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The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
league in Australia, run by
Soccer Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establi ...
and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its demise in 2004, when it was succeeded by the
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
competition run by
Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...
, the successor to the Australian Soccer Association. During the history of the NSL the league was contested by a total of 42 teams; 41 based in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and one based in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. Seasons initially ran during the winter seasons, until 1989 when this was changed to the summer season. In 1984, the league was split into two conferences (Northern and Southern) to introduce more teams into the competition; the league returned to a single division in 1987. The competition was known by various names through sponsorships; these names included the
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
Soccer League, the Quit National Soccer League,
Olympic Airways Olympic Airlines (, ''Olympiakés Aerogrammés'' – OA), formerly named Olympic Airways, was the flag carrier airline of Greece. The airline's head office was located in Athens. The airline operated services to 37 domestic destinations and ...
Soccer League,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
Soccer League, the
Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
Cup and the A-League. From the league's inaugural season to its demise in 2004, a total of 13 clubs were crowned champions through either a system of first past the post or a finals series that culminated in a
grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
. The NSL was Australia's first national sporting league predating the likes of the AFL and NRL.


History


Origin

Competition between club sides from different states existed in various forms prior to the formation of the NSL. The petroleum company
Ampol Ampol Limited is an Australian petroleum company headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. Ampol is the largest transport energy distributor and retailer in Australia, with more than 1,800 Ampol-branded service stations across the country . Amp ...
sponsored cup competitions in the various states, starting with
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
in 1957, with other states following later. Later a national Ampol Cup was conducted which continued throughout the 1960s. From 1962 until 1968 an
Australia Cup The Australia Cup (currently known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the national association football, soccer single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Fo ...
was held, but its ambition of becoming an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
style knockout competition went unfulfilled. In the 1970s the top sides from Melbourne and Sydney played off in an end of season series, but the tournament did not seem to quite capture the legitimacy and popularity that was hoped for. Plans for a national home and away league went back as far as 1965 for a 1967 start, and were followed up by variations on the theme throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, but faced opposition variously from clubs, who deemed the notion uneconomical, and state federations who feared losing their power. Australia's qualification for the
1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...
led to various discussions in 1975 and 1976, with eventually 14 teams being chosen to participate in the inaugural season of the national league. The transition from state-based leagues to a national competition was not all smooth. The Victorian Soccer Federation was reluctant for its big clubs to be involved and it appeared the dream of Alex Pongrass of
St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...
and
Frank Lowy Sir Frank P. Lowy ( ; born 22 October 1930) is an Australian people, Australian-Israeli people, Israeli businessman of Jewish Slovak-Hungarian origins and the former long-time chairman of Westfield Corporation, a global shopping centre company ...
of Hakoah Sydney for a nationwide club competition would not evolve. Little-known
Mooroolbark Mooroolbark is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 37 km East of Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Mooroolbark recorded a population of 23,059 at the . Mooroolba ...
from Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs broke the deadlock by joining the competition, bringing three other
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...
sides with it, making the national league a reality.


1977–1983: Sydney dominance

The first seven seasons of the league would be dominated by Sydney clubs, with Sydney City winning four titles, and only West Adelaide being able to wrest the title from
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. West secured the 1978 championship after scoring a late equaliser in an Adelaide derby against
Adelaide City Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden, a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide. The club was a founding member of the now-defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and currently competes in the National Premier ...
in the final round of the season. The competition at this stage was a simple first past the post. A post season finals series was played during this era but was considered more of an exhibition series rather than a legitimate game to decide the national champion, although some confusion still exists on this matter particularly amongst some
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
supporters who consider the 1980 'final' as a legitimate decider.


