National Premier Leagues WA Women

The National Premier Leagues WA Women, also known as the NPL WA Women, is a soccer competition in Western Australia. The competition is conducted by Football West, the organising body in Western Australia. The league is a subdivision of the second tier National Premier Leagues Women's structure, which sits below the national A-League Women, it is the highest tier of local women's competition in Western Australia. The league was founded in 2020 in Western Australia, several years behind equivalent leagues in other states.

History

Women's First Division and Premier League

The first full season for women's teams in the Perth area took place in 1972, the year after a high-profile curtain-raiser for two women's teams prior to a major friendly between the [Western Australia state Association football|soccer team|WA Men's State team] and Dynamo Moscow. The inaugural season saw a single six team league comprising teams form Swan Athletic, Azzurri, Kwinana United, South Perth United, Balga, Sorrento with Swan Athletic winning the first ever WA Women's Division 1 title.
The First Division was eventually renamed the State Premier League with clubs being required to field both a first team and reserves team. In the final year of the State Premier League the league comprised Northern Redbacks, Queens Park SC, Balcatta SC, Fremantle City, Football West NTC, and Stirling Panthers.

National Premier League

In late 2019 Football West called for applications for the a new NPL Women's competition to take the place of the existing State Premier League competition as the highest tier of local women's football in the state. At that time Western Australia was one of the two remaining states yet to implement a local version of the National Premier League Women's competition with NSW being the first state to implement their NPL competition in 2013.
Eight teams were selected to form the new National Premier League Women Western Australia including three existing State Premier League clubs, the existing Football West National Training Centre program team, two clubs from the women's second division and two clubs that would form brand new senior teams to compete in the NPLW WA.
Controversially Queens Park SC, a member of the first division from 1973 and winner of five Division 1 titles including the 2017 and 2018 titles plus the winner of Top 4 Cup in 2019, was not selected as one of the inaugural teams for the NPLW WA, with most of its team members moving to the newly formed Murdoch University Melville team.
The NPLW WA was formed with clubs being required to field both a first team and an U-23 which was later changed for the 2022 to be an U-21's team.

Relocations, mergers and name changes

Over the history of the Women's First Division, Premier League and NPLW teams have been subject to a number of name changes, relocations and mergers. The reasoning for many of the relocations and name changes stemmed from women's teams not being truly integrated into traditionally male dominated clubs often having to deal with poor conditions for training and games. Teams therefore would often move as a whole to a new clubs or location under a new name in order to improve conditions.
This movement of teams clouds the early historical record keeping due to modern day incarnation of clubs having descended directly from teams that held one or many other names.

Perth RedStar FC / Northern Redbacks / Stirling Reds / Stirling Vasto / Morley Windmills

Perth Redstar came into existence from a merger between ECU Joondalup and the Women's only club Northern Redbacks SC, prior to this Northern Redbacks had been subject to a number of name changes. Initially as Morley Windmills the club won two titles in 1991 and 1992 before becoming Stirling Vasto and winning two titles in 1994 and 1995, the club then changed name to Stirling Reds winning 3 titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999. After a merger with Sorrento the club became Northern Redbacks which it remained before playing its final game under that name when it won the 2022 NPLW Night Series Final.

Balcatta Etna FC / Balcatta FC / Floreat

Balcatta Etna was formed in 1978 but changed its name in 1994 to Balcatta Soccer Club then later Balcatta Football Club before returning to their original name of Balcatta Etna FC. The Floreat Athena team that won the 2000 and 2002 Women's first division moved to Balcatta SC.

Fremantle City FC / East Fremantle Tricolore / Fremantle United SC

Fremantle City FC was formed in 2015 and over the course of the 2015-2018 seasons through a merger between Fremantle United SC and East Fremantle SC.
Fremantle United SC had fielded many women's teams in various divisions over the years including the First Division winning their one and only title in 1997.
East Fremantle SC were a club that grew strong in women's football during the 90s. They had previously had two stints in the first division, from 2003 to 2012 followed by relegation to the second division followed by promotion back to the first division in 2016. The club missed out on a first division title in 2009 by goal difference only to Balcatta SC.

