Preston Lions Senior Men’s Head Coach, Louie Acevski, went live on SEN Radio yesterday with Julian De Stoop to discuss the upcoming Victoria NPL season and National Second Tier competition (NST).
Having achieved promotion from the VPL1 after a successful 2024, the Lions will face a busy year in 2025.
Beginning on February 7, the Preston Lions will kick off their first match in the NPL with a game against Hume City at home. However, the Lions will also take part in the new NST competition in October.
Speaking on the season ahead, Acevski expressed his enthusiasm.
“Coming into NPL 1 season this year, where we haven’t been part of it for a long time, it’s exciting times,” Acevski said on radio.
“There’s derby games week in, week out, and we’re hoping to get anywhere between four to 6000 people per game on a Friday night. I know round one against Hume City will be a huge crowd.
“There will be some entertainment. Facilities are fantastic. Ground will be exceptional. Lights will be on, and cameras will be rolling.
“It’s a great product to watch and be a part of. I, to this day, still get goosebumps every time I walk out.”
Having achieved four promotions across the last six seasons, the Preston Lions have achieved immense success in a short time frame. However, Acevski was aware of the fraught competitiveness of the NPL.
“Expectations are very simple for us, It’s an unknown quantity at the moment,” he said.
“The NPL 1 is a very, very tough league, and we’re the new kids on the block. We’re just coming into it to put a bit of security and put the foundations down in NPL 1.”
At the end of the NPL season, Preston will take part in the recently created National Second Tier competition as a foundation club.
Acevski outlined the importance of the competition for Australian football.
“The B league is so important. The quicker we bring it in, the better,” he said.
“We need to give kids opportunities to grow further and become better players in a better environment, closer to a professional environment, and the B league will give us that.”
Preston will enter the 16-team competition as one of eight foundation clubs, hoping to become a mainstay in the tournament which will run from October to December next year.
“We’re in a really good place. The foundations have been constructed. We’re moving up to bigger and better things, and every year we’re just trying to improve as a club,” he continued to say.
“We just want to make and bring a product to Australian football that everybody wants to be a part of and wants to come and watch us on a Friday night.
“The success is not a one person show, you’re as good as your team in relation to your staff, players, committees, etcetera. We’re all on the same status and wavelength about what we want to do and how we want to go about it.
“Come this season, the B league, as an official home and away season is not commencing, but the Victoria NPL 1 season will be a short advertisement for it. You’ll the see the passion, love and support base around these games, and it’s just going to be a snippet of what the B league can and probably should be.”
To listen to the full interview, click here.
