| Australian League (1st tier) | |
|---|---|
| National Soccer League (1977–2004) A-League Men (2005–present) | |
| Country | |
| Founded | |
| 1977 | |
| Number of teams | |
| 13 (since 2024–25 season) | |
| Current champions | |
| Central Coast Mariners (2023–24) | |
| Most successful club | |
| Sydney FC (5 championships) |
The Australian soccer champions are the winners of the highest league in Australian men's soccer, which since 2005–06 is currently the A-League Men.
The National Soccer League was established in 1977. At the end of the 1977 season, Sydney City (now Hakoah Sydney City East) were the first club to be crowned champions.
As is the case in most Australian sports, the winners of a post-season playoffs competition, known as the Finals, has traditionally been crowned champion, unlike the first-past-the-post system used in many other countries. The team that finished first-past-the-post was often referred to as the Minor Premiers while the Finals winning team was awarded the Premiership. In an attempt to create more prestige around the first-past-the-post title, it was renamed the Premiership and the finals winning team is now awarded the Championship. The 2024-25 season is the 48th season of national level men's soccer in Australia.
In 1977, the Australian Soccer Association established the National Soccer League (NSL) of Australia,[1] which included teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The competition ran a promotion-relegation system for its entire lifespan as well as a knockout cup competition.
For the first seven seasons, the NSL awarded the championship to the team that finished first-past-the-post and was dominated by Sydney-based teams. By the mid-80s, the league had introduced a post-season playoffs competition that would crown the champions and the title was shared more evenly around the nation. Seasons initially ran over the winter months until 1989 when it was changed to the summer months to avoid conflicts with Australian rules football and the two rugby codes. By 2000, each major capital city had secured at least one NSL title outside of Perth. The Perth Glory made history in 2002–03 when they were crowned champions and the victory meant the five major cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney had all secured at least one NSL title over the duration of the league's history.
The National Soccer League was disbanded in 2004 and an 8-team A-League Men competition was established in 2005, which included a salary cap and no promotion-relegation. Adelaide, Newcastle and Perth were the only NSL teams retained in the new competition. It included one team from each of the major capital cities, two regional teams and a team from New Zealand. As is the case in many sporting leagues in Australia, a New Zealand-based team has been allowed entry into the top tiered Australian league since 1999. The decision to retain a New Zealand-based team in the top league has proved problematic in recent years due to Football Federation Australia's decision to move from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. As a result, a New Zealand-based team can be crowned Premiers and/or Champions of Australia but is ineligible to compete in the Asian Champions League.[2]
| Season(s) | Format | |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 to 1983 | First placed team | |
| 1984 to 1986 | Grand Final winning team | |
| 1987 | First placed team | |
| 1988 onwards | Grand Final winning team |
There are 21 clubs who have won an Australian championship (either by winning the grand final or finishing top of the league in the seasons without a grand final), including eight who have won the A-League Men (2005–present). The most recent clubs to win their inaugural championship were Western United (2021–22 champions), Melbourne City (2020–21) and Adelaide United (2015–16).
Six teams have finished as runner-up without ever winning the championship: Heidelberg United (1979, 1980), Preston Lions (1987), Sydney United 58 (1988, 1996–97, 1998–99), Carlton (1997–98), Parramatta Power (2003–04) and Western Sydney Wanderers (2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16).
Teams in bold compete in the A-League Men as of the 2023–24 season.
| City | Championships | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 17 | Sydney FC (5), Hakoah Sydney City East (4), Marconi Fairfield (4), Sydney Olympic (2), St George (1), APIA Leichhardt (1) | |
| Melbourne | 13 | South Melbourne (4), Melbourne Victory (4), Melbourne Knights (2), Brunswick Juventus (1), Melbourne City (1), Western United (1) | |
| Adelaide | 5 | Adelaide City (3), West Adelaide (1), Adelaide United (1) | |
| Brisbane | 4 | Brisbane Roar (3), Brisbane Strikers (1) | |
| Gosford | 3 | Central Coast Mariners (3) | |
| Perth | 2 | Perth Glory (2) | |
| Wollongong | 2 | Wollongong Wolves (2) | |
| Newcastle | 1 | Newcastle Jets (1) |
Teams in bold competed in the A-League as of the 2023–24 season.