1984–1986: Conference system and power shift

Shrinking crowds led to the radical move of introducing more teams (mainly from Victoria and
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
) and splitting the league into two conferences, with the winner of each division to play-off in an end of year two legged final. For season 1984 the 'Australian' Conference had competing teams from New South Wales and the ACT, whilst the 'National' Conference consisted of Victorian,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n and Queensland clubs. For 1985 and 1986 this reverted to 'Northern' and 'Southern' Conferences. Strangely, the competition's most geographically northern sides,
Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...
and Brisbane City were in the latter grouping. This period saw
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
become the first
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
n team to win the league, followed by
Brunswick Juventus Brunswick Zebras Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club that based in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East. The club fields both senior and reserves teams for men & women, and operates a junior academy under license fro ...
, and
Adelaide City Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden, a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide. The club was a founding member of the now-defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and currently competes in the National Premier ...
, all Southern conference sides. At the end of the 1986 season, the system was scrapped, and about half the teams were dumped back to their respective state leagues. The criteria used to decide who stayed and who went was based 50% on the 1986 playing record, 40% on past playing record, and 10% on crowd support.Thompson, 2006, One Fantastic Goal, pp 263 The result was that only one team from outside Sydney and Melbourne, reigning champions Adelaide City, was retained.


1987–1989: Return to single division and last years of winter football

The revamped league suffered a major setback early on when Sydney City pulled out of the competition after just one round into the new season. Apart from returning to a single division, the league also dispensed with finals for the 1987 season, reverting to first past the post. Many considered this an ill-considered move, as it robbed the league of its most high-profile games. Finals were re-introduced from 1988, and were to remain until the league's demise. The 1989 season would be the last to be played in winter. This period saw a re-emergence of New South Wales dominance with all titles, minor premierships and runners-up being from that state.


1989–1996: Birth of summer football

Efforts to transition the league to a summer season date back to the early 1980s but were only implemented in the 1989/90 season. The reasoning behind this shift was straightforward: moving to summer would help the league avoid being overshadowed by the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
and
Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...
seasons while also ensuring better playing surfaces and improved spectator comfort due to favorable weather conditions. Despite the boost from this change, some clubs struggled to stay in the league, leading to relegations to the state leagues. Among them were former champions
Brunswick Juventus Brunswick Zebras Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club that based in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East. The club fields both senior and reserves teams for men & women, and operates a junior academy under license fro ...
,
St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...
, and
APIA Leichhardt APIA Leichhardt Football Club, also known simply as APIA (Associazione Poli-sportiva Italo Australiana), is a semi-professional soccer club based in the suburb of Leichhardt, New South Wales, Leichhardt in Sydney, Australia. The club was forme ...
, as well as once-strong contenders like
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
and Preston. At the same time, soccer authorities pushed clubs to market themselves to a broader Australian audience rather than catering primarily to their migrant fan bases. This initiative led to club name and logo changes, a ban on ethnic flags, and other modifications. While clubs reluctantly complied, fans in the stands largely continued to use the traditional names. During this era, clubs such as
Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. This ...
,
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
,
Adelaide City Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden, a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide. The club was a founding member of the now-defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and currently competes in the National Premier ...
, and
Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the second-tier of the Australian soccer league ...
dominated the league, winning multiple titles and making frequent grand final appearances. The decade also saw the emergence of future Australian stars, including
Mark Viduka Mark Antony Viduka ( ; born 9 October 1975) is an Australian former Association football, football player who played as a centre forward. Viduka captained the Australia men's national soccer team, Australia national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup ...
,
Mark Bresciano Mark Bresciano ( ; ; born 11 February 1980) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in Melbourne, Bresciano played youth football for Bulleen Lions, before moving into the National Soccer League wi ...
,
Vince Grella Vincenzo Grella (born 5 October 1979) is an Australian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Dandenong to Italian immigrants, Antonio and Maria, Grella began his senior career in Australia before moving to Italy, where he spent ov ...
,
Tony Popovic Tony Popovic (born 4 July 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently head coach of the Australia men's national soccer team, Australia national football team. He guided the team to qualify for the 202 ...
, and
Mark Schwarzer Mark Schwarzer ( , ; born 6 October 1972) is an Australian former professional football player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He represented Australia men's national soccer team, Australia at international level ...
, who would later form the core of Australia’s "Golden Generation." In an effort to streamline the competition, the Australian Soccer Federation proposed reducing the number of NSL teams from 14 to 12. In 1995, it announced plans for a new parallel competition called the A-League. Following legal challenges, the A-League eventually replaced the NSL but largely retained the same teams, making the transition more of a rebranding than a completely new competition. Before 1995–96 season, the league secured a sponsorship deal with
Ericsson (), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
, leading to a rebranding as the "Ericsson Cup." The sponsorship was initially set to last until 2000 but was terminated a year early in 1999. Despite the new name, the A-League and NSL names continued to be used interchangeably.