Murdoch University Melville FC

Murdoch University and Melville City SC were separate entities with both clubs fielding teams that had previously competed in women's football.

Murdoch Universities women's team folded in 2007 when they along with three other teams from the second division were promoted to the first division. The club won its only first division title in 2001 the last club outside of the big 4 to do so for 19 years until the start of the NPLW.
Melville City SC had previously competed in the first division from 2013 to 2017 making one Cup final during that time.
In 2017 both clubs merged to form Murdoch University Melville FC with the club being granted a spot in the newly formed NPL Women WA in 2020.

UWA Nedlands FC / Nedlands SC / University of Western Australia SC / University

Formed after a merger between neighbouring clubs Nedlands SC and University of Western Australia SC. University had existed since 1969 adopting the name common to all University of WA sports clubs of simply University given that at the time there was only one university. As more University's were created in Perth the club changed name to the University of Western Australia Soccer Club and took this name up to the Premier League with them in 2007.
Nedlands Soccer Club was a relatively young soccer club ironically playing its home games out of Charles Court Reserve, closer to the University of Western Australia than UWA SC's actual home ground in Mount Claremont. Nedlands SC's women's team spent two unsuccessful years in the Premier Division between 2008 and 2009 before they merged with UWA SC. The clubs entered the 2010 season in the Premier League as UWA Nedlands SC.

Subiaco AFC / Subiaco United / Subiaco City JSC / Curtin University Women's Soccer Club

Formed from a merger between Subiaco United and Subiaco City Junior Soccer Club. Prior to this Curtin University Women's Soccer Club had moved to Subiaco in 2001 to form the basis of the modern incarnation of Subiaco's women's teams.

South West Phoenix FC

Bunbury club South West Phoenix changed their name in 2010 to Bunbury Forum Force due to a sponsorship deal with Bunbury Forum shopping centre. They have since reverted to their original name of South West Phoenix.

Melville Alemannia - defunct

Alemannia was created in 1969 as the sporting arm of the Rhein-Donnau German Club in Myaree, changing its name later to Melville Alemannia. In 1976 the club was fielded its first team in the local women's competitions. In 1984 the club won the First Division Top 4 Cup and then followed this up in 1987 by winning their one and only First Division League title. Melville Alemannia played their games out of John Connell Reserve nearby to where Leeming Strikers now play their games.

Ashfield Dynamos

Ashfield Dynamos was the original name of the current Ashfield Sports Club. For many years Ashfield had not fielded a team in women's competitions until they began again in the metropolitan leagues in 2019 after the Morley Windmills team moved to Ashfield.

Ascot / Forrestfield United - defunct

Ascot are historically one of the most successful women's club in WA having won 9 first division titles out of the first 15 years of the competition. Ascot the club disappeared as a stand-alone entity back in 1979 after they lost their home ground to baseball and agreed to merge with Kalamunda United SC and Manning Rovers to form Forrestfield United. It is unsure how closely the women's team's history is linked to the men's club as the Ascot name remained in existence until 1986.

Swan Athletic
Osborne Park Galeb - defunct
Inglewood Kiev Eagles
Stirling Cracovia

Clubs

The following 8 clubs competed in the National Premier Leagues WA Women's competition for the 2025 season.

Balcatta FC

Football West Academy

Fremantle City

Murdoch University Melville FC

Perth SC

Perth RedStar

Subiaco AFC

UWA-Nedlands FC

Honours

League

;References:

Cup Competitions

Cup competitions have been run irregularly in the history of women's football in WA, mostly due to a lack of numbers until the 1990s. Later on, the cup competitions saw regular withdrawals from teams in the lower divisions as scores tended towards double figures when drawn against teams in higher divisions. Now the competitions is exclusively for the NPLW and State League teams, with the lower-tier leagues having their own cup competition.

