The National Soccer League was established in 1977. At the end of the 1977 season, Sydney City (now Hakoah Sydney City East) were the first club to be crowned champions.
As is the case in most Australian sports, the winners of a post-season playoffs competition, known as the Finals, has traditionally been crowned champion, unlike the first-past-the-post system used in many other countries. The team that finished first-past-the-post was often referred to as the Minor Premiers while the Finals winning team was awarded the Premiership. In an attempt to create more prestige around the first-past-the-post title, it was renamed the Premiership and the finals winning team is now awarded the Championship. The 2024–25 season is the 48th season of national level men's soccer in Australia.
For the first seven seasons, the NSL awarded the championship to the team that finished first-past-the-post and was dominated by Sydney-based teams. By the mid-80s, the league had introduced a post-season playoffs competition that would crown the champions and the title was shared more evenly around the nation. Seasons initially ran over the winter months until 1989 when it was changed to the summer months to avoid conflicts with Australian rules football and the two rugby codes. By 2000, each major capital city had secured at least one NSL title outside of Perth. The Perth Glory made history in 2002–03 when they were crowned champions and the victory meant the five major cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney had all secured at least one NSL title over the duration of the league's history.[citation needed]
The National Soccer League was disbanded in 2004 and an 8-team A-League Men competition was established in 2005, which included a salary cap and no promotion-relegation. Adelaide, Newcastle and Perth were the only NSL teams retained in the new competition. It included one team from each of the major capital cities, two regional teams and a team from New Zealand. As is the case in many sporting leagues in Australia, a New Zealand-based team has been allowed entry into the top tiered Australian league since 1999. The decision to retain a New Zealand-based team in the top league has proved problematic in recent years due to Football Federation Australia's decision to move from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. As a result, a New Zealand-based team can be crowned Premiers and/or Champions of Australia but is ineligible to compete in the Asian Champions League.[2]
There are 21 clubs who have won an Australian championship (either by winning the grand final or finishing top of the league in the seasons without a grand final), including eight who have won the A-League Men (2005–present). The most recent clubs to win their inaugural championship were Western United (2021–22 champions), Melbourne City (2020–21) and Adelaide United (2015–16).
Six teams have finished as runner-up without ever winning the championship: Heidelberg United (1979, 1980), Preston Lions (1987), Sydney United 58 (1988, 1996–97, 1998–99), Carlton (1997–98), Parramatta Power (2003–04) and Western Sydney Wanderers (2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16).
Teams in bold compete in the A-League Men as of the 2024–25 season.
John Bradley (APIA Leichhardt) Ian Gibson (Canberra City) Peter Jones (APIA Leichhardt) John Kosmina (Sydney City) Grant Lee (Sydney City) Jimmy McBreen (APIA Leichhardt) Ian Stone (Canberra City) Mike Valentine (Heidelberg United)
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