1996–2001: New clubs and attempts to enter the mainstream

From 1996 onwards the league attempted to revitalise the competition and attempt to hook into the mainstream support by finally introducing a team from Western Australia, in the form of
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
, as well as other new entities which promised to deliver mainstream support, as well as being fully professional outfits as opposed to the majority of clubs and players who were only semi-professional. Among the new clubs at this time were the
Collingwood Warriors Collingwood Warriors Soccer Club was an Australian semi-professional association football (soccer) club based in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford. It participated in the National Soccer League in 1996–97, lasting only a solitary sea ...
, Carlton, Northern Spirit (GHFA Spirit as of 2004) and
Parramatta Power Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League (Australia), National Soccer League from season National Soccer League ...
, as well as New Zealand's first professional team, the
Football Kingz The Football Kingz were New Zealand's first professional football club. They played in the Australian National Soccer League from 1999 until their disestablishment in 2004, when they were replaced by the New Zealand Knights as an inaugural parti ...
. These clubs would have varying degrees of success on and off the field. Collingwood Warriors barely managed to last a season, while Carlton reached the grand final in its debut year, but was unable to attract a substantial fan base. Northern Spirit started off with record crowds, and a good debut season reaching the finals, but gradually crowds declined, and financial difficulties along with a controversial takeover by
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
, did not help matters. They would survive until the end of the NSL, but fold thereafter. Parramatta Power failed to gather much support, placed as it was in the midst of the already crowded western Sydney
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
market, and it too would not last beyond the end of the NSL. Perth Glory became the most successful of the new mainstream entrants. High crowds and good performances throughout the NSL's last decade made Perth Glory for many observers the benchmark and role model for all future entrants to the Australian top-flight. A then record grand final crowd of 40,000 people saw the
Brisbane Strikers Brisbane Strikers Football Club is an Australian semi-professional football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in 1991 as Brisbane United, the club competed in the National Soccer League until the 2003–04 season. Brisbane Strikers ...
become the first Queensland side to win the title in season 1996/97, but it never resulted in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
gaining much bigger crowds in the following seasons than they were accustomed to. South Melbourne FC under
Ange Postecoglou Angelos "Ange" Postecoglou ( ; ; born 27 August 1965) is a soccer manager and former player who was most recently manager of club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in Greece, Postecoglou grew up in Melbourne from the age of five. As a player, he spen ...
won back-to-back titles in the late 1990s, and by also winning the
1999 Oceania Club Championship The 1999 OFC Club Championship was the second season of Oceania's premier club football tournament organised by OFC. South Melbourne won their first continental title by defeating Nadi 5–1 in the final, which was played at the Prince Charles P ...
, earning the right to play in the
2000 FIFA Club World Championship The 2000 FIFA Club World Championship was the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, the world club championship for men's club association football teams. It took place in Brazil from 5 to 14 January 2000. FIFA as football's international governing bod ...
, where it put in some respectable performances against sides such as Manchester United and a tidy sum in prize money.
Wollongong Wolves Wollongong Wolves Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW, the second-tier of soccer in Austral ...
became the only side from regional Australia to win the league, with their back-to-back titles in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The 1999–2000 Grand Final against
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
at
Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco, Western Australia, Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood, ...
in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
saw a record attendance of 43,242, overtaking the 1997 figure in Brisbane and a record that would remain until the
2007 A-League Grand Final The 2007 A-League Grand Final took place at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia, on 18 February 2007. The match was contested by premiers Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, who had to play over half the game with ten men after their captai ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. The cancellation of the
2001 FIFA Club World Championship The 2001 FIFA Club World Championship was a football tournament arranged by FIFA to take place in Spain from 28 July to 12 August 2001. It was supposed to be the second edition of the FIFA Club World Championship, after the first edition in 2000 ...
however was a major blow to the league as clubs which had seen a way of making a substantial amount of much needed money.


