season, were expected to adopt a partial model at some time in the future. Although Victoria initially announced their teams would enter in 2014, a deferral was later announced in November 2013, after several clubs objected to the process for selecting teams. However, by December 2013, a resolution was reached whereby Victorian teams participated in the 2014 season.

The finals series for the 2020 competition was cancelled on 3 July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, and has not been held since.

FFA announced their intentions of a promotion and relegation structure between the first tier A-League and a proposed second tier (which ultimately resulted in the formation on the Australian Championship series), but a promotion and relegation system did not eventuate.

Competition format

The NPL competitions in each state and territory are run by the member federation, with a national playoff tournament at the end of each season. Each member federation, or 'conference' contains various numbers of teams, and they play a full season with no inter-conference matches (an identical format to the individual State Leagues that preceded the NPL). The winner of each division is determined by the club in first position of each conference table at the end of the regular season, rather than the winner of the various state-based finals series.

Former NPL finals series Up to the 2019 season, the winners of each respective Federation league (the regular home and away season) competed in a finals playoff tournament. These were all single match knock out matches. Between 2013 and 2015 the match ups were based on predetermined geographically adjacent Federations, with hosting rights for the quarter-finals alternating each year. From 2016 to 2019 the match ups were determined by an open draw. The hosts for the semi-finals and Grand Final were determined by a formula based on the time of winning of the previous NPL Finals matches (normal time, extra time or penalties), goals scored and allowed, and yellow/red cards.

The finals series culminated in a Grand Final, where the winner was crowned National Premier Leagues Champions. From 2014 to 2019, the NPL Champion also qualified for the following years' FFA Cup round of 32.

Promotion and relegation Depending on the State Federation in charge, teams may be relegated from the NPL to a third-tier league in the same state (and vice versa), but there is currently no mechanism for a team to be promoted to the first tier of Australian soccer, the A-League. The number of teams promoted and relegated from third-tier leagues per state has varied over the existence of the NPL. The table below details the number of teams relegated automatically from the NPL at the end of the season (based on 2025) and the number of NPL teams which go into a relegation playoff against a lower league team (subject to those lower league teams meeting additional eligibility criteria to be able to be promoted to the NPL). FederationNumber of clubsAutomaticrelegationRelegationplayoffs ACT none NSW 1 1 Northern NSW 1 1 Queensland 2 0 SA 2 0 Tasmania none Victoria 3 0 WA 1 1

Current clubs

Below are listed the National Premier Leagues clubs in each respective state member federation, who competed in the 2026 season.

Excluding the Northern Territory, there are 100 clubs that compete in the top tier of the NPL each season. Most NPL divisions involve promotion and relegation to leagues below the NPL and so participating clubs change annually.

Australian Capital TerritoryBelconnen UnitedBrindabella BluesCanberra CroatiaCanberra JuventusCanberra OlympicCanberra White EaglesMonaro PanthersO'Connor KnightsQueanbeyan CityTigers FCTuggeranong UnitedNew South WalesAPIA LeichhardtBlacktown CityManly UnitedMarconi StallionsNorth West Sydney SpiritRockdale IlindenSD RaidersSt George CitySt George FCSutherland SharksSydney FC YouthSydney OlympicSydney United 58UNSW FCWestern Sydney Wanderers YouthWollongong WolvesNorthern New South WalesAdamstown RosebudBelmont SwanseaBroadmeadow MagicCharlestown AzzurriCooks Hill UnitedEdgeworth EaglesKahibah FCLambton JaffasMaitland FCNewcastle OlympicValentine FCWeston BearsQueenslandBrisbane CityBrisbane Roar YouthEastern SuburbsGold Coast KnightsGold Coast UnitedLions FCMagic UnitedMoreton City ExcelsiorOlympic FCPeninsula PowerRochedale RoversWynnum Wolves South AustraliaAdelaide CityAdelaide CometsAdelaide Croatia RaidersAdelaide United YouthCampbelltown CityCroydon FCModbury JetsFK BeogradNorth Eastern MetroStarsPara Hills KnightsPlayford CitySturt LionsWest AdelaideWest Torrens BirkallaTasmaniaClarence ZebrasDevonport CityGlenorchy KnightsKingborough Lions UnitedLaunceston CityLaunceston UnitedRiverside OlympicSouth HobartVictoriaAltona MagicAvondaleBentleigh GreensCaroline Springs George CrossDandenong CityDandenong ThunderGreen GullyHeidelberg UnitedHume CityMelbourne City YouthOakleigh CannonsPreston LionsSouth MelbourneSt Albans SaintsWestern AustraliaArmadale SCBalcatta FCBayswater CityDianella White EaglesFloreat AthenaFremantle CityOlympic KingswayPerth AzzurriPerth Glory YouthPerth RedStarSorrento FCStirling MacedoniaWestern Knights

