National Premier Leagues Queensland
The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level football (soccer) competition in Queensland. The conference is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues. The inaugural season kicked off in March 2013[1] and consisted of 12 teams.[2] Each team will be expected to field a senior team, five junior men's teams from under-12 to under-20 starting in 2013 and women's junior teams in under-13, under-15, and under-17 starting in 2014.[3]
| Organising body | Football Queensland Football Australia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Country | Australia |
| State | QLD |
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Relegation to | Football Queensland Premier League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup |
| Current champions | Gold Coast Knights (2022) |
| Current premiers | Lions FC (2022) |
| Most premierships | Lions FC (3 titles) |
| TV partners | NPL.Tv YouTube |
| Website | footballqld.com.au |
| Current: 2022 NPL Season | |
Each club has been granted a 5-year licence and there is no promotion or relegation from the league during this period. It was announced on 16 December 2016 that there would be promotion and relegation to the Football Queensland Premier League (FQPL) as of the 2018 season and that the league would be expanded to 14 teams. This announcement came with the addition of the Football Queensland Premier League, a new tier immediately below the National Premier League.[4]
Peninsula Power and Eastern Suburbs were the first two teams promoted to the NPL from the FQPL for the 2019 season. No teams were relegated in 2018.
History
The league directly replaced the existing Queensland State League, as part of the wider introduction of the National Premier Leagues into several states in 2013.
The league commenced with 12 teams in its inaugural 2013 season. This was increased to 14 teams in the 2014 season with the inclusion of Harimau Muda A, Southwestern Queensland and the replacement of the QAS team with the Brisbane Roar National Youth League side. However, the teams were controversially reduced to 13 mid-season, due to CQFC Energy's failure to meet licensing conditions.[5][6]
Format
The season consists of a regular season in which all clubs play each other twice, home and away. At the conclusion of the regular season the top of the table club progresses onto the NPL National Finals Series to play against the champions from other NPL subdivisions. Also at the conclusion of the regular season the top four clubs play a local finals series. The local finals series consists of two semi-finals and a final. In the local finals series the top of the ladder club plays the fourth place and second place plays third. The winner of these local semi finals play each other in the NPL Qld Grand Final.
Clubs
Current clubs (2023)
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane City | Brisbane | Spencer Park | 1952 | 2013 | Matt Smith |
| Brisbane Roar Youth | Logan | Underwood Park | 2008 | 2014 | Chris Grossman |
| Eastern Suburbs | Brisbane | Heath Park | 1922 | 2019 | David Booth |
| Gold Coast Knights | Gold Coast | Croatian Sports Centre | 1978 | 2019 | Scott McDonald |
| Gold Coast United | Gold Coast | Coplick Sports Complex | 2017 | 2018 | Grae Piddick |
| Lions FC | Brisbane | Lions Stadium | 1957 | 2018 | Darren Sime |
| Moreton Bay United | Moreton Bay | Wolter Park | 2012 | 2013 | Royce Brownlie |
| Olympic FC | Brisbane | Goodwin Park | 1967 | 2013 | Ben Cahn |
| Peninsula Power | Moreton Bay | A.J. Kelly Park | 2000 | 2019 | Rick Coghlan |
| Redlands United | Redlands | Compass Grounds | 1918 | 2013 | VACANT |
| Rochedale Rovers | Logan | Underwood Park | 1973 | 2023 | Ross Davidson |
| Sunshine Coast Wanderers | Sunshine Coast | Ballinger Park | 2017 | 2020 | Paul Arnison |
Former clubs
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Joined | Departed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Strikers | Brisbane | Perry Park | 1994 | 2013 | 2021 |
| Cairns FC (formerly FNQ Heat) | Cairns | Barlow Park | 2009 | 2013 | 2018 |
| Capalaba FC | Redlands | John Frederick Park | 1972 | 2020 | 2022 |
| CQFC Energy | Rockhampton | Rugby Park | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Harimau Muda A | Malaysia | Home of opposition team | 2014 | 2014 | 2014 |
| Logan Lightning | Logan | Cornubia Park | 2011 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Magpies Crusaders United | Mackay | Sologinkin Oval | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 |
| North Queensland United (formerly Northern Fury) | Townsville | Townsville Sports Reserve / Brolga Park | 2008 | 2013 | 2018 |
| Queensland Academy of Sport | Brisbane | Meakin Park | 1991 | 2013 | 2013 |
| South West Queensland Thunder FC | Toowoomba | Clive Berghofer Stadium | 2012 | 2014 | 2019 |
| Sunshine Coast Fire | Sunshine Coast | Kawana Western Fields | 2007 | 2013 | 2019 |
Honours
| Year | Premiership | Champions | NPL Finals Representation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Olympic FC | Olympic FC | Olympic FC – Semi Finalist |
| 2014 | Palm Beach Sharks | Palm Beach Sharks | Palm Beach Sharks – Semi Finalist |
| 2015 | Moreton Bay United | Moreton Bay United | Moreton Bay United – Semi Finalist |
| 2016 | Brisbane Strikers | Redlands United FC | Brisbane Strikers – Semi Finalist |
| 2017 | Brisbane Strikers | Western Pride | Brisbane Strikers – Runners Up |
| 2018 | Lions FC | Lions FC | Lions FC – Runners Up |
| 2019 | Lions FC | Gold Coast Knights | Lions FC – Runners Up |
| 2020 | Peninsula Power | Lions FC | —[a] |
| 2021 | Peninsula Power | Lions FC | —[b] |
| 2022 | Lions FC | Gold Coast Knights | —[c] |
See also
Notes
- ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[7]
- ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
- ^ Not Held
References
- ^ . Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "Football Queensland: The Home of Football in Queensland".
- ^ . Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
- ^ "PS4 NPL Queensland set for expansion, promotion-relegation in 2018". 12 December 2016.
- ^ "Gladstone on radar after CQFC Energy lose APL licence". gladstoneobserver.com.au. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ "Player power kicks in ... to get Energy back for CQ". themorningbulletin.com.au. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.