Football Victoria confirm new NPL structures for 2020

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Football Victoria (FV) have announced its new NPL Victoria structures for the 2020 season.

The upcoming season will see the introduction of an NPL3 competition, which will alter the structures of the NPL men’s competitions.

FV CEO Peter Filopoulos claims the new structures would lead to the best teams playing each other week in, week out. He said it was a fairer setup than what was previously implemented.

“These new structures are the result of a lot of consultation, deep thought and a very thorough review of the many options available to us. The application process was also very extensive, and we were thrilled with the overall quality of the club applications we received,” Mr Filopoulos said.

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE (NPL) VICTORIA MEN’S PREMIER COMPETITION

The top-tier NPL Victoria competition remains with 14 teams in the 2020 season. However, there will no longer be a promotion-relegation playoff match. Instead, the top two teams in NPL2 will be promoted to the first division whilst the bottom two teams in NPL Victoria will be relegated to NPL2.

In accordance with the 2019 NPL Rules of Competition, the promotion and relegation policy has been applied by FV. These are the positional changes that have now been made in the NPL1 men’s league.

Promoted Clubs Relegated Clubs to NPL 2
Eastern Lions SC Pascoe Vale FC
St. Albans Saints SC Kingston City FC

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE (NPL) VICTORIA MEN’S 2 & 3 LEAGUE STRUCTURES

The NPL2 and NPL3 competitions will have 12 teams in each league in 2020. The top six on the ladder in NPL 2 (West) and NPL 2 (East), as well as the top two from Men’s State League 1 (North West) and Men’s State League 1 (South East), will form the new NPL3 competition.

Promoted / Relegated / Current Clubs to NPL 2 from NPL 2 – West Promoted / Relegated /Current Clubs to NPL 2 from NPL 2 – East
Moreland Zebras FC FC Bulleen Lions
Werribee City FC Northcote City FC
Moreland City FC Langwarrin SC
North Geelong FC Manningham United FC
Brunswick City SC Goulburn Valley FC
Pascoe Vale FC (Relegated into NPL2) Kingston City FC (Relegated into NPL2)

 

Promoted / Relegated Clubs to NPL 3 from NPL 2 – West Promoted / Relegated Clubs to NPL 3 from NPL 2 – East
Geelong SC Melbourne City FC
Whittlesea Ranges FC Murray United FC
Melbourne Victory FC Box Hill United SC
Ballarat City FC Springvale White Eagles FC
Preston Lions FC (Promoted into NPL 3) Nunawading City FC (Promoted into NPL 3)
North Sunshine Eagles SC (Promoted into NPL 3) Doveton SC (Promoted into NPL 3)

 

Promoted Clubs to NPL 3 from MSL 1 – North West Promoted Clubs to NPL 3 from MSL 1 – South East
Preston Lions FC Nunawading City FC
North Sunshine SC Doveton SC

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE VICTORIA (NPLW) WOMEN’S AND GIRLS’ LEAGUE STRUCTURES

After the completion of the NPLW licence audit process, Southern United FC and Galaxy United FC won’t participate in the NPLW senior women’s and Under 19 competition in 2020. Because of this, the NPLW Senior Women’s and Under 19 competitions will have eight teams in each league in 2020.

The junior girls’ structure remains the same. Further changes are expected after the 2020 season.

NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE VICTORIA (NPL) JUNIOR BOYS’ LEAGUE STRUCTURE

Following extensive reviews, the Junior Boys’ NPL has been separated from the Senior NPL for the purpose of promotion and relegation.

48 clubs will be involved in Victoria’s Junior Boys’ NPL competition in 2020.

These clubs will be involved in a pre-qualification phase in their geographical zones in early February.

In the 2020 season the Junior Boys’ NPL will comprise of only U13, U14, U15 and U16 teams.

Clubs in the zones below will compete in an 11 round pre-qualification phase in their specified regions. After the completion of this, clubs will be put in a three-tier competition.