| width=40px align=center style="background-color:#FBCEB1" | Cup winners also won the NSL/A-League Men Championship that season | ||
| width=40px align=center style="background-color:#D8BFD8" | Cup winners also won the NSL/A-League Men Premiership that season | ||
| width=40px align=center style="background-color:#ADD8E6" | Cup winners also won the NSL/A-League Men Championship and Premiership that season |
| Season | Cup Winner (number of titles) | Score | Runners-up | Clubs participating | Top goalscorer | Goals[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Sydney Yugal (1) | 8–1 | St. George Budapest | 16 | Tiko Jelisavcic (Sydney Yugal) | 6 | |
| 1963 | Slavia Melbourne (1) | 0–0 3–2 | Polonia Melbourne | 24 | Des Palmer (Slavia Melbourne) | 6 | |
| 1964 | George Cross (1) | 3–2 | APIA Leichhardt | 19 |  John Giacometti (APIA Leichhardt) | 7 | |
| 1965 | Sydney Hakoah (1) | 1–1 2–1 (replay) | APIA Leichhardt | 13 |  Hugo Rodriguez (St George Budapest) | 6 | |
| 1966 | APIA Leichhardt (1) | 2–0 | Sydney Hakoah | 16 | John Giacometti (APIA Leichhardt) Herbert Ninaus (Sydney Hakoah) | 4 | |
| 1967 | Melbourne Hungaria (1) | 4–3 | APIA Leichhardt | 16 | Attila Abonyi (Melbourne Hungaria) Johnny Watkiss (APIA Leichhardt) | 6 | |
| 1968 | Sydney Hakoah (2) | 3–0 3–1 | Melbourne Hakoah | 18 | Jimmy Armstrong (Melbourne Hakoah) Willie Rutherford (Sydney Hakoah) | 4 |
| Season | Cup Winner (number of titles) | Score | Runners-up | Clubs participating | Highest placed non-NSL club | Top goalscorer | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Brisbane City (1) | 1–1 | Marconi Fairfield | 14 | — | Branko Buljevic (Fitzroy United) Gary Cole (Fitzroy United) Peter Sharne (Marconi Fairfield) | 3 | |
| 1978 | Brisbane City (2) | 2–1 | Adelaide City | 32 | Essendon Croatia (2) (Quarter-finals) | Branko Culina (Essendon Croatia) Barry Kelso (Brisbane City) | 4 | |
| 1979 | Adelaide City (1) | 3–1 | St. George-Budapest | 32 | Eastern Districts Azzurri (2) (Quarter-finals) | John Nyskohus (Adelaide City) | 7 | |
| 1980 | Marconi Fairfield (1) | 0–0 3–0 (Replay) | Heidelberg United | 32 | Spearwood Dalmatinac (2) (Quarter-finals) | Eddie Krncevic (Marconi Fairfield) | 6 | |
| 1981 | Brisbane Lions (1) | 3–1 | West Adelaide | 36 | St Kilda Hakoah (2) (Quarter-finals) | Ken Boden (Sydney City) | 5 | |
| 1982 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | 2–1 | Heidelberg United | 16 | — | John Bradley (APIA Leichhardt) Ian Gibson (Canberra City) Peter Jones (APIA Leichhardt) John Kosmina (Sydney City) Grant Lee (Sydney City) Jimmy McBreen (APIA Leichhardt) Ian Stone (Canberra City) Mike Valentine (Heidelberg United) | 2 | |
| 1983 | Sydney Olympic (1) | 1–0 1–0 | Heidelberg United | 16 | — | Jim Patikas (Sydney Olympic) | 5 | |
| 1984 | Newcastle Rosebud (1) | 1–0 | Melbourne Croatia | 24 | — | David Brogan (Melbourne Croatia) | 5 | |
| 1985 | Sydney Olympic (2) | 2–1 | 32 | Adelaide Croatia (2) (Quarter-finals) | Steve Smith (Preston Makedonia) | 4 | ||
| 1986 | Sydney City (3) | 3–2 | West Adelaide | 32 | Croydon City (2) (Quarter-finals) | Frank Farina (Sydney City) | 5 | |
| 1987 | Sydney Croatia (1) | 1–0 1–0 | South Melbourne | 13 | — | Charlie Egan (South Melbourne) Robbie Slater (Sydney Croatia) | 3 | |
| 1988 | APIA Leichhardt (3) | 0–0 | Brunswick Juventus | 14 | — |  Grant Lightbown (Brisbane Lions) | 3 | |
| 1989 | Adelaide City (2) | 2–0 | Sydney Olympic | 14 | — | Kimon Taliadoros (South Melbourne) | 4 | |
| South Melbourne (1) | 4–1 | Sydney Olympic | 14 | — | Paul Trimboli (South Melbourne) Abbas Saad (Sydney Olympic) | 3 | ||
| Parramatta Eagles (1) | 1–0 | 14 | — | Greg Brown (Parramatta Eagles) | 3 | |||
| align=center bgcolor=FBCEB1 | Adelaide City (3) | 2–1 | Marconi Fairfield | 14 | — | David Seal (Marconi Fairfield) | 3 | |
| Heidelberg United (1) | 2–0 | Parramatta Eagles | 14 | — | Carl Veart (Adelaide City) | 5 | ||
