National Premier Leagues Tasmania

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National Premier Leagues Tasmania
NPL Tasmania.png
Founded2012
CountryAustralia
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams8
Level on pyramid2
Domestic cup(s)Milan Lakoseljac Cup
FFA Cup
Current premiersGlenorchy Knights
WebsiteNPL Tasmania
Current: 2021 NPL Tasmania

The National Premier Leagues Tasmania is an Australian semi-professional soccer league covering all regions of Tasmania. The league is a subdivision of the National Premier Leagues and commenced in 2013 with eight teams. Nationally the league sits below the A-League and above the Tasmanian regional championship competitions (with whom promotion and relegation will exist from the 2019 season onwards).

History[]

Prior to the NPL Tasmania the previous statewide league encompassing teams from all-over Tasmania had not taken place since 1999. The highest level of soccer being played in Tasmania was in two regional leagues in the North and South of the state.

The league was formed in 2012 by Football Federation Tasmania and the first season commenced in 2013. FFT referred to the league as the T-League during planning prior to the establishment of the league. Between 2012–2014 the league was known as the Victory League due to sponsorship by A-League club Melbourne Victory. In 2015 the league was officially known as the PS4 Victory League also for sponsorship reasons. In 2016, the league changed names again to National Premier Leagues Tasmania in line with other divisions within the NPL.

The initial clubs were awarded licences for league membership for three seasons between 2013–2015. In 2015 the FFT Board analysed the clubs on and off pitch. Based on this analysis six of the eight clubs in the NPL Tasmania were offered licences for an additional three seasons between 2016–2018. Glenorchy Knights and Launceston City were required to reapply for membership and compete with other clubs for the final two positions in the league in 2016.[1] Riverside Olympic, University, Clarence and New Town Eagles also applied for the two positions in addition to Glenorchy and Launceston City.[2] In August 2015 it was announced that Clarence United and Launceston City had been awarded the available licences between 2016–18.[3]

Up until 2017, the top teams in the league also qualified for a Tasmanian end of season finals series. Between 2013–15 the winner of the local finals series was awarded the Victory Cup. In 2013 and 2014 the top four teams participated in the finals series. In 2015 the finals series has been expanded to include the top six teams in the league as well as the champions of the Northern Championship and Southern Championship. In 2016, the end of season finals series cup was renamed the League Cup due to lapsing sponsorship arrangements,[4] and scrapped entirely after the end of the 2017 season.[5]

In 2019, the league expanded to nine teams. However, following the season, two clubs amalgamated bringing the league back to eight teams.[6]

Format[]

In late 2016, FFT announced they will expand the league to ten teams and introduce a promotion/relegation system. The winner of the 2018 Southern and Northern Championships were promoted into NPL Tasmania and to have the competition with ten teams for 2019, however Northern Rangers withdrew from the league leaving nine clubs. From the end of the 2019 season the winners of the Northern and Southern Championships will play-off against each other with the winner then automatically replacing the last placed finisher in the NPL Tasmania whilst the loser of the Northern and Southern Championships Play-off will play an additional play-off for a place in the NPL Tasmania in the following season against the second last NPL Tasmania club.[7] After 2019, two clubs merged lowering the league back to eight clubs.

The goal of the league is to consist of ten clubs geographically spread throughout Tasmania (although currently there are eight). The team on top of the table is considered the league champion and qualifies to play in the National Premier Leagues finals series against the champions of the other states.

Clubs[]

2022 clubs[]

Club Location Ground Capacity Years in league
Clarence Zebras Clarence Wentworth Park 5,500 2020–present
Devonport City Devonport Valley Road 1,200 2013–present
Glenorchy Knights Glenorchy KGV Park 4,000 2013–2015; 2019–present
Kingborough Lions United Kingston 1,000 2013–present
Launceston City Prospect 1,000 2013–present
Olympia Warrane Warrior Park 1,000 2013–present
Riverside Olympic Launceston Windsor Park 1,000 2019–present
South Hobart South Hobart South Hobart Ground 4,500 2013–present

Honours[]

