National Premier Leagues Northern NSW
Founded2014
1992–2013 (as Northern NSW State League)
Country Australia
StateNew South Wales NSW
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid2
Domestic cup(s)Australia Cup
Current championsLambton Jaffas (2023)
Current premiersLambton Jaffas (2023)
WebsiteNorthern 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

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

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, a home and away knockout system played with the away goals rule, with the winners meeting in the grand final. The winner of the grand final is crowned as the NPL NNSW Champions.

Promotion & Relegation

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

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

YearPremiersChampions - GF Winners GF Runners upNPL Finals Representation
2014Newcastle Jets YouthLambton Jaffas 2-0 Weston WorkersWeston Workers - Quarter Finalist
2015Edgeworth EaglesEdgeworth Eagles 2-0 Hamilton OlympicEdgeworth Eagles - Quarter Finalist
2016Edgeworth EaglesEdgeworth Eagles 2-1 Broadmeadow MagicEdgeworth Eagles - Runners up
2017Edgeworth EaglesLambton Jaffas 2-0 Edgeworth EaglesEdgeworth Eagles - Semi Finalist
2018Edgeworth EaglesBroadmeadow Magic 3-0 Edgeworth EaglesEdgeworth Eagles - Quarter Finalist
2019Maitland FCEdgeworth Eagles 2-0 Maitland FCMaitland FC - Semi Finalist
2020Edgeworth EaglesEdgeworth Eagles 1-0 Maitland FC—[lower-alpha 1]
2021Lambton JaffasCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia —[lower-alpha 2]
2022Maitland FCLambton Jaffas 1-0 Maitland FC—[lower-alpha 3]
2023Lambton JaffasLambton Jaffas 2-1 Broadmeadow Magic—[lower-alpha 3]

Honours pre-NPL (1999-2013)

YearPremiershipChampions
1999Edgeworth EaglesHamilton Olympic Warriors
2000Edgeworth EaglesHamilton Olympic Warriors
2001Broadmeadow MagicHamilton Olympic Warriors
2002Edgeworth EaglesHighfields Azzurri
2003Broadmeadow MagicEdgeworth Eagles
2004Weston Workers BearsBroadmeadow Magic
2005Broadmeadow MagicBroadmeadow Magic
2006Edgeworth EaglesLake Macquarie City
2007Lake Macquarie CityHamilton Olympic Warriors
2008Broadmeadow MagicBroadmeadow Magic
2009Edgeworth Eagles FCHamilton Olympic Warriors
2010Weston Workers BearsEdgeworth Eagles
2011Broadmeadow MagicBroadmeadow Magic
2012Hamilton Olympic WarriorsBroadmeadow Magic
2013Broadmeadow MagicBroadmeadow Magic

Notes

  1. ↑ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[5]
  2. ↑ The season was cancelled in September, from government-imposed lockdowns, due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[6]
  3. 1 2 Not held

References

  1. ↑ "Azzurri, Lake Macquarie dumped in soccer shake-up". Newcastle Herald. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  2. ↑ Northern NSW NPL: Lake Macquarie Roosters join new 11-team league Newcastle Herald 20 September 2016
  3. ↑ "NPL NNSW competition to expand with Cooks Hill United to join league in 2022 | Northern NSW Football". northernnswfootball.com.au. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  4. ↑ "New Lambton FC promoted to NPL Men's NNSW competition for 2023 | Northern NSW Football". northernnswfootball.com.au. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Northern NSW Football announces conclusion of 2021 Premier Competitions". Northern NSW Football. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
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