Season	Night Series	State Cup	Top 4 Cup
2025	Balcatta FC	Fremantle City	Balcatta FC
2024	Perth RedStar	Perth SC	Perth RedStar
2023	Fremantle City	Football West NTC	Perth RedStar
2022	Northern Redbacks	Perth RedStar	Perth RedStar
2021	Balcatta	Murdoch University Melville	Murdoch University Melville
2020	Fremantle City	not held	Northern Redbacks
2019	Queens Park	Northern Redbacks	Queens Park
2018	Football West NTC	Queens Park	Balcatta
2017	Queens Park	Northern Redbacks	not held
2016	Queens Park	Northern Redbacks	not held
2015	Northern Redbacks	Beckenham Angels	not held
2014	Beckenham Angels	Northern Redbacks	not held
2013	Northern Redbacks	Beckenham Angels	not held
2012	Beckenham Angels	Northern Redbacks	not held
2011	Queens Park	Northern Redbacks	not held
2010	Balcatta	Northern Redbacks	not held
2009	East Fremantle	Northern Redbacks	not held
2008	Football West NTC	Northern Redbacks	Balcatta
2007	East Fremantle	Queens Park	Balcatta
2006	Balcatta	not held	East Fremantle
2005	Northern Redbacks	Queens Park	Queens Park
2004	Northern Redbacks	not held	Northern Redbacks
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996			Fremantle United
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990			Ashfield Dynamos
1989			Ashfield Dynamos
1988			Ashfield Dynamos
1987			Inglewood Kiev
1986
1985			Melville Alemannia
1984			Kelmscott
1983			Ascot
1982			Stirling Cracovia
1981			Ascot
1980			Inglewood Kiev Eagles
1979			Ascot
1978			Osborne Park Galeb
1977			Ascot
1976			Osborne Park Galeb
1975			Ascot
1974			Ascot
1973			Ascot
1972

;References:

Coach of the Year

Records from the Women's Soccer of Western Australia don't list any records for a Coach of the Year award. Football West added this award approximately around 2011. Traditionally the award was given to the coach based on points given for games won, generally this would go to the coach of the league winning team, however in the case of the league being won on goal difference, there were cases where the number of cup wins influenced the winner of coach of the year.
In 2021 Football West awarded a Male Coach of the Year and Female Coach of the Year, rather than an NPL-M and NPL-W coach of the year.
From 2022 Football West awarded the NPLW Coach of the Year and a separate Female Coach of the Year award, with the female coach of the year not being restricted to coaches only in the NPLW.

Season	Coach Of The Year	Female Coach Of The Year
2025	Tom Glavovich	Sam Geddes
2024	Carlos Vega Mena	Danielle Brogan
2023	Carlos Vega Mena	Faye Chambers
2022	Carlos Vega Mena	Sam Geddes
2021	not awarded	Danielle Brogan
2020	Peter Rakic	-
2019	Conrad McKelvie	-
2018	Ben Anderton	-
2017	Ben Anderton	-
2016	Tim Hodgson	-
2015	Conrad McKelvie	-
2014	Tim Hodgson	-
2013	Neil Bennett	-
2012	Jason Washington-King	-
2011	Tim Hodgson	-

Player of the Year

Sandra Brentnall leads the tally of most player of the year trophies with 6, followed by Stacey Woodfin on 5 and Katarina Jukic on 4.