Season League Final Series National Premier Leagues
Finals representation
Name Winner Runner-up Name Winner Runner-up
2013 Victory League South Hobart Devonport City Victory Cup South Hobart Devonport City South Hobart – Runners-up
2014 Victory League South Hobart Hobart Zebras Victory Cup South Hobart Northern Rangers South Hobart – Quarter Finalist
2015 PS4 Victory League Olympia Warriors South Hobart Victory Cup Olympia Warriors Hobart Zebras Olympia Warriors – Semi Finalist
2016 PS4 NPL Tasmania Devonport City Hobart Zebras League Cup South Hobart Devonport City Devonport City – Quarter Finalist
2017 PS4 NPL Tasmania South Hobart Olympia Warriors League Cup South Hobart Olympia Warriors South Hobart – Quarter Finalist
2018 PS4 NPL Tasmania Devonport City South Hobart Not Held Devonport City – Quarter Finalist
2019 NPL Tasmania Devonport City Olympia Warriors Not Held Devonport City – Quarter Finalist
2020 NPL Tasmania Devonport City Glenorchy Knights Not Held none1
2021 NPL Tasmania Glenorchy Knights Devonport City Not Held none2

Notes:

1 NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[8]
2 NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Honours (before the NPL)[]

Records[]

  • Most League titles: 4, Devonport City
  • Most points in a season: 62, Devonport City, 2019 season
  • Most wins in a season: 20, Devonport City, 2019 season
  • Most goals scored in a season: 91, Devonport City, 2019 season
  • Most consecutive wins in a season: 13, South Hobart, 2017 season
  • Biggest win: Olympia Warriors 14 – 0 Glenorchy Knights, 21 June 2015
  • Highest scoring game: Olympia Warriors 14 – 0 Glenorchy Knights, 21 June 2015

All time table[]

Updated as of completion of 2021 season

Position Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals For Goals Against Goals +/- Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 South Hobart 185 133 21 31 646 220 +425 423 3 2 4
2 Devonport City 185 124 17 44 515 243 +272 389 4 2 1
4 Olympia Warriors 185 99 22 63 481 300 +181 314 1 2 1 2
3 Hobart Zebras 150 87 30 33 438 211 +227 291 2 3 2
5 Kingsborough Lions 185 56 28 101 308 492 −184 196 2
6 Launceston City 185 48 20 116 264 533 −269 166 1
7 Glenorchy Knights 122 43 14 64 221 344 −123 143 1 1
8 Northern Rangers 126 38 26 62 256 305 −49 140 2
9 Clarence United 87 8 9 70 66 401 −335 33
10 Clarence Zebras 35 9 5 21 54 86 -32 32
11 Riverside Olympic 58 7 7 44 69 181 −103 28
Playing in the NPL Tasmania
Playing in Northern or Southern Championship Tasmania
Club has been disestablished or merged into another club

Top scorers[]

Season[9] Player Club Goals
2013 Brayden Mann Devonport City 26
2014 Brayden Mann South Hobart 31
2015 Brayden Mann South Hobart 29
2016 Brayden Mann Devonport City 24
2017 Jakub Sklenar Olympia Warriors 28
2018 Brayden Mann Devonport City 38
2019 Mathew Sanders Hobart Zebras 31
2020 Alex Walter Glenorchy Knights 14

References[]

  1. ^ Simeon Thomas-Wilson (13 May 2015). "Two clubs battling for Victory League licences in Tasmania". The Mercury. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. ^ Rob Shaw (16 June 2015). "Riverside moves for Victory League licence". The Examiner. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ^ Walter Pless (4 August 2015). "Clarence United replace Glenorchy Knights in Victory League". Walter Pless. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  4. ^ "CEO Update August 9". Football Federation Tasmania.
  5. ^ Andrew Mathieson (10 August 2018). "League Cup's end confirmed". The Advocate. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  6. ^ Rob Shaw (3 September 2019). "Hobart Zebras and Clarence set to merge in NPL Tasmania". The Examiner.
  7. ^ Shaun McManus (10 December 2016). "Promotion and relegation in plan for 10-team NPL Tasmania competition". The Hobart Mercury. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Tasmania Past Seasons Tables and Results". Soccer Australia.
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