National Premier Leagues Queensland
Organising bodyFootball Queensland
Football Australia
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Country Australia
State Queensland
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid2
Relegation toFootball Queensland Premier League
Domestic cup(s)Australia Cup
Current championsGold Coast Knights (2023)
Current premiersGold Coast Knights (2023)
Most premiershipsLions FC (3 titles)
TV partnersNPL.Tv
YouTube
Websitefootballqld.com.au
Current: 2023 NPL Season

The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level 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]

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 (2024)

Team City Stadium Founded Joined Head Coach
Brisbane City Brisbane Spencer Park 1952 2013 Karl Dodd
Brisbane Roar Youth Logan Underwood Park 2008 2014 Richard Greer
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 Excelsior Moreton Bay Wolter Park 2012 2013 Cameron Millar
Olympic FC Brisbane Goodwin Park 1967 2013 Chris Grossman
Peninsula Power Moreton Bay A.J. Kelly Park 2000 2019 Aaron Philp
Redlands United Redlands Compass Grounds 1918 2013 Griff Mansfield
Rochedale Rovers Logan Underwood Park 1973 2023 Owen Baker
Sunshine Coast Wanderers Sunshine Coast Ballinger Park 2017 2020 Paul Arnison
Wynnum Wolves Brisbane Carmichael Park 1921 2024 Graham Fyfe

Former clubs

Team City Stadium Founded Joined Departed
Brisbane Strikers Brisbane Perry Park 1994 2013 2021
Cairns FC (formerly Far North Qld Heat) Cairns Barlow Park 2009 2013 2018
Capalaba FC Redlands John Frederick Park 1972 2020 2022
Central Queensland Energy Rockhampton Rugby Park 2012 2013 2014
Eastern Suburbs Brisbane Heath Park 1922 2019 2023
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/Northern Fury FC (formerly North Qld Fury) Townsville Townsville Sports Reserve / Brolga Park 2008 2013 2018
Queensland Academy of Sport Brisbane Meakin Park 1991 2013 2013
South West Queensland Thunder 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]
2023 Gold Coast Knights Gold Coast Knights —[d]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[7]
  2. ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
  3. ^ Not Held
  4. ^ Not Held

References

  1. ^ "Fury earns spot in Australian Premier League | Townsville Bulletin Sport". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Football Queensland: The Home of Football in Queensland".
  3. ^ "Brisbane City, Brisbane Strikers and Moreton Bay United granted APL licences | The Courier-Mail". Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
  4. ^ "PS4 NPL Queensland set for expansion, promotion-relegation in 2018". 12 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Gladstone on radar after CQFC Energy lose APL licence". gladstoneobserver.com.au. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Player power kicks in ... to get Energy back for CQ". themorningbulletin.com.au. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.


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