2023 Football Victoria season

For the Australian rules football season, see 2023 in Australian rules football in Victoria.

Football Victoria

Season	2023
Dates	20 February - 18 September 2023
Champions	Avondale FC
Premiers	Avondale FC
Dockety Cup Champion	Oakleigh Cannons
← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 Football Victoria season was the 112th season of competitive soccer in Victoria.

The premier and champion was Avondale FC. ^{[1] [2]} Oakleigh Cannons would beat Heidelberg United 3–0 to win the 2023 Dockerty Cup. ^[3]

League Tables

2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria

National Premier Leagues Victoria

Season	2023
Champions	Avondale FC
Premiers	Avondale FC
Relegated	Bentleigh Greens North Geelong Warriors
Matches played	182
Goals scored	612 (3.36 per match)
← 2022 2024 → All statistics correct as of 12 August 2024.

Avondale FC were crowned premiers and champions of the 2023 NPL Victoria. ^{[1] [4] [5]}

Regular season

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Avondale FC (C)	26	21	4	1	78	23	+55	67	2023 NPL Victoria Finals
2	South Melbourne	26	20	2	4	56	23	+33	62
3	Oakleigh Cannons	26	18	4	4	64	25	+39	58
4	Melbourne Knights	26	14	5	7	51	35	+16	47
5	Port Melbourne	26	13	6	7	53	34	+19	45
6	Altona Magic	26	13	2	11	48	53	−5	41
7	Green Gully	26	13	1	12	53	40	+13	40
8	Dandenong Thunder	26	10	3	13	49	48	+1	33
9	Heidelberg United	26	8	7	11	31	46	−15	31
10	Hume City	26	7	7	12	37	41	−4	28
11	St Albans Saints	26	6	4	16	24	53	−29	22
12	Moreland City	26	4	4	18	26	69	−43	16
13	Bentleigh Greens (R)	26	4	3	19	24	51	−27	15	Relegation to the 2024 VPL 1
14	North Geelong Warriors (R)	26	4	2	20	18	71	−53	14

Source: mygameday
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Finals Series

Avondale FC would beat South Melbourne 4–0 at Olympic Park in Heidelberg West on 10 September 2023. ^[6]

	Elimination finals					Preliminary finals					Grand final
						1	Avondale FC	1
	4	Melbourne Knights	2			4	Melbourne Knights	0
	5	Port Melbourne	0								1	Avondale FC	4
											2	South Melbourne	0
						2	South Melbourne	2
	3	Oakleigh Cannons	5			3	Oakleigh Cannons	1
	6	Altona Magic	0

2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria 2

NPL Victoria 2

Season	2023
Champions	Dandenong City
Promoted	Dandenong City Manningham United Blues
Relegated	Brunswick Juventus Pascoe Vale
Matches played	182
Goals scored	601 (3.3 per match)
Top goalscorer	Luke Jonathan Lofts
Biggest home win	Western United Youth 5–0 Werribee City (24 June 2023)
Biggest away win	Kingston City 0–5 Manningham United Blues (11 August 2023)
Highest scoring	Melbourne City Youth 6–3 Eastern Lions (5 March 2023)
← 2022 (VPL 1) 2024 →

Dandenong City Was crowned NPL Victoria 2 Champion and gained promotion alongside Manningham United Blues. ^[7] Brunswick Juventus and Pascoe Vale were relegated to VPL 2. ^{[8] [9]}

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Dandenong City (C, P)	26	15	4	7	45	30	+15	49	Promotion to the NPL Victoria
2	Manningham United Blues (P)	26	12	8	6	57	44	+13	44
3	Western United Youth	26	13	4	9	44	30	+14	43
4	Kingston City	26	12	5	9	47	43	+4	41
5	Eastern Lions	26	12	3	11	37	40	−3	39
6	Northcote City	26	11	4	11	42	40	+2	37
7	Bulleen Lions	26	11	3	12	49	40	+9	36
8	Preston Lions	26	9	9	8	37	36	+1	36
9	Melbourne City Youth	26	11	3	12	54	56	−2	36
10	Langwarrin SC	26	11	3	12	50	56	−6	36
11	Werribee City	26	8	7	11	39	45	−6	31
12	Brunswick City	26	9	4	13	35	44	−9	31
13	Brunswick Juventus (R)	26	8	5	13	30	39	−9	29	Relegation to VPL 2
14	Pascoe Vale (R)	26	8	2	16	35	58	−23	26