2001–2004: Decline and demise

After the
2001 FIFA Club World Championship The 2001 FIFA Club World Championship was a football tournament arranged by FIFA to take place in Spain from 28 July to 12 August 2001. It was supposed to be the second edition of the FIFA Club World Championship, after the first edition in 2000 ...
was cancelled, the NSL was in great turmoil. High-profile Australian players began to leave the NSL due to more enticing offers from overseas leagues. In 1998,
Soccer Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establi ...
sold the television rights for the NSL and Socceroos matches to the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
in a 10-year contract that was worth $2.5 million a year. Seven bought the rights to be one of the flagships of its pay TV sport channel,
C7 Sport C7 Sport was a pay-TV service in Australia, owned and run by Seven Network. The service was carried on the Austar and Optus Vision pay-TV networks between 1995 and 2002. Seven unsuccessfully pursued court action against competitors, seeking dam ...
. It also broadcast a small amount of coverage on its free-to-air network. At one point in 2000, the amount of free-to-air coverage on the NSL was only a one-hour highlights package of the NSL after midnight on Wednesdays. Many believe Channel 7 deliberately refused to air games to kill off interest in the league that was flourishing in the 90s. In 2002,
C7 Sport C7 Sport was a pay-TV service in Australia, owned and run by Seven Network. The service was carried on the Austar and Optus Vision pay-TV networks between 1995 and 2002. Seven unsuccessfully pursued court action against competitors, seeking dam ...
closed after the Seven Network lost the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
(AFL) rights and pay TV networks stopped carrying the channel. The next year, Seven severed its contract in the last week of Soccer Australia's existence. This left the NSL with no TV coverage at all until SBS picked up the rights soon after. The consequent lack of sponsorship meant the league fell into even further decline which led to its eventual demise at the end of the 2003–04 season. Highlights were few and far between, but
Sydney Olympic Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club, based in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states o ...
re-emerged as a genuine leading club for the first time in a decade, winning its second title, and
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
went on to win the last two titles of the NSL, after previously having lost two grand finals. The birth of
Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...
, as a quickly formed replacement of Adelaide City who withdrew just before the start of the final NSL season, was perhaps the sole major highlight of this era, as they put in good performances, but most importantly, registered crowds which had not been seen in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
since the heyday of Adelaide City and West Adelaide. The league in 2003–04 was won by Perth Glory after a 1–0 win against
Parramatta Power Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League (Australia), National Soccer League from season National Soccer League ...
on 4 April 2004, almost 27 years to the day that the national competition began.
Nik Mrdja Nikola "Nik" Mrdja (born 30 November 1978) is an Australian former professional association football, soccer player, who played as a forward (association football), forward. Mrdja had a career spanning several National Soccer League (NSL) and A ...
had the honour of scoring the last goal in the NSL, a 98th minute
golden goal The golden goal is a sports rule used in association football, Australian rules football, bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby league to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the ...
to seal the championship for Perth. After this, national competition went into recess for a year and a half. In November 2004, 8 teams, including 5 from the now defunct NSL, formed the
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
, the revamped national competition whilst many were denied the opportunity due to the bidding process and 1 team for 1 city rule. The first competition began on 26 August 2005, ending the long recess and killing off the NSL and its 24-year history.


