| Competition: | National Soccer League |
| Season: | 1981 |
| Dates: | 14 February–13 September |
| Winners: | Sydney Slickers (3rd title) |
| Relegated: | Blacktown Demons |
| Matches: | 240 |
| Total Goals: | 626 |
| Best Player: | Bobby Russell |
| League Topscorer: | Gary Cole (16) |
| Prevseason: | 1980 |
| Nextseason: | 1982 |
| Extra Information: | Any extra information here. |
The National Soccer League 1981 season was the fifth season of the Australian National Soccer League (NSL). The league was known as the Philips Soccer League (PSL) in a sponsorship arrangement with Dutch electronics company Philips. The champions were Sydney Slickers, winning their third title.
The league increased from 14 to 16 teams prior to the 1981 season. Despite finishing second last—ordinarily a relegation position—in 1980, West Adelaide (known as Adelaide Hawks in 1981) were retained for 1981. Wooden-spooner St George were the only team to be relegated, with three new teams being introduced - Preston Makedonia (nicknamed Rams in 1981) Sydney Olympic (Sydney Olympians in 1981) and Wollongong City (Wollongong Wolves).[1]
Prior to the season commencing, in what was described as "Australianisation" of the national league, nicknames were imposed on the clubs, some of which were not popular with the teams themselves. Marconi President, Tony Labbozzetta expressed his dislike of the enforced nickname Leopards, suggesting "Call us Datsun", referring to a naming rights deal the club had made with the Japanese carmaker.[2] [3] Along with the new nicknames, new macho logos were introduced. John Clark, a marketing executive at the Australian Soccer Federation, claimed that "we are not trying to take ethnicism out of soccer" and that they were trying to appeal to boys "not following in their fathers' footsteps, boys now into space invaders, Buck Rogers in the 25th century, who aren't following soccer."[4] [5]
The league consisted of a double round-robin format, played between February and September. The league was required to finish by the end of September due to Australia's hosting of the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship in October.[6] Unlike the 1980 season, a post-season finals series was not held and the league championship was awarded to the team at the top of the table. The final series was reintroduced the following year.[7] [8]
| Team Other names | City | Stadium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Giants Adelaide City | Adelaide | Olympic Sports Field Hindmarsh Stadium | |
| Adelaide Hawks West Adelaide | Adelaide | Hindmarsh Stadium | |
| Blacktown Demons Blacktown City | Sydney | Gabbie Stadium | |
| Brisbane Gladiators Brisbane City | Brisbane | Spencer Park Ballymore | |
| Brisbane | Richlands Stadium | ||
| Canberra Arrows Canberra City | Canberra | Bruce Stadium | |
| Footscray Eagles Footscray JUST | Melbourne | Schintler Reserve | |
| Melbourne | Olympic Park | ||
| Leichhardt Strikers APIA Leichhardt | Sydney | Lambert Park | |
| Marconi-Datsun Leopards Marconi Stallions | Sydney | Marconi Stadium | |
| Newcastle | International Sports Centre | ||
| Preston Rams Preston Makedonia | Melbourne | Connor Reserve | |
| South Melbourne Gunners South Melbourne Hellas | Melbourne | Middle Park | |
| Sydney Olympians Sydney Olympic | Sydney | Pratten Park | |
| Sydney Slickers Sydney City | Sydney | Sydney Athletic Field St George Stadium | |
| Wollongong Wolves Wollongong City | Wollongong | Wollongong Showground |