National Premier Leagues Northern NSW
 | This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (March 2016) |
| Founded | 2014 1992–2013 (as Northern NSW State League) |
|---|---|
| Country |  Australia |
| State |  NSW |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup Northern NSW Football State Cup |
| Current champions | Lambton Jaffas (2023) |
| Current premiers | Lambton Jaffas (2023) |
| Website | Northern NSW Football NPL |
| Current: 2023 NPL season | |
The National Premier Leagues Northern NSW is a regional Australian Professional association football league comprising teams from Northern New South Wales. As a subdivision of the National Premier Leagues, the league sits at Level 1 on the Northern New South Wales league system (Level 2 of the overall Australian league system). The competition is administered by Northern NSW Football, the governing body of the sport in the northern region of the state (the southern region is mostly governed by Football NSW). Prior to 2014, the league was formerly known as the Northern NSW State Football League.
History[edit]
The league originally started with 12 teams, all with a first grade, reserve grade and youth grade team. The league was then downsized to 10 teams still with all three grades. For the 2009 season it was decided by Northern New South Wales Football (the governing body) to downsize the league once again to 8 teams in order to improve the quality and give local players a chance to enter the A-league through the competition. The teams competing in the 2009 season were decided on the second of September 2008, with Highfields Azzurri FC and Lake Macquarie City Roosters FC being relegated to the Northern NSW State League Division 1.
Teams were judged on criteria which included facilities/ground (30%), financial status (25%), management (20%), playing strength/coaching staff (15%) and development program (10%). An independent body, chaired by former NSW gaming minister Richard Face, was assigned to make the decision.[1]
From the 2017 season onward the competition once again expanded to 11 teams with Lake Macquarie being promoted from the Northern NSW State League Division 1.[2]
From the 2020 season onward the competition contracted back to 10 teams after Newcastle Jets Youth transferred into the NPL New South Wales structure, now playing in the NPL NSW 4 competition. The reason was because the Newcastle Jets and Northern NSW Football believed that transferring the Youth Jets to the Sydney-centred competition would help develop their youth players.
From the 2022 season onward the competition once again expanded to 11 teams with the inclusion of Cooks Hill United being promoted from the HIT Northern League One.[3]
From the 2023 season onward the competition once again expanded to 12 teams with the inclusion of New Lambton being promoted from the HIT Northern League One.[4]
Format[edit]
The competition consists of 12 teams from around the Newcastle, Hunter and Lake Macquarie area who each have a First Grade, and a reserves competing in the competition. All clubs also have a suite of youth teams (under 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18) competing in the Premier Youth League as part of the NPL NNSWF participation. A season takes place over 22 rounds, with each team playing each other at home and away. The team that finishes 1st at the end of 22 rounds is declared the minor premier. The top 5 teams at the end of 22 rounds contest in a finals series conducted under the following format, with the winner of the grand final being crowned as the NPL NNSW Champions:
| Week 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Final (QF) | 2nd Placed Team | v | 3rd Placed Team |
| Elimination Final (EF) Loser Eliminated |
4th Placed Team | v | 5th Placed Team |
| 1st Placed Team | BYE | ||
| Week 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Semi-Final (MSF1) | 1st Placed Team | v | Winner QF |
| Minor Semi-Final (MSF2) Loser Eliminated |
Loser QF | v | Winner EF |
| Week 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Final (PF) Loser Eliminated |
Loser MSF1 | v | Winner MSF2 |
| Winner MSF1 | BYE | ||
| Week 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Final (GF) | Winner MSF1 | v | Winner PF |
Promotion & Relegation[edit]
From the 2024 season, there has been an re-introduction of promotion and relegation within NPL NNSWF and HIT Northern League One.
- The team finishing bottom (12th) of NPL NNSW will be automatically relegated to HIT Northern League One.
- The team finishing 11th will enter the promotion and relegation playoffs which will follow the following format:
- Playoff Semi-final 1 (played over 2 home and away legs): NPL NNSWF 11th v 4th Northern League One
- Playoff Semi-final 2 (played over 2 home and away legs): Northern League One 2nd v 3rd Northern League One
- Playoff Final (played as one off match): Winner of Playoff Semi-Final 1 v Winner of Playoff Semi-Final 2
- The winner of the Playoff Final will be included in the NPL NNSW for the following season, with the losing team competing in HIT Northern League One the following season.
Clubs[edit]
The following 12 clubs will compete in the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW for the 2024 season.
| Club | Location | Ground | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adamstown Rosebud | Adamstown | Adamstown Oval | 2,500 |
| Broadmeadow Magic | Broadmeadow | Magic Park | 3,500 |
| Charlestown Azzurri | Whitebridge | Lisle Carr Oval | 3,000 |
| Cooks Hill Utd | Newcastle West | Fearnley Dawes Athletic Centre | 750 |
| Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth | Jack McLaughlan Oval | 5,000 |
| Lake Macquarie City | Speers Point | Macquarie Field | 5,000 |
| Lambton Jaffas | Lambton | Arthur Edden Oval | 2,000 |
| Maitland FC | East Maitland | Cooks Square Park | 1,500 |
| New Lambton | New Lambton | Alder Park | 1,000 |
| Newcastle Olympic | Hamilton | Darling St Oval | 1,000 |
| Valentine FC | Valentine | CB Complex
Cahill Oval (Belmont) |
1,000
3,500 |
| Weston Workers Bears | Weston | Rockwell Automation Park | 4,000 |
Honours NNSW NPL[edit]
| Year | Premiers | Champions - GF Winners | GF Runners up | NPL Finals Representation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Newcastle Jets Youth | Lambton Jaffas | 2-0 | Weston Workers | Weston Workers - Quarter Finalist |
| 2015 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles | 2-0 | Hamilton Olympic | Edgeworth Eagles - Quarter Finalist |
| 2016 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles | 2-1 | Broadmeadow Magic | Edgeworth Eagles - Runners up |
| 2017 | Edgeworth Eagles | Lambton Jaffas | 2-0 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles - Semi Finalist |
| 2018 | Edgeworth Eagles | Broadmeadow Magic | 3-0 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles - Quarter Finalist |
| 2019 | Maitland FC | Edgeworth Eagles | 2-0 | Maitland FC | Maitland FC - Semi Finalist |
| 2020 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles | 1-0 | Maitland FC | —[a] |
| 2021 | Lambton Jaffas | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia | —[b] | ||
| 2022 | Maitland FC | Lambton Jaffas | 1-0 | Maitland FC | —[c] |
| 2023 | Lambton Jaffas | Lambton Jaffas | 2-1 | Broadmeadow Magic | —[c] |
Honours pre-NPL (1999-2013)[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Azzurri, Lake Macquarie dumped in soccer shake-up". Newcastle Herald. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
- ^ Northern NSW NPL: Lake Macquarie Roosters join new 11-team league Newcastle Herald 20 September 2016
- ^ "NPL NNSW competition to expand with Cooks Hill United to join league in 2022 | Northern NSW Football". northernnswfootball.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ "New Lambton FC promoted to NPL Men's NNSW competition for 2023 | Northern NSW Football". northernnswfootball.com.au. August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Northern NSW Football announces conclusion of 2021 Premier Competitions". Northern NSW Football. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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