| Soccer in Victoria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Governing body | Football Victoria |
| Representative team(s) | State team |
| First played | 1883 in Melbourne |
| Registered players | 243,956 (2023) [1] |
| Club competitions | |
Women's competition Contents
| |
| Audience records | |
| Single match | 99,382 (2015) International Champions Cup, Manchester City v Real Madrid, Melbourne Cricket Ground |
Soccer in the Australian state of Victoria is organised by Football Victoria (FV). FV is a member of the national Football Australia.
Victoria is currently represented in the top-flight A-League Men by Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City. [2] Victory and City also have associated teams in the A-League Women.
Many Victorian clubs competed in the now defunct National Soccer League (NSL), three of which, South Melbourne FC, Melbourne Knights and Brunswick Juventus became champions. Along with South Melbourne, Heidelberg United, Footscray JUST and Mooroolbark United were NSL foundation clubs. At various times the following Victorian sides also competed in the NSL: Preston Lions FC; Carlton SC; Gippsland Falcons (also known as Eastern Pride); Collingwood Warriors; Sunshine George Cross; and Green Gully.
The highest state based league is the National Premier Leagues Victoria, which forms a division of the National Premier Leagues across each state of Australia. The winner of which enters a national play-off series known as the Australian Championship against the winners of other NPL divisions and includes foundation clubs. The league below that is the two divisions of the Victorian Premier Leagues Victoria. Below that, Victorian State Leagues (7 divisions) are geographically divided by North/West and South/East conferences. [3]
| Level | Total clubs | League(s) / division(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | National Premier Leagues Victoria Men's 14 clubs – 3 relegations | ||
| 2 | 14 | Victorian Premier League Men's 1 14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations | ||
| 3 | 14 | Victorian Premier League Men's 2 14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations | ||
| 4 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 1 North-West 12 clubs – 1.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 1 South-East 12 clubs – 1.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 5 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 2 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 2 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 6 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 3 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 3 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 7 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 4 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 4 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 8 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 5 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 5 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 9 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 6 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Men's 6 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 10 | 24 | Victorian State League Men's 7 North-West 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions | Victorian State League Men's 7 South-East 12 clubs – 2.5 promotions | |
| Level | Total clubs | League(s) / division(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | National Premier Leagues Victoria Women's 14 clubs – 2 relegations | ||
| 2 | 14 | Victorian Premier League Women's 12 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | ||
| 3 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 1 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 1 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 4 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 2 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 2 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 5 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 3 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 3 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 6 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 4 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 4 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 7 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 5 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 5 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 8 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 6 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 6 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 9 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 7 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | Victorian State League Women's 7 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions, 2 relegations | |
| 10 | 20 | Victorian State League Women's 8 North-West 10 clubs – 2 promotions | Victorian State League Women's 8 South-East 10 clubs – 2 promotions | |
There are separate regional leagues previously organised by associations but now operate under FV administration: [4]
The Dockerty Cup, a knockout cup competition for Victorian clubs, commenced in 1909. After World War I it ran consecutively from 1919 until 1996 when it went into recess until 2010 except for one season in 2004. The Cup competition was revived in 2011 and eventually returned to the traditional Dockerty Cup title in 2014. The Dockerty Cup is used to qualify Victorian clubs, with the exception of A-League clubs which already automatically qualify, for the national FFA Cup. [5]
The Football Victoria Community Shield is the annual soccer match held since 2015 between the winners of the National Premier Leagues Victoria and the Dockerty Cup in the previous season.
Honours since reorganisation with NPL in 2014.
| Year | Victoria League Champions | Victoria League Premiers | Dockerty Cup Winners | Community Shield Winners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | South Melbourne | South Melbourne | Melbourne Knights | N/A |
| 2015 | Bentleigh Greens | South Melbourne | South Melbourne | South Melbourne |
| 2016 | South Melbourne | Bentleigh Greens | Bentleigh Greens | Bentleigh Greens |
| 2017 | Bentleigh Greens | Heidelberg United | Heidelberg United | Bentleigh Greens |
| 2018 | Heidelberg United | Heidelberg United | Bentleigh Greens | Heidelberg United |
| 2019 | Bentleigh Greens | Heidelberg United | Hume City | Bentleigh Greens |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia | Bentleigh Greens | ||
| 2021 | Not Held (COVID-19) | Oakleigh Cannons | Avondale FC | Not Held |
| 2022 | Oakleigh Cannons | South Melbourne | Bentleigh Greens | Not Held |
| 2023 | Avondale FC | Avondale FC | Oakleigh Cannons | Oakleigh Cannons |
| 2024 | Oakleigh Cannons | South Melbourne | South Melbourne | Avondale FC |
| 2025 | Heidelberg United | Avondale FC | South Melbourne | South Melbourne |
| National teams |
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League competitions |
| ||||
| Cup competitions | |||||
| Others | |||||
| Lists | |||||
Soccer in Australia by state and territory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory |  | |
| New South Wales | ||
| Northern Territory | ||
| Queensland | ||
| South Australia | ||
| Tasmania | ||
| Victoria | ||
| Western Australia | ||
| League competitions | |
|---|---|
| Cup competitions | |
| Defunct competitions |
|
| Other | |
| Topics |  | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regions and sub-regions / districts |
| ||||||||||||||||
| Cities and towns | |||||||||||||||||
