Welcome!

By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

Sign Up Now!

NPL 2026

NicCarBel said:
NEW SOUTH WALES
NPL
  1. NWS Spirit
  2. APIA Leichardt
  3. Marconi Stallions
  4. Rockdale Ilinden
  5. Blacktown City
  6. Sydney United 58
  7. Sydney Olympic
  8. Wollongong Wolves
  9. St George City
  10. Sydney FC (U23)
  11. Manly United
  12. St George FC
  13. Sutherland Sharks
  14. Western Sydney Wanderers (U23)
  15. University of NSW
  16. Southern Districts Raiders
NSW League One
  1. Central Coast Mariners (U23)
  2. Mt Druitt Town Rangers
  3. Blacktown Spartans
  4. Rydalmere Lions
  5. Newcastle Jets (U23)
  6. Northern Tigers
  7. Inter Lions
  8. Bulls FC Academy (U23)
  9. Hills United
  10. Bankstown City
  11. Hakoah Sydney City East
  12. Canterbury Bankstown
  13. Dulwich Hill
  14. Macarthur Rams
  15. Hurstville Zagreb
  16. Prospect United
NSW League Two
  1. Bonnyrigg White Eagles
  2. Mounties Wanderers
  3. South Coast Flame
  4. Granville Rage
  5. Bankstown United
  6. Hawkesbury City
  7. Dunbar Rovers
  8. Parramatta
  9. Fraser Park
  10. Inner West Hawks
  11. Sydney University
  12. Nepean
  13. Gladesville Ryde Magic
  14. Camden Tigers
  15. Central Coast United
  16. ???? (Someone to be admitted, possibly? They did run with 15 last year though)
Click to expand...
There's only been 47 clubs in the NPL/FNSW Leagues system since 2022, from what I can find, Western NSW FC were the 48th but the senior teams folded after the 2021 season.
 
djpetrin15 said:
There's only been 47 clubs in the NPL/FNSW Leagues system since 2022, from what I can find, Western NSW FC were the 48th but the senior teams folded after the 2021 season.
Click to expand...
Fair enough - about time someone should be admitted. It's supposed to be a state league system anyways.
Zelen Fc said:
NSW pyramid needs fixing asap
Click to expand...
See above.

Not sure how Victoria got their pyramid so well implemented at the moment - years of keeping things mostly the same, I gather? The states that seem to fall behind always have been tinkering things that probably don't need to.
 
NicCarBel said:
Fair enough - about time someone should be admitted. It's supposed to be a state league system anyways.

See above.

Not sure how Victoria got their pyramid so well implemented at the moment - years of keeping things mostly the same, I gather? The states that seem to fall behind always have been tinkering things that probably don't need to.
Click to expand...
The NSW system currently has representative clubs from most/all of the metro FAs, so theoretically they would need to go to have a Victoria-like pyramid. Then the metro competitions themselves would need to be torn up and stitched back together. I don't think it would be too difficult, but only if everyone's on board.
 
djpetrin15 said:
The NSW system currently has representative clubs from most/all of the metro FAs, so theoretically they would need to go to have a Victoria-like pyramid. Then the metro competitions themselves would need to be torn up and stitched back together. I don't think it would be too difficult, but only if everyone's on board.
Click to expand...
It can be done quite easily to be honest. There's two things that can be implemented which aren't too big of a process to change:

1. Regional clubs allowed to apply. I don't know if it's they're not allowed to, but they should be considered at least - provided they meet criteria of course.
2. Apply that same criteria to any metro clubs wishing to step up - and make it an entry criteria into Champion of Champions.
3. Last place of League Two (lets assume it stays as three tiers) gets relegated back into their association Premier League, with the winner of Champion of Champions being promoted.

The only issue with that process, is there are obviously Association clubs in the NPL/League structure (Nepean, Southern Districts, etc) that something probably needs to get grandfathered in for the instances if any of those clubs finish in the relegation spot of League Two
 
In terms of regional clubs applying, I feel like it's also a logistics/cost issue - it isn't just the west either. CCM Academy and Central Coast United are the only clubs representing the Central Coast, while Wollongong Wolves (established NSL team) and South Coast Flame (rep team) are the only Illawarra clubs.
The other issue with relegation to districts is that after League Two, there's 15 separate competitions. Ideally at least one new intermediate league should be created first, equivalent to the Victorian State League, rather than going off of a knockout competition like Champion of Champions.
But I do agree that it's an idea worth exploring. From what I can see, a set of 3 competitions (North, South, and West) would probably work best. Attached is a very rough drawing of the FA boundaries, and which ones would fit best where in my opinion.

One small update - If Western NSW was added to the West League, I would move Bankstown to the South League to compensate.
 

Attachments

  • Sydney FAs Map.png
    Sydney FAs Map.png
    446.3 KB · Views: 7
Last edited:
djpetrin15 said:
In terms of regional clubs applying, I feel like it's also a logistics/cost issue - it isn't just the west either. CCM Academy and Central Coast United are the only clubs representing the Central Coast, while Wollongong Wolves (established NSL team) and South Coast Flame (rep team) are the only Illawarra clubs.
The other issue with relegation to districts is that after League Two, there's 15 separate competitions. Ideally at least one new intermediate league should be created first, equivalent to the Victorian State League, rather than going off of a knockout competition like Champion of Champions.
But I do agree that it's an idea worth exploring. From what I can see, a set of 3 competitions (North, South, and West) would probably work best. Attached is a very rough drawing of the FA boundaries, and which ones would fit best where in my opinion.
Click to expand...
I dunno - there always seems to be a thing against regional areas outside of Sydney anyways (travel, usually). The way you've mentioned works if it's going to be Sydney-centric.