Season	Winner
2025	Abbey Green
2024	Ella Lincoln
2023	Laura Waltman
2022	Larissa Walsh
2021	Tia Stonehill
2020	Katarina Jukic
2019	Shawn Billam Laura Waltman Gemma Craine
2018	Katarina Jukic
2017	Katarina Jukic
2016	Marianna Tabain
2015	Abbey Meakins
2014	Brooke Johnston
2013	Stacey Woodfin
2012	Allice Corriea
2011	Stacey Woodfin
2010	Lisa Ward
2009	Jess Lindquist
2008	Stacey Woodfin
2007	Prue Cornish
2006	Elisa D'Ovidio
2005	Stacey Woodfin
2004	Stacey Woodfin
2003	Sarah Cunningham
2002	Sarah Cunningham
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997

Season	Winner
1996	Sherri Pirikahu
1995	Liz Dielesen
1994	Liz Dielesen
1993	Bridget Silva
1992
1991	Tracey Wheeler
1990	Jamine Taylor
1989	Lisa Miles Sandra Brentnall
1988	Joanne Rooney Julie Gorton
1987	Judy Pettitt
1986	Lisa Miles
1985	Michelle Matthews
1984	Judy Esmond
1983	Sandra Brentnall
1982	Sandra Brentnall
1981	Sandra Brentnall
1980	Lynda Woodfin
1979	Sandra Brentnall
1978	Sandra Brentnall
1977	Pauline Rakich
1976	Barbara Kozak/Nicholson
1975	Heather Dunbnar
1974	Lynda Mateljan
1973	Julie Clayton
1972	Sharon Loveless

Female Young Player of the Year

Season	Young Player of the Year
2025	Lacey Heys
2024	Ella Lincoln
2023	Clara Horau
2022	Tanika Lala
2021	Zoee Spadano

Top Goalscorer (Golden Boot)

Season	Winner
2025	Renee Leota
2024	Ella Lincoln
2023	Tia Stonehill
2022	Larissa Walsh
2021	Larissa Walsh Tia Stonehill
2020	Katarina Jukic
2019	Sarah Carroll
2018	Katarina Jukic
2017	Katarina Jukic
2016	Marianna Tabain
2015	Katarina Jukic
2014	Brooke Johnston
2013	Renee Leota
2012	Lindsay Jobling
2011	Andrea Prieato
2010	Caitlin Dingle
2009	Lara Filocamo Jackie Nellany
2008	Stacey Woodfin
2007	Stacey Woodfin
2006	Elisa D'Ovidio
2005	Stacey Woodfin
2004	Lisa DeVanna
2003	Lisa DeVanna
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997

Season	Winner
1996	Michelle Matthews
1995	Nicole Green
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990	Sandra Brentnall
1989
1988	Penny Tanner
1987	Tina Harding
1986	Tina Harding
1985	Tina Harding
1984	Tina Harding
1983	Barbara Nicholson
1982	Sandra Brentnall
1981	Sandra Brentnall
1980	Sandra Brentnall
1979	Sandra Brentnall
1978	Sharon Loveless Sandra Brentnall
1977	Heather Dunbar
1976	Lynda Mateljan
1975
1974
1973
1972

Goalkeeper of the Year

Season	Winner
2025	Dayle Schroeder
2024	Rebecca Bennett
2023	Rebecca Bennett
2022	Rebecca Bennett
2021	Marissa Pidgeon
2020	Gabby Dal Busco Miranda Templeman
2019	Morgan Aquino
2018	Morgan Aquino
2017	Maya Diederichsen
2016	Evie Gooch
2015	Gabby Dal Busco
2014	Gabby Dal Busco
2013	Maya Diederichsen
2012
2011	Kristy Teschinsky
2010
2009	Maya Diederichsen
2008	Sara King
2007	Sara King
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997

Season	Winner
1996	Julie Holmes
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990	Kerry Smith
1989	Mandy Laing
1988	Yvette Burrows
1987	Mandy Laing
1986	Mandy Laing
1985	Katrina Robinson
1984	Katrina Robinson
1983	Denise Lofthouse
1982	Michelle Roach
1981	Sue Ravine
1980	Sue Ravine
1979	Jenny Hollingbury
1978
1977	Maxine Sullivan
1976	Maxine Sullivan
1975	Maxine Sullivan
1974
1973
1972

Goal of the Year

Season	Goalscorer
2025	Daisy McAllister