JUNIOR BOYS’ NPL VICTORIA LEAGUE ALLOCATIONS & STRUCTURES

JBNPL 

Northern League

 JBNPL 

Western League

 JBNPL 

Southern League 

 JBNPL 

Eastern League
Brunswick City SC Altona Magic SC Bentleigh Greens SC Ashburton United SC
Eltham Redbacks FC Avondale FC Berwick City SC Box Hill United SC
Essendon Royals SC Ballarat City FC Dandenong City SC Eastern Lions SC
Goulburn Valley Suns FC Bendigo City FC Dandenong Thunder FC FC Bulleen Lions
Heidelberg United FC Brimbank Stallions FC Gippsland FC Malvern City FC
Hume City FC Caroline Springs George Cross FC Glen Eira FC Manningham United FC
Melbourne Victory FC Geelong SC Kingston City FC Melbourne City FC
Moreland City FC Green Gully SC Langwarrin SC Northcote City FC
Moreland Zebras FC Melbourne Knights FC Mornington SC Nunawading City FC
Murray United FC North Geelong Warriors FC Oakleigh Cannons FC Port Melbourne Sharks SC
Pascoe Vale FC St Albans Saints SC Peninsula Strikers FC Ringwood City FC
Whittlesea Ranges FC Werribee City FC Springvale White Eagles FC South Melbourne FC

 

 

 

 

 

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Altona East Phoenix SC Makes Deal With The Eye Labs

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Image Credit: Football Victoria

Altona East Phoenix Soccer Club have announced a partnership with local business, The Eye Labs.

The Eye Lab is an eyecare and designer prescription provider who specialise in diagnosing and treating dry eyes with personalised care plans to relieve irritation, redness, and inflammation.

The Newport clinic who are now partnered with the football club is the only Eye Lab who offer myopia control, which aims to halt the development of near-sightedness.

The company wanted to partner with Altona East SC to help increase community understanding around: eye health, children’s eye health, some misconceptions regarding when to see an optometrist and what an optometrist does.

The Eye Lab Founder and Principal Optometrist, Vic El-Khoury stated the Newport branch will try and achieve eye care awareness through more social media engagement, workshops with the club and information sheets for players and parents.

“We find that partnering with local clubs is both a very fulfilling way to give back to the local community, increases general awareness of our clinic and improves community engagement around the importance of eye health,” he said to Soccerscene.

“The main benefit is to promote eye health.

“It will strengthen our connections to our patients and families that already visit us. We have since found out that some of our patients and friends already play for Altona East, which was something nice to see.”

Eye Coordination In Football

In any sports, and everyday life, eye coordination is paramount to the safety of the player and everyone around them.

The process of what a player sees, how they react, and their awareness of their surroundings.

Footballers can enhance their eye health with vision training and regular eye checks with companies like The Eye Lab.

Vision training also helps improve how the brain processed visual information, using tests like peripheral awareness, depth perception, eye tracking, focus and attention, and visual reaction speed.

Footballers can also use drills like trapping high balls, passing while under match-day-like pressure, and how to angle the ball when kicking can also help train eye coordination.

Protecting the Game’s Future: Head Safe Football and the Fight Against CTE

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Image Credit: Head Safe Football

Head Safe Football (HSF) is a pioneering organisation dedicated to tackling one of football’s most pressing health concerns: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The charity’s mission is simple but vital: to protect current and future generations of players from the devastating effects of repetitive head impacts.

CTE is a progressive, incurable brain disease caused by repeated head trauma, including heading the ball. Over time, these impacts can lead to memory loss, confusion, aggression, depression, and eventually dementia.

With symptoms worsening over decades and no known cure, prevention is the only solution.

The aim isn’t to eliminate heading from football because it remains an integral and unique part of the game. Instead, the focus is on promoting safer training practices that limit repeated head impacts.

For young players, particularly those under the age of 10 or 11, heading plays a minimal role due to the limited time the ball spends in the air. At this age, removing heading from training and matches can be done safely and without compromising the essence or flow of the game.

HSF is leading the charge to bring this conversation out of the shadows. Inspired by the “elephant in the room”, a metaphor used in its logo, the organisation challenges the football community to acknowledge and address the risks of CTE.

Its initiatives focus on education, awareness, and practical change: reducing heading in youth training, supporting affected players and families, and mobilising the wider football community to unite under the message Football United v CTE.

By combining the latest scientific research with community action, HSF aims to create a safer future for the sport. Their approach blends compassion and advocacy, ensuring that football’s progress doesn’t come at the expense of player wellbeing.

Conclusion

Education around head injuries remains one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of player welfare in football.

Many still underestimate the long-term dangers of repeated head impacts, and greater awareness is needed to ensure that players, coaches, and parents can make informed, responsible decisions.

By understanding the risks, the football community can take meaningful steps toward lasting change and safer playing environments.

Learn more about Head Safe Football and their current initiatives HERE

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