Competition format

The competition structure changed many times throughout the NSL's history. From its inception in 1977 until 1983, it was simply a matter of first past the post. However a compromise format was devised between the traditional first past the post and the Australian system of finals. In 1978, 1979 (two-legged Grand Final), 1980 and 1982 a finals series was conducted but the winner of the Grand Final did not determine who won the title. From 1984 until 1986, the league introduced more teams split into two conferences (1984 – Australian Conference,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
/
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
clubs and National Conference,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, Queensland; 1985 and 1986 – Northern Conference,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
/
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
clubs and Southern Conference for the rest) with 12 teams in each. The top five in each division would qualify for the playoffs, with the winner of each of the divisional playoffs playing off in a two-legged Grand Final. In 1987, the league dumped 11 teams, scrapped the split divisions, and the championship system reverted to first past the post. In 1988 the league re-introduced a finals system, with the top five sides qualifying for the playoffs. In season 1992/93, the league increased the finalists to six. This system was used for the rest of the league's duration, except for season 2002/03 when the top six sides played a further series of home and away games against each other, with the top two playing off in the Grand Final. The NSL also used a variety of point systems throughout its history. From 1977 until season 1991/92, teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for draw, and none for a loss. The exceptions to this were 1979, in which wins by four goals or more were awarded a bonus point, and 1983, in which three points were awarded for a win. From season 1992/93 onwards three points were awarded for a win, except for season 1994/95. In that season, four points were awarded for a win, with games ending in draws, being decided by penalty shootouts at the end of the game. The winner of the shootout received two points, the loser one point.


Related competitions

Successful NSL clubs gained qualification into the continental competition, the
Oceania Club Championship The OFC Men's Champions League is the premier men's club football competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. Beginning as the Oceania Club Championship (1987–2006), it has been organised since 2007 ...
, although the competition only occurred in
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
,
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
and
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
. In addition to the main league competition, the NSL also held a knock-out cup competition between 1977 and the 1997 season known as the
NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...
. The NSL Cup was initially held during the regular season, before gradually becoming a pre-season warm-up tournament. Between 1984 and 2004 National Youth League ran in conjunction with the NSL as a national youth developmental and reserve league.


Clubs

Source:


