Victorian Premier League

This article is about the league founded in 2023 after the breakaway of the NPL Victoria second and third divisions. For the league formerly known as Victorian Premier League from 1991 to 2013, see National Premier Leagues Victoria.

Victorian Premier League

Founded	2014;11 years ago (2014)
Country	Australia
State	Victoria
Confederation	AFC
Number of clubs	28 VPL 1: 14 VPL 2: 14
Level on pyramid	3 and 4
Promotion to	National Premier Leagues Victoria
Relegation to	Victorian State League
Domestic cup(s)	National Australia Cup State Dockerty Cup
Current champions	VPL 1: Bentleigh Greens (2025) VPL 2: North Geelong Warriors (2025)
Current: VPL 1 (2025), VPL 2 (2025)

The Victorian Premier League (VPL) is an Australian soccer league based in Victoria. It is administered by Football Victoria, covering the second-to-third-highest tiers in the Victorian soccer league system (and the third-to-fourth-highest nationally). ^[1]

As of 2025, the VPL consists of two divisions (VPL 1 and VPL 2), with promotion from VPL 1 to the National Premier Leagues (NPL) and relegation from VPL 2 to the Victorian State League (VSL).

History

Following the introduction of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) for the 2014 season, Football Federation Victoria (FFV) introduced a second-tier NPL 1 competition. ^[2] It was renamed to NPL 2 in 2016 and split into two zones (east and west). ^[3] A further change occurred in 2020, with the establishment of NPL 3 as the third-tier competition in the Victorian soccer pyramid. ^[4]

In October 2023, Football Victoria renamed NPL 2 and NPL 3 to VPL 1 and VPL 2 respectively, using the name "Victorian Premier League" name previously used by the first division in Victoria. ^{[1] [5]}

Format

As of the 2025 season, the VPL first and second divisions are contested by 14 teams each. The top two finishing clubs in VPL 1 gain automatic promotion to the NPL, while those clubs finishing in positions third-to-sixth compete in play-offs for a promotion berth.

The bottom three teams in VPL 1 at the conclusion of the season are relegated to VPL 2, and the bottom three teams in VPL 2 are relegated to the Victorian State League first division. ^[6]

Current members

The following clubs will take part in the 2026 Victorian Premier League season.

Division 1

Bulleen

Langwarrin

Northcote

Brunswick C

Western United

Manningham

Nth Sunshine

Srbija

Knights

Port Melbourne

\

Melbourne Victory

North Geelong

Eltham

Juventus

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Locations of 2026 VPL 1 clubs within metropolitan Melbourne.

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
Brunswick City	Brunswick West	Dunstan Reserve	1,000
Brunswick Juventus	Fawkner	CB Smith Reserve	2,000
Bulleen Lions	Bulleen	David Barro Stadium	3,000
Eltham Redbacks	Eltham North	Eltham North Reserve	1,000
Langwarrin	Langwarrin South	Lawton Park Reserve	5,000
Manningham United Blues	Templestowe	Pettys Reserve	1,000 [7]
Melbourne Knights	Sunshine North	Knights Stadium	15,000 [8]
Melbourne Srbija	Burnley	Kevin Bartlett Reserve	2,500
Melbourne Victory	Bundoora	The Home of the Matildas	3,000 [9]
Northcote City	Thornbury	John Cain Memorial Park	5,000
North Geelong Warriors	Lara	Elcho Park	5,000
North Sunshine Eagles	St Albans	Larisa Reserve	1,000
Port Melbourne	Port Melbourne	SS Anderson Reserve	1,000 [10]
Western United	Tarneit	Wyndham Regional Football Facility	5,000

Division 2

Goulburn Valley
(not on map)

Box Hill

Essendon

Nunawading City

Altona City

Werribee

Whittlesea

Springvale

Moreland

Kingston

Eastern Lions

Keilor Park

Malvern

Bayside

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Locations of 2026 VPL 2 clubs within metropolitan Melbourne.

Club	Location	Grounds	Capacity
Altona City	Altona	HC Kim Reserve	1,000
Bayside Argonauts	Cheltenham	Shipston Reserve	500
Box Hill United	Box Hill	Wembley Park	1,000
Eastern Lions	Burwood	Gardiners Reserve	1,500
Essendon Royals	Essendon	Cross Keys Reserve	500
Goulburn Valley Suns	Shepparton	John McEwan Reserve	3,200
Keilor Park	Keilor Park	Keilor Park Recreation Reserve	1,000
Kingston City	Clayton South	The Grange Reserve	2,000
Malvern City	Kooyong	Sir Zelman Cowen Reserve	500
Moreland City	Coburg	Campbell Reserve	1,000 [11]
Nunawading City	Forest Hill	Mahoney's Reserve	1,000
Springvale White Eagles	Keysborough	Serbian Sports Centre	5,000
Werribee City	Werribee	Galvin Park Reserve	1,000
Whittlesea United	Epping	Epping Stadium	10,000

Champions

Season	Division 1	Division 2
2024	Melbourne Victory Youth	Melbourne Srbija
2025	Bentleigh Greens	North Geelong Warriors

See also

• National Premier Leagues Victoria
• Victorian State League

References

1. "NPLM/W 2024 Update". Football Victoria. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
2. Gorman, Joe (9 December 2013). "Why the NPL matters for Australian football". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
3. "City commences 2016 National Premier Leagues (NPL) Season". Melbourne City FC. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
4. "Football Victoria Announces New 2020 NPL Structures". Football Victoria. 15 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
5. Deliyannis, James (12 October 2023). "Changes continue in Australian football". Neos Kosmos. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
6. "NPLM and VPLM competition structures in 2025 & 2026". Football Victoria. 26 September 2024. Archived from the original on 18 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
7. "Pettys Reserve Pitch 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
8. "Knights Stadium". Melbourne Knights. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
9. "Home of the Matildas". Austadiums. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
10. "Port Melbourne SC Sharks". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
11. "Well Money Park Campbell Reserve Pitch 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 January 2024.