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria 3

NPL Victoria 3

Season	2023
Dates	18 March – 19 August 2023
Champions	Caroline Springs George Cross
Promoted	Caroline Springs George Cross Melbourne Victory Youth
Relegated	Geelong SC Ballarat City
Matches played	132
Goals scored	466 (3.53 per match)
Top goalscorer	Joshua Whiteley (16) Redouane Sarakh Russell Currie
← 2022 (VPL 2) 2024 → All statistics correct as of 10 August 2024.

Main article: 2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria 3

Caroline Springs George Cross Was crowned NPL Victoria 3 Champion and gained promotion alongside Melbourne Victory Youth. ^[10] Geelong SC and Ballarat City were relegated to the Victorian State League 1.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Caroline Springs George Cross (C, P)	22	17	1	4	50	23	+27	52	Promotion to the VPL 1
2	Melbourne Victory Youth (P)	22	13	3	6	47	22	+25	42
3	North Sunshine Eagles	22	12	2	8	55	41	+14	38
4	Goulburn Valley Suns	22	11	5	6	41	35	+6	38
5	Nunawading City	22	11	2	9	46	39	+7	35
6	Boroondara-Carey Eagles	22	11	2	9	43	41	+2	35
7	Doveton SC	22	8	3	11	27	42	−15	27
8	Box Hill United	22	7	4	11	34	44	−10	25
9	Beaumaris SC	22	7	3	12	32	39	−7	24
10	Essendon Royals	22	6	5	11	29	36	−7	23
11	Geelong SC (R)	22	5	6	11	27	40	−13	21	Relegation to Victorian State League Division 1
12	Ballarat City (R)	22	5	2	15	35	64	−29	17

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

State Leagues

The 2023 Victorian state leagues were made up of 14 leagues taking up 5 levels of the Australian football league system. It covers tier 5 to tier 9 Australian football league system. The 2 premiers of the Victorian State League 1 are promoted to VPL 2

Competition	Premiers	Champions	Score	Runner Up	ref
State League 1	North-West: Altona City [11] South-East: Melbourne Srbija [12]	Altona City	3-2 ( a.e.t. )	Melbourne Srbija	[13]
State League 2	North-West: FC Clifton Hill [14] South-East: Mazenod FC [15]	Mazenod FC	6-0	FC Clifton Hill	[16]
State League 3	North-West: Uni Hill Eagles [17] South-East: Chisholm United [18]	Chisholm United	1-0	Uni Hill Eagles	[19]
State League 4	North: Bundoora United [20] West: Laverton FC [21] South: White Star Dandenong [22] East: St Kilda SC [23]	St Kilda SC	3-2	Bundoora United	[24]
State League 5	North: Yarra Jets [25] West: Balmoral FC [26] South: Hampton Park United [27] East: Knox United [28]	Balmoral FC	4-1	Hampton Park United	[29]

Women's Football

2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria Women

National Premier Leagues Victoria Women

Season	2023
Dates	17 March 2023 – 10 September 2023
Champions	South Melbourne
Premiers	Bulleen Lions
Matches played	110
Goals scored	414 (3.76 per match)
Top goalscorer	Kurea Okino (31 goals)
Biggest home win	Boroondara-Carey Eagles 7–0 Box Hill United (17 June 2023)
Biggest away win	Heidelberg United 0–6 Calder United (16 July 2023)
Longest losing run	7 matches Southern United
← 2022 2024 → All statistics correct as of 12 August 2024.