Champions


Performance by club


Competition timeline

ImageSize = width:925 height:830 PlotArea = width:670 height:750 left:130 bottom:50 AlignBars = late BarData= bar:Nu text:Number of teams bar:WW text:Wollongong Wolves bar:WM text:Wollongong Macedonia bar:WS text:Western Suburbs bar:WA text:West Adelaide bar:SU text:Sydney United bar:SO text:Sydney Olympic bar:SC text:Sydney City bar:SG text:Sunshine George Cross bar:St text:St George Saints bar:SM text:South Melbourne bar:PL text:Preston Lions bar:PG text:Perth Glory bar:PC text:Penrith City bar:PP text:Parramatta Power bar:PE text:Parramatta Eagles bar:NS text:Northern Spirit bar:NJ text:Newcastle United Jets bar:NR text:Newcastle Rosebud bar:NK text:Newcastle KB bar:NB text:Newcastle Breakers bar:MF text:Morwell Falcons bar:Mo text:Mooroolbark bar:MK text:Melbourne Knights bar:MS text:Marconi Stallions bar:IM text:Inter Monaro bar:HU text:Heidelberg United bar:GG text:Green Gully bar:FJ text:Footscray JUST bar:FK text:Football Kingz bar:CW text:Collingwood Warriors bar:Ca text:Carlton bar:CM text:Canterbury-Marrickville bar:Co text:Canberra Cosmos bar:CC text:Canberra City bar:BJ text:Brunswick Juventus bar:BS text:Brisbane Strikers bar:BL text:Brisbane Lions bar:BC text:Brisbane City bar:Bk text:Blacktown City bar:AL text:APIA Leichhardt bar:AU text:Adelaide United bar:AC text:Adelaide City Colors = id:grey value:gray(0.4) id:lgrey value:gray(0.8) id:vlgrey value:gray(0.9) id:champion value:brightblue legend:Champions id:spoon value:rgb(0.5,0,0) legend:Last_place id:rup value:powderblue # legend:Runner_Up # need more data id:future value:rgb(0.94,0.92,0.92) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1976 till:2006 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1978 gridcolor:vlgrey ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1977 gridcolor:vlgrey PlotData= color:lgrey width:12 bar:AC from:1977 till:2003 at:1986 mark:(line, champion) at:1992 mark:(line, champion) at:1994 mark:(line, champion) at:2003 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for SA Premier League bar:AU from:2003 till:2004 at:2006 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Retained in A-League bar:AL from:1979 till:1992 at:1987 mark:(line, champion) at:1992 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for NSW Super League bar:Bk from:1980 till:1981 # at:1981 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text: bar:Bk from:1984 till:1986 # at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text: bar:Bk from:1989 till:1990 # at:1990 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. bar:BC from:1977 till:1986 at:1978 mark:(line, spoon) at:1982 mark:(line, spoon) # at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text: bar:BL from:1977 till:1986 at:1983 mark:(line, spoon) at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. bar:BL from:1988 till:1988 at:1988 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to Brisbane Premier League at:2006 shift:(2,8) text:Returned to A-League at:2006 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:as Queensland Roar bar:BS from:1992 till:2004 at:1997 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Rejected from A-League, at:2004 shift:(2,-16) text:left for Brisbane Premier League bar:BJ from:1984 till:1988 at:1985 mark:(line, champion) at:1988 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated bar:BJ from:1994 till:1995 at:1995 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Merge with Bulleen Zebras bar:CC from:1977 till:1986 at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to NSW State League bar:Co from:1996 till:2001 at:1997 mark:(line, spoon) at:1998 mark:(line, spoon) at:1999 mark:(line, spoon) at:2003 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded bar:CM from:1986 till:1986 # at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text: bar:Ca from:1998 till:2001 at:2002 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded mid season bar:FK from:2000 till:2004 at:2002 mark:(line, spoon) at:2004 mark:(line, spoon) at:2006 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Retained in A-League bar:FJ from:1977 till:1989 at:1985 mark:(line, spoon) at:1989 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated bar:GG from:1984 till:1986 at:1986 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to VIC Premier League bar:HU from:1977 till:1987 at:1987 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. bar:HU from:1989 till:1989 at:1989 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. bar:HU from:1991 till:1995 at:1994 mark:(line, spoon) at:1995 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for VIC Premier League bar:IM from:1985 till:1986 at:1986 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to NSW 1st Div bar:MS from:1977 till:2004 at:1979 mark:(line, champion) at:1988 mark:(line, champion) at:1989 mark:(line, champion) at:1993 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 shift:(2,8) text:Rejected from A-League, at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:left for NSW Premier League bar:MK from:1984 till:2004 at:1995 mark:(line, champion) at:1996 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Rejected from A-League, at:2004 shift:(2,-16) text:left for VIC Premier League bar:Mo from:1977 till:1977 at:1977 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated VIC 3rd Div bar:MF from:1992 till:2001 at:2001 mark:(line, spoon) at:2002 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded mid season bar:NB from:1992 till:2000 at:1996 mark:(line, spoon) at:2000 