| Parramatta Eagles (2) | 2–0 | 14 | Brisbane United (2) (Semi-finals) | Francis Awaritefe (South Melbourne) | 4 | |||
| align=center bgcolor=ADD8E6 | Melbourne Knights (1) | 6–0 | Heidelberg United | 14 | Melbourne Zebras (2) (Quarter-finals) | Mark Viduka (Melbourne Knights) | 6 | |
| South Melbourne (2) | 3–1 | Newcastle Breakers | 12 | — | Vaughan Coveny (South Melbourne) | 6 | ||
| Collingwood Warriors (1) | 1–0 | Marconi Fairfield | 16 | Brisbane Lions (2) (Round of 16) | Francis Awaritefe (Marconi Fairfield) | 4 |
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Number of clubs participating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Adelaide City | 1–1 | University-Mount Wellington | 9 | |
| 1999 | South Melbourne | 5–1 |  Nadi | 9 | |
| 2001 | Wollongong Wolves | 1–0 |  Tafea | 11 | |
| 2005 | Sydney FC | 2–0 |  Magenta | 13 |
| Continental Double OFC (1966–2004) / AFC (2005–present) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | Titles | |
| South Melbourne | NSL Premiership, Oceania Club Championship | ||
| Wollongong Wolves | NSL Premiership, Oceania Club Championship | ||
| Continental Double OFC (1966–2004) / AFC (2005–present) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| count | Team | Seasons | |
| 1 | South Melbourne | 1998-99 | |
| 1 | Wollongong Wolves | 2000-01 | |
| Domestic Treble (Calendar Year) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Year | Titles | |
| Melbourne Victory[18] | A-League Premiership, A-League Championship, FFA Cup | ||
| Sydney FC[19] | A-League Premiership, A-League Championship, FFA Cup | ||
| Season | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Clubs participating | Top goalscorer | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Central Coast Mariners | 1–0 | Perth Glory | 8 | Bobby Despotovski (Perth Glory) Nik Mrdja (Central Coast Mariners) Sasho Petrovski (Sydney FC) | 3 | |
| 2006 | Adelaide United | 1–1 | Central Coast Mariners | 8 | Danny Allsopp (Melbourne Victory) Alex Brosque (Sydney FC) Sasho Petrovski (Sydney FC) Carl Veart (Adelaide United) | 3 | |
| 2007 | Adelaide United | 2–1 | Perth Glory | 8 |  Cássio (Adelaide United) Bruce Djite (Adelaide United) Joel Griffiths (Newcastle Jets)Simon Lynch (Queensland Roar) Shane Smeltz (Wellington Phoenix) | 3 | |
| 2008 | Melbourne Victory | 0–0 | Wellington Phoenix | 8 | Cássio (Adelaide United) Sergio van Dijk (Queensland Roar) | 2 |
Clubs in bold play in the A-League.
| Team | Champions | League Premiers | Cup Winners | Continental Winners | Pre-Season Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney FC | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Melbourne Victory | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 10 |
| South Melbourne | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | |
| Sydney City | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | |
| Marconi Stallions | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 8 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Adelaide United | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 2 | |
| Adelaide City | 3 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 7 |
| Melbourne Knights | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |
| Brisbane Roar | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 |
| Perth Glory | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | |
| Sydney Olympic | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 5 |
| Melbourne City | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | |
| Wollongong Wolves | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 4 |
| Sydney United | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | |
| APIA Leichhardt | 1 | — | 3 | — | — | |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Brisbane City | — | — | 2 | — | — | |