Main article: 2023 National Premier Leagues Victoria Women

Bulleen Lions Would be crowned NPL Victoria Women's Premier's and South Melbourne also were crowned NPL Victoria Women's Champions. ^[30]

Regular Season

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Bulleen Lions	20	11	7	2	36	19	+17	40	Qualification for finals series
2	Boroondara-Carey Eagles	20	12	2	6	61	42	+19	38
3	South Melbourne	20	10	6	4	40	25	+15	36
4	Calder United	20	10	5	5	47	28	+19	35
5	Alamein	20	8	7	5	44	39	+5	31
6	Preston Lions FC	20	8	5	7	32	32	0	29
7	Box Hill United	20	9	2	9	38	40	−2	29
8	Bayside United	20	7	2	11	33	40	−7	23
9	Heidelberg United	20	6	5	9	34	44	−10	23
10	FV Emerging	20	4	5	11	33	49	−16	17	Relegation to VPL Women's
11	Southern United	20	0	4	16	16	56	−40	4

Updated to match(es) played on 18 August 2023. Source: NPL VIC Women
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Finals Series

South Melbourne would beat Bulleen Lions 4–2 in the NPL Victoria Women's Grand Final. ^[31]

	Semifinals					Final
	2 September - David Barro Stadium
	1	Bulleen Lions (a.e.t.)	2
						9 September - Home of the Matildas
	4	Calder United	1
						1	Bulleen Lions	2
	2 September - David Barro Stadium
						3	South Melbourne	4
	2	Boroondara-Carey Eagles	1
	3	South Melbourne	2

Cup Competitions

Dockerty Cup

Main article: 2023 Dockerty Cup

Oakleigh Cannons won its first Dockerty Cup, defeating Heidelberg United in the final on 4 August 2023. ^{[32] [33]}

This section is an excerpt from 2023 Dockerty Cup § Final.[ edit ]

4 August 2023

19:30 AEST

Oakleigh Cannons	3–0	Heidelberg United
Guest 28' (pen.), 59' (pen.) Salmon 84'		Fetahagić

Kingston Heath Soccer Complex ^[34]

References

1. "Double delight: Avondale crowned NPL champions". Herald Sun. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
2. "NPL Men's Results Wrap: SA, VIC, QLD, WA, NNSW, ACT, TAS, NT | National Premier Leagues". www.nationalpremierleagues.com.au. 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
3. "Oakleigh snare maiden Dockerty Cup title". Herald Sun. 5 August 2023.
4. "Ladder for NPL VIC Men". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
5. "2023 Men's National Premier Leagues Victoria Table". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
6. "NPL Victoria Match Centre 2023 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
7. "Ladder for NPL 2 VIC Men". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
8. "2023 Men's National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 Table". www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
9. Deliyannis, James (2023-10-12). "Changes continue in Australian football". NEOS KOSMOS. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
10. "Ladder for NPL 3 VIC Men". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
11. "Ladder for Men's State League 1 North-West". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
12. "Ladder for Men's State League 1 South-East". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
13. "FV - Metropolitan Match Centre - Men's State League 1 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
14. "Ladder for Men's State League 2 North-West". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
15. "Ladder for Men's State League 2 South-East". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
16. "FV - Metropolitan Match Centre - Men's State League 2 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
17. "Ladder for Men's State League 3 North-West". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
18. "Ladder for Men's State League 3 South-East". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
19. "FV - Metropolitan Match Centre - Men's State League 3 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
20. "Ladder for Men's State League 4 North". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
21. "Ladder for Men's State League 4 West". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
22. "Ladder for Men's State League 4 South". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
23. "Ladder for Men's State League 4 East". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
24. "FV - Metropolitan Match Centre - Men's State League 4 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
25. "Ladder for Men's State League 5 North". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
26. "Ladder for Men's State League 5 West". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
27. "Ladder for Men's State League 5 South". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
28. "Ladder for Men's State League 5 East". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
29. "FV - Metropolitan Match Centre - Men's State League 5 Grand Final". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
30. "Ladder for NPL VIC Women". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
31. "FV - NPL Match Centre". GameDay. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
32. "2023 Dockerty Cup Preview: Oakleigh Cannons FC v Heidelberg United FC". Football Victoria. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 15 April 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
33. "Oakleigh Cannons and Heidelberg United to face-off for Dockerty Cup". The Greek Herald. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
34. "Oakleigh Cannons FC 3 def. 0 Heidelberg United FC". GameDay. Football Victoria. 4 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.