Football NSW should be either just allowing regional areas in (like Wagga were 10 years ago) if they're meeting criteria in the top leagues (with no concessions), or - actually make something for this area separate (like the old 1980s NSW Southern League)
 
NicCarBel said:
I dunno - there always seems to be a thing against regional areas outside of Sydney anyways (travel, usually). The way you've mentioned works if it's going to be Sydney-centric.

Football NSW should be either just allowing regional areas in (like Wagga were 10 years ago) if they're meeting criteria in the top leagues (with no concessions), or - actually make something for this area separate (like the old 1980s NSW Southern League)
Click to expand...
I've just read your article on the recent developments in Capital Football and am listening to the Green and Gold Podcast episode - really comprehensive and informative stuff, you're definitely more knowledgeable about all of this than I am. I agree that the Riverina and even South regions should play in the Capital Football system, it would make a lot more sense location-wise. Western would still fit best alongside Metro NSW, the Western Premier League is a good place to start but having a representative team (at the very least in the hypothetical Western Metro League I mentioned) would help. And I do get the suspicion around the state organisations at well, it wouldn't surprise me if they view regional football as more of a hassle.
 
Last edited:
djpetrin15 said:
I've just read your article on the recent developments in Capital Football and am listening to the Green and Gold Podcast episode - really comprehensive and informative stuff, you're definitely more knowledgeable about all of this than I am. I agree that the Riverina and even South regions should play in the Capital Football system, it would make a lot more sense location-wise. Western would still fit best alongside Metro NSW, the Western Premier League is a good place to start but having a representative team (at the very least in the hypothetical Western Metro League I mentioned) would help. And I do get the suspicion around the state organisations at well, it wouldn't surprise me if they view regional football as more of a hassle.
Click to expand...
Yep - I get a bit of a feeling that the state organisations - obviously given that's where the population is based - tend to be too city focused. Sydney teams don't want to travel more than a couple hours (Bathurst is sort of on the fringe of that, given it's just on 3 hrs I believe?), and Canberra teams don't even want to travel too Cooma any more - there's a reason why "Tigers FC" isn't really "Cooma Tigers" anymore. Canberra's approach to this (or.. reneging on their approach to this) is the bit that disgusts me more than this region being 'forgotten' by Football NSW. At least FNSW there's a much, much, much more understandable logistical problem.

Wagga and Griffith both had issues with travel in the NSW system (NSW system for Griffith was youth only, and I believe had travel concessions - which idealogically, I don't agree with either).

Everything you said above in that last post is spot on - Western NSW, either through a rep/association team, or a club that wants to push themselves - could and should be represented in the State Leagues. But, at the moment, that sounds like it's a Western NSW problem, rather than a Football NSW problem.
 
Zelen Fc said:
Antelmi left Sydney Croatia that’s news
Click to expand...

Yep. Didnt have a great season, but i thought he still had a lot to give.

Club is going to a younger direction it seems.

228 app 75 goals in league. (3rd highest after Graham Arnold & Luka Glavas)
 
NicCarBel said:
Yep - I get a bit of a feeling that the state organisations - obviously given that's where the population is based - tend to be too city focused. Sydney teams don't want to travel more than a couple hours (Bathurst is sort of on the fringe of that, given it's just on 3 hrs I believe?), and Canberra teams don't even want to travel too Cooma any more - there's a reason why "Tigers FC" isn't really "Cooma Tigers" anymore. Canberra's approach to this (or.. reneging on their approach to this) is the bit that disgusts me more than this region being 'forgotten' by Football NSW. At least FNSW there's a much, much, much more understandable logistical problem.

Wagga and Griffith both had issues with travel in the NSW system (NSW system for Griffith was youth only, and I believe had travel concessions - which idealogically, I don't agree with either).

Everything you said above in that last post is spot on - Western NSW, either through a rep/association team, or a club that wants to push themselves - could and should be represented in the State Leagues. But, at the moment, that sounds like it's a Western NSW problem, rather than a Football NSW problem.
Click to expand...
Is there a map somewhere of where all these zones cover? I need to visualise this stuff haha
 
Beretta said:
Yep. Didnt have a great season, but i thought he still had a lot to give.

Club is going to a younger direction it seems.

228 app 75 goals in league. (3rd highest after Graham Arnold & Luka Glavas)
Click to expand...
Where’s he off to
 
HappyGuus said:
Is there a map somewhere of where all these zones cover? I need to visualise this stuff haha
Click to expand...
Closest would be my club map - if you turn on-off by state/member federation, and should also be broken down by defined regions within (not by borders, but by clubs competing within)

I'm going to use that and an AI tool to try and just draw a map of NSW with borders by region, etc (will not be breaking down Metro NSW further than "Metro NSW includes Sydney, Wollongong and Gosford up to the edges of all other regions) just yet
 
Last edited:
NicCarBel said:
Closest would be my club map - if you turn on-off by state/member federation, and should also be broken down by defined regions within (not by borders, but by clubs competing within)

I'm going to use that and an AI tool to try and just draw a map of NSW with borders by region, etc (will not be breaking down Metro NSW further than "Metro NSW includes Sydney, Wollongong and Gosford up to the edges of all other regions) just yet
Click to expand...
Copilot/ChatGPT are shithouse for this - so I made this very arbitrary version - it's just by 'Branch'/overall region though - no associations within

There are a few areas that cross into other borders technically, such as Hay and Deniliquin are actually with Football Victoria now (but traditionally been included with Riverina), and some of the most southern parts of Western NSW, and the north-eastern parts of Riverina, and north-western parts of Southern NSW crossing borders here and there.

I've used Lake Macquarie as the border point for Northern NSW and Metro NSW, with a straight borders roughy splitting up the North NSW federation, and Western NSW branch (and West/South NSW and Metro NSW as well
NSW football borders2.png
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top