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded bar:NK from:1978 till:1984 at:1984 shift:(2,8) text:Taken over by at:1984 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Newcastle Rosebud bar:NR from:1985 till:1986 at:1985 mark:(line, spoon) at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated bar:NJ from:2001 till:2004 at:2006 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Retained in A-League bar:NS from:1999 till:2004 at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded bar:PE from:1984 till:1984 at:1984 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to at:1984 shift:(2,-16) text:NSW State League bar:PE from:1990 till:1995 at:1995 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to at:1995 shift:(2,-16) text:NSW Super League bar:PP from:2000 till:2004 at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded bar:PC from:1984 till:1985 at:1985 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to at:1985 shift:(2,-16) text:NSW State League bar:PG from:1994 till:2004 at:2003 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 mark:(line, champion) at:2006 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Retained in A-League bar:PL from:1981 till:1993 at:1992 mark:(line, spoon) at:1993 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to VIC Premier League bar:SM from:1977 till:2004 at:1979 mark:(line, spoon) at:1984 mark:(line, champion) at:1991 mark:(line, champion) at:1998 mark:(line, champion) at:1999 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for VIC Premier League bar:St from:1977 till:1980 at:1980 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. bar:St from:1982 till:1991 at:1983 mark:(line, champion) at:1991 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left bar:SG from:1984 till:1991 at:1984 mark:(line, spoon) at:1991 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for VIC Premier League bar:SC from:1977 till:1986 at:1977 mark:(line, champion) at:1980 mark:(line, champion) at:1981 mark:(line, champion) at:1982 mark:(line, champion) at:1987 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Withdrew mid-season bar:SO from:1977 till:1979 at:1979 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated at:1979 shift:(2,-16) text:to NSW State League bar:SO from:1981 till:2004 at:1990 mark:(line, champion) at:2002 mark:(line, champion) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for NSW Premier League bar:SU from:1984 till:2004 at:2000 mark:(line, spoon) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for NSW Premier League bar:WA from:1977 till:1986 at:1978 mark:(line, champion) at:1981 mark:(line, spoon) at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to at:1986 shift:(2,-16) text:SA 1st Div bar:WA from:1990 till:1990 at:1989 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to at:1989 shift:(2,-16) text:SA 1st Div bar:WA from:1992 till:1999 at:1999 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Folded bar:WS from:1977 till:1978 at:1978 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Merge with APIA Leichhardt bar:WM from:1991 till:1991 at:1991 mark:(line, spoon) shift:(2,-4) text:Relegated to NSW State League bar:WW from:1981 till:1986 at:1984 mark:(line, spoon) at:1986 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Releg. to NSW Premier League bar:WW from:1988 till:2004 at:2000 mark:(line, champion) at:2001 mark:(line, champion) at:2003 mark:(line, spoon) at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Left for NSW Premier League bar:Nu from:1977 till:2004 at:1977 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:14 at:1981 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:16 at:1984 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:24 at:1987 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:13 at:1988 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:14 at:1995 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:13 at:1996 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:12 at:1997 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:14 at:1999 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:15 at:2000 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:16 at:2001 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:15 at:2002 mark:(line, grey) shift:(0,-4) text:13 at:2004 mark:(line, grey) shift:(2,-4) text:Competition folded Legend = left:50 top:20 columnwidth:90 LineData = layer:back at:1989 color:orange width:0.5 # change to summer season at:1984 color:red width:0.5 # 2 conference system start at:1987 color:red width:0.5 # Restructure to one league TextData= pos:(400,820) textcolor:orange fontsize:M text:Change to summer season TextData= pos:(250,820) textcolor:red fontsize:M text:Two conference system


See also

*
Johnny Warren Medal The Johnny Warren Medal is awarded to the best player of the Australian national soccer club competition. It was first awarded in the National Soccer League in 1990, and upon the NSL's demise in November 2004, was carried forward into the new na ...
*
Joe Marston Medal The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League Men award given to the player of the match in the A-League Men Grand Final each year. Introduced in 1990, previously the award was also given to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final. The ...


References


External links


OzFootball NSL section
{{AUS fb NSL Defunct soccer leagues in Australia Recurring sporting events established in 1977 1977 establishments in Australia Sports leagues established in 1977 2004 disestablishments in Australia Articles which contain graphical timelines