National Premier Leagues Tasmania
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
CountryAustralia
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams8
Level on pyramid2
Domestic cup(s)Milan Lakoseljac Cup
Australia Cup
Current premiersDevonport City (2023)
TV partnersNPL.TV
WebsiteNPL Tasmania
Current: 2022 NPL Tasmania

The National Premier Leagues Tasmania is an Australian semi-professional football league part of the National Premier Leagues, covering the state of Tasmania. The competition sits at step two overall in the Australian football league system, below the A-League and alongside other states' National Premier Leagues.

History

Further information: Tasmanian soccer championship

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

2023 clubs

Club Location Ground Capacity Years in league
Clarence Zebras Howrah Wentworth Park 1,000 2020–present
Devonport City Devonport Bank of Queensland Valley Road 3,500 2013–present
Glenorchy Knights Glenorchy KGV Football Park 4,000 2013–2015; 2019–present
Kingborough Lions United Kingston Clennett's Lightwood Park 1,000 2013–present
Launceston City Prospect Buckby Motors Park 1,000 2013–present
Launceston United Newstead Floorworld Park 500 2023–present
Riverside Olympic Riverside Windsor Park 1,000 2019–present
South Hobart South Hobart South Hobart Oval 2,000 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 —[a] Devonport City – Quarter-finalist
2019 NPL Tasmania Devonport City Olympia Warriors —[a] Devonport City – Quarter-finalist
2020 NPL Tasmania Devonport City Glenorchy Knights —[a] —[b]
2021 NPL Tasmania Glenorchy Knights Devonport City —[a] —[c]
2022 NPL Tasmania Devonport City South Hobart —[a] —[a]
2023 NPL Tasmania Devonport City South Hobart South Hobart Devonport City —[a]

Honours (before the NPL)

Main article: Tasmanian soccer championship § Honours

Records

All time table

Updated as of Round 21 of 2023 season

Position Team Played Won Draw Lost Goals for Goals against Goals +/- Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1 South Hobart 227 159 28 40 771 273 +498 505 3 4 4
2 Devonport City 227 161 19 47 654 271 +383 502 6 2 1
3 Olympia Warriors 206 101 22 83 504 371 +133 325 1 2 1 2
4 Hobart Zebras 150 87 30 33 438 211 +227 291 2 3 2
5 Kingborough Lions 227 82 30 115 429 562 −133 276 1 3
6 Glenorchy Knights 164 70 16 78 313 389 −76 226 1 1 1 1
7 Launceston City 227 65 25 137 323 611 −288 220 1
8 Northern Rangers 126 38 26 62 256 305 −49 140 2
9 Clarence Zebras 77 23 9 45 140 192 −52 78
10 Riverside Olympic 101 12 12 77 105 344 −239 48
11 Clarence United 87 8 9 70 70 401 −331 33
12 Launceston United 21 0 2 19 18 91 −73 2
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
2021 Brody Denehey Devonport City 22
2022 Roberto Fernandez Garrido Devonport City 27
2023 Roberto Fernandez Garrido Devonport City 28

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Not held
  2. ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[8]
  3. ^ NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

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.
Categories