| Competition: | National Soccer League |
| Season: | 1984 |
| Dates: | 4 March – 28 October 1984 |
| Winners: | South Melbourne 1st title |
| Premiers: | Sydney City (Northern) South Melbourne (Southern) |
| Relegated: | Melita Eagles |
| Matches: | 350 |
| Total Goals: | 969 |
| League Topscorer Section: | Top scorer |
| League Topscorer: | Duggie Brown (22) |
| Biggest Home Win: | (29 April 1984) (9 May 1984) (22 July 1984) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (22 April 1984) |
| Highest Scoring: | (9 May 1984) |
| Highest Attendance: | 12,000 Brunswick Zebras 2–1 South Melbourne (8 April 1984) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 250 Penrith City 2–0 Brisbane City (15 April 1984) |
| Prevseason: | 1983 |
| Nextseason: | 1985 |
The 1984 National Soccer League season was the eighth season of the National Soccer League in Australia. This season saw a restructure of the league, introducing a split into two geographical divisions, and an expansion from 16 to 24 teams. A Northern Conference comprised 12 clubs from New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, and a Southern Conference consisted of 12 Victorian, South Australian, and Queensland clubs.
This season also saw the introduction of the two well-supported Croatian clubs, Melbourne Croatia and Sydney Croatia, both of which had had recent success in the state-leagues.
For the first time in the competition, a finals system was introduced, whereby the five highest finishing teams in each conference had a playoff to determine a conference winner. The two conference winners then played each other in a two-legged Grand Final to be declared champions. The Grand Final was won by South Melbourne over Sydney Olympic.
Twenty-four teams competed in the league (twelve in the Northern Conference and twelve in the Southern Conference) – the sixteen teams from the previous season and eight teams accepted from their respective state leagues.
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order by conference.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Conference | ||||
| APIA Leichhardt | Lambert Park | |||
| Blacktown City | Sydney | Gabbie Stadium | ||
| Canberra Arrows | Canberra | Canberra Stadium | ||
| Marconi Fairfield | Sydney | Marconi Stadium | ||
| Melita Eagles | Sydney | Melita Stadium | ||
| Newcastle Rosebud United | Newcastle | Adamstown Oval | ||
| Penrith City | Penrith | Cook Park | ||
| St George-Budapest | Sydney | St George Stadium | ||
| Sydney City | Sydney | ES Marks Athletics Field | ||
| Sydney Croatia | Sydney | King Tomislav Park | ||
| Sydney Olympic | Sydney | Pratten Park | ||
| Wollongong City | Wollongong | Wollongong Showground | ||
| Southern Conference | ||||
| Adelaide City | Olympic Sports Field | |||
| Brisbane City | Spencer Park | |||
| Brisbane Lions | Brisbane | Lions Stadium | ||
| Brunswick Juventus | Olympic Park | |||
| Footscray JUST | Melbourne | Schintler Reserve | ||
| Green Gully | Melbourne | Green Gully Reserve | ||
| Heidelberg United | Melbourne | Olympic Village | ||
| Melbourne Croatia | Melbourne | Olympic Park | ||
| Preston Makedonia | Melbourne | B.T. Connor Reserve | ||
| South Melbourne | Melbourne | Middle Park | ||
| Sunshine George Cross | Melbourne | Chaplin Reserve | ||
| West Adelaide | Adelaide | Hindmarsh Stadium | ||
The Australian Soccer Annual 1984 reported 11 managerial changes.[1]
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide City | Bobby Ferguson | 1984 | Pre-season |  Edmund Kreft | 1984 |
| Brisbane City | Jim Hermiston | Joe Gilroy | |||
| Canberra Arrows | Attila Abonyi | Doug Collins | |||
| Heidelberg United | Jim Tansey | Brian Garvey | |||
| Marconi Fairfield | Tony Henderson (caretaker) | Les Scheinflug | |||
| West Adelaide | Peter Koulizos | Sam Salabasidis | |||
| Wollongong City | Willie Wallace | Adrian Alston | |||
| Green Gully | David Smallman | Jimmy Rooney | |||
| Melbourne Croatia | Tommy Cumming | Terry Hennessy | |||
| Sydney Croatia | Josip Kuže | Attila Abonyi | |||
| Penrith City | Inaugural | Willie Wallace |
Southern Conference
Five matches occurred where the fixture was played a third time in the 1984 season.
Northern Conference
Southern Conference
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| Award | Winner | Club | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Soccer League Player of the Year | Sergio Melta | Adelaide City | |
| National Soccer League Under 21 Player of the Year | Tony Franken | Canberra City | |
| National Soccer League Coach of the Year | Eddie Thomson | Sydney City |