Australian soccer league system

The Australian soccer league system is the league structure for soccer clubs in Australia. The league system in Australia since 1977 has involved one top divisional league controlled by Football Federation Australia and many leagues run within each state below.[1] The National Soccer League stood from 1977–2004 as the top nationwide tier above the current state-based league systems, in 2005, the A-League was established as its successor. The introduction of the National Premier Leagues in 2013 introduced a direct second tier of soccer in Australia, underpinning the A-League.[2] The National Premier Leagues incorporated the existing state leagues as divisions with a nationwide end of season finals series. In 2013, the National Premier Leagues rebranded 5 of the 9 top state leagues, and the remainder – with the exception of the Northern Territory – joined in 2014.[2] There is no promotion and relegation to and from the top-tier A-League, and promotion and relegation at other levels varies between different state systems.

A diagram showing the nine member federations of FFA, which each control their respective state-based competitions.

A nation-wide second-tier league competition with the working title Australian Championship has been proposed, with a start date of the 2021/22 season.[3]

The table excludes parallel leagues such as the Y-League, which runs in conjunction with the A-League as a national youth developmental and reserve league, or the W-League. The women's soccer league system in Australia is similar to that of the men's.