Honours Federation Premiers by season Season ACT New South Wales NorthernNew South Wales Queensland South Australia Tasmania Victoria Western Australia2013Canberra CroatiaSydney United 58 —Olympic FCCampbelltown CitySouth Hobart — —2014Cooma FCPalm BeachSouth HobartSouth Melbourne2015Canberra CroatiaBlacktown CityEdgeworth FCWest AdelaideOlympia WarriorsSouth MelbourneBayswater City2016Sydney United 58Edgeworth FCBrisbane StrikersAdelaide CityDevonport CityBentleigh GreensPerth SC2017Canberra OlympicAPIA LeichhardtEdgeworth FCBrisbane StrikersAdelaide CitySouth HobartBayswater City2018Canberra CroatiaSydney OlympicEdgeworth FCLions FCCampbelltown CityDevonport CityHeidelberg UnitedPerth SC2019Canberra OlympicWollongong WolvesMaitland FCLions FCCampbelltown CityDevonport CityHeidelberg UnitedPerth SC2020 —Rockdale City SunsEdgeworth FCPeninsula PowerAdelaide CometsDevonport City — —2021Cooma FC —Lambton JaffasPeninsula PowerAdelaide Comets Oakleigh CannonsPerth SC 2022 Canberra Croatia Sydney Olympic Maitland FC Lions FC Adelaide City Devonport City South Melbourne Floreat Athena 2023 O'Connor Knights APIA Leichhardt Lambton Jaffas Gold Coast Knights North Eastern MetroStars Devonport City Avondale FC Perth RedStar 2024 Gungahlin United Rockdale Ilinden Broadmeadow Magic Gold Coast Knights North Eastern MetroStars Glenorchy Knights South Melbourne Olympic Kingsway 2025 Canberra Croatia NWS Spirit Broadmeadow Magic Moreton City Excelsior North Eastern MetroStars South Hobart Avondale FC Bayswater City 2026 Canberra Croatia APIA Leichhardt Broadmeadow Magic Lions FC Adelaide City South Hobart Oakleigh Cannons Bayswater City

NPL Finals 2019 was the final year when NPL Finals were held. Season/s Champions Score Runners-up Venue Attendance 2013 Sydney United 58 2–0 South Hobart KGV Park 1,150 2014 North Eastern MetroStars 1–0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles Lambert Park – 2015 Blacktown City 3–1 Bayswater City Dorrien Gardens – 2016 Sydney United 58 4–1 Edgeworth FC Sydney United Sports Centre – 2017 Heidelberg United 2–0 Brisbane Strikers Perry Park 1,105 2018 Campbelltown City 2–1 Lions FC Steve Woodcock Sports Centre 1,518 2019 Wollongong Wolves 4–3 Lions FC Albert Butler Memorial Park 1,362 2020Cancelled

Individual honours The John Kosmina Medal is presented to the best player in the NPL final and is named in honour of former Australian international John Kosmina.

National Premier Leagues Men's

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