2020 Football Victoria season explained

Season:2020
Nextseason:2021

The 2020 season in Football Victoria refers to the competitions contested under the organisation of Football Victoria in 2020.

All NPL and grassroots competitions were suspended due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, effective 18 March,[1] and were further extended.[2] [3] The season was only able to restart in a limited way for juniors in regional areas from September 24, whereas no football activities were able to take place in Metropolitan Melbourne.[4] Preliminary plans for the resumption of competitions for the 2021 season were released in October 2020, confirming that the current season had effectively ended.[5]

League Tables

2020 National Premier Leagues Victoria

Season:2020
Dates:13 February to 15 March
Competition:National Premier Leagues Victoria
Matches:35
Total Goals:99
Prevseason:2019
Nextseason:2021
Updated:15 March 2020
Winners:None
Relegated:None

The 2020 National Premier Leagues Victoria was the seventh season of the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the top tier of Victorian soccer, since its establishment in 2014. Bentleigh Greens were the defending champions from the previous season. Fourteen teams competed in the league – the top twelve teams from the previous season and two teams promoted from the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 (Eastern Lions and St Albans Saints).

No Premier was declared.

In addition to this season being cancelled, the 2020 National Premier Leagues finals series was also cancelled (the NPL Premier normally qualifies for the national NPL finals series).[6]

2020 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2

The 2020 NPL Victoria 2 competition structure was changed from the previous year (which had been two conferences with 10 teams each), to a single group of 12 teams.[7] No games were played.

2020 National Premier Leagues Victoria 3

The 2020 NPL Victoria 3 was originally scheduled to be the first season of the NPL Victoria 3, the third-tier of Victorian soccer. NPL Victoria 3 was created from the bottom halves of the East and West divisions of NPL Victoria 2 when the league was reorganised at the end of the 2019 season,[7] with a single group of 12 teams. No games were played.

2020 NPL Victoria Women

The highest tier domestic football competition in Victoria for women is the National Premier Leagues Victoria Women. This was originally scheduled to be the fifth season of the NPL format. No games were played.

Cup Competitions

2020 Dockerty Cup

Football Victoria soccer clubs commenced the competition for the Dockerty Cup. The preliminary rounds doubled as the Victorian qualifiers for the 2020 FFA Cup, but the competition was suspended and ultimately cancelled after the Third preliminary round.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grassroots football temporarily suspended. Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2020. 17 March 2020.
  2. Web site: Extension of the suspension of grassroots football in Australia. Football Federation Australia. 1 April 2020. 27 April 2020.
  3. Web site: Football in parts of VIC on hold as Stage 3 restrictions reimposed. Football Victoria. 7 July 2020. 13 July 2020.
  4. Web site: Updated Junior (Regional) Return to Play Conditions released. Football Victoria. 24 September 2020. 18 October 2020.
  5. Web site: 2021 Start Up. Football Victoria. 16 October 2020. 18 October 2020.
  6. Web site: Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled. SBS. The World Game. 7 July 2020. 7 July 2020.
  7. Web site: Victoria restructures its NPL competition . footballtoday.news . 31 October 2018 . 21 December 2019 . 21 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191221232300/https://footballtoday.news/features/victoria-restructures-its-npl-competition . dead .