Football NSW


Football NSW is the governing body for soccer in the Australian state of New South Wales, with the exception of the northern regions of NSW. Football NSW is a member of the national governing body, Football Australia. Football NSW's premier football competition is the National Premier Leagues NSW. The premier futsal competition is the Futsal Premier League. Prior to 1 April 2007, Football NSW was known as Soccer NSW.

History

The first soccer association was founded in New South Wales in 1882 as the "South British Football Soccer Association". It was succeeded in 1898 by the "New South Wales British Football Association" and eventually in 1921 by the "Australian Soccer Football Association".
The first state league in New South Wales was formed in 1928 and by 1943 a new association was formed to oversee the game in New South Wales specifically, called "New South Wales Soccer Football Association". This was formed into a company in 1945.
By 1957 many clubs in New South Wales were left disgruntled by the way the game was run by the NSW Soccer Football Association due to numerous factors. Some migrant communities had created their own clubs when they were faced with closed doors by already established suburban clubs. After a meeting led by Hakoah president, Walter Sternberg in his Bellevue Hill home, a new association was born, called the "NSW Federation of Soccer Clubs". This federation effectively took control over the game from the former NSW Soccer Football Association.
The events of 1957 also led to a change in management nationally. With the Australian Soccer Football Association suspended by FIFA over player poaching disputes and the creation of Federations in other states, the Australian Soccer Federation was created in 1961 to replace the old association. However, the ASF only gained control of operations from the ASFA after they sent a £5000 bond to FIFA in 1963.
In 1995, "Soccer Australia" replaced the "Australian Soccer Federation" and so the governing body of New South Wales became "Soccer NSW".
Soccer NSW remained in control of the game for a decade until another national change took place in 2005 when Soccer Australia changed its name to "Football Federation Australia". Soccer NSW however, did not officially change its name to "Football NSW" until 1 April 2007.

Headquarters

The headquarters of Football NSW are located at Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood. Valentine Sports Park is a multipurpose sporting complex which caters for various groups, as well as individuals. The complex consists of twin, triple and quad rooms accommodating up to 180 people, 5 playing fields, lecture rooms, indoor sports hall, 20 metre outdoor pool, sports medicine centre and a dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also contains the offices of the Football NSW staff.

Football

The majority of Football NSW's time goes into the football competitions they oversee and run. Football NSW oversees the running of numerous representative youth, Men's & Women's association football leagues and cups, a number of which are non-amateur. They also oversee the countless club and amateur competitions run by the affiliated associations around the state. For a detailed rundown of the various leagues and systems run in New South Wales see Football in New South Wales.

Football NSW Institute

The Football NSW Institute was established in 2013 as the official elite development program for young footballers in New South Wales. It unified the Skilleroos, New South Wales Institute of Sport, and Skill Acquisition Programs into a single structure aligned with Football Federation Australia's Integrated Talented Player Pathway. Initially catering to both boys and girls, the program shifted its focus exclusively to girls' development from 2016, providing a high-performance environment for players aged U13 to U17. The FNSWI aimed to nurture talented footballers by offering top-tier coaching and training consistent with Football Australia policies, with the goal of preparing players for professional careers and national representation.
Following an extensive Player Development Review during the 2024 season, Football NSW announced the cessation of the FNSWI program at the end of 2024. This decision marked a new direction for the organization's approach to youth and senior women's competitions, including the NPL NSW Women's and NSW League One Women's leagues. Throughout its operation, the FNSWI played a pivotal role in developing young female footballers and contributing to the growth of women's football in New South Wales.

Futsal

Football NSW is also the governing body for Futsal is New South Wales. There are two representative leagues named the "Futsal Premier League" and the "Futsal Premier League 2". Originally there was only one representative league with 16 teams. In the 06/07 season the competition was cut into 2 separate divisions of 8 teams each. In the 07/08 season the top 8 clubs in the club championship from that season were put in the First Division while the last 8 were put in the second division. Now in 18/19 there is 8 premier league teams and 8 premier league 2 teams.

Football NSW Leagues clubs

Below are listed the Men's all member clubs of Football NSW for the National Premier Leagues competitions and Football NSW League One and Two for 2025.

League system

The men's soccer pyramid in New South Wales comprises 4 levels below the A-League Men, with promotion and relegation between the top 3 levels. It also includes the Sydney Amateur League, which is not officially a part of the league system. In total, there are 259 clubs/teams across 28 divisions in New South Wales.
The women's soccer pyramid in New South Wales comprises 3 levels below the A-League Men, with promotion and relegation between the top 2 levels.

Men's pyramid

State

Metropolitan

Regional

Women's pyramid

State

Metropolitan

Associations and Branches

As one of two state governing body for football in New South Wales, Football NSW oversees all aspects of the sport within the southern part of the state. At a local level, Football NSW works with 15 regional-based constituent association members which oversee in all aspects of the sport within their respected region. Three Football NSW branches also exist in a similar capacity.
; Metro Associations
;Regional Associations
  • Albury Wodonga Football Association
  • Bathurst District Football Association
  • Dubbo District Football Association
  • Eurobodalla Football Association
  • Far South Coast Football Association
  • Football Wagga Wagga
  • Griffith & District Football Association
  • Highlands Soccer Association
  • Lachlan Amateur Soccer Association Inc.
  • Lithgow District Football Association
  • Orange District Football Association
  • Shoalhaven District Football Association
  • South West Slopes Football Association
  • Southern Tablelands Football Association
  • Western Plains Amateur Soccer Association
;Branches
  • Southern NSW Football
  • Football Riverina
  • Western NSW Football

    Past League Premiers Winners

The sections below list previous league winners. League winners are listed as first place in the standings at the end of the regular section, not winners of the finals series.

1957–1958

The first season of the newly formed Soccer NSW began with two divisions. Canterbury-Marrickville were the inaugural premiers of Division One.
SeasonDivision OneDivision Two
1957Canterbury-MarrickvilleVillawood
1958Corrimal UnitedBudapest,
Pan-Hellenic

1959–1962

After two seasons, a third division was added.
SeasonDivision OneDivision TwoDivision Three
1959Sydney PragueNeerlandiaToongabbie
1960Sydney PraguePan-HellenicSydney Croatia
1961Sydney PragueSSC YugalMelita Eagles
1962BudapestCroatia SydneyCabramatta

1963–1970

Division Three disbanded to form lower grade Amateur Leagues.
SeasonDivision OneDivision Two
1963PragueCorinthian BESC
1964A.P.I.A. LeichhardtPolonia-North Side
1965South Coast UnitedCorinthian BESC
1966A.P.I.A. LeichhardtPolonia-North Side
1967A.P.I.A. LeichhardtManly Warringah
1968Hakoah Eastern SuburbsAuburn
1969South Coast UnitedMarconi Fairfield
1970Hakoah Eastern SuburbsWestern Suburbs

1971–1976

Amateur Leagues/Inter suburban leagues reformed to create another Division Three.
SeasonDivision OneDivision TwoDivision Three
1971Hakoah Eastern SuburbsSutherland ShireBankstown City FC
1972St George-BudapestGranville ParramattaRosebery Rhodes
1973Hakoah Eastern SuburbsCanterbury-MarrickvilleRiverside Rapid
1974Hakoah Eastern SuburbsGranville ParramattaNorthern Districts
1975A.P.I.A. LeichhardtManly WarringahToongabbie
1976St George-BudapestRiverside AvalaKu-Ring-Gai