See also
- W-League (Australia) – Current Australian women's national league
- Women's soccer in Australia
- Geography of women's association football
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2004 |
| Country | Australia |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Most championships | Queensland Sting (3 titles) |
The Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) was Australia's top women's association football league. Originally known as the Ansett Australia Summer Series for sponsorship reasons, the WNSL began in 1996 consisting of six clubs and continued through until 2004, folding alongside the National Soccer League. It was not until 2008 that a women's top flight league was re-established in Australia, named the W-League, as of the 2021–22 season renamed A-League Women.
Women's soccer in Australia up until the 1974 FIFA World Cup where the Australia men's team qualified for the first time, was virtually non-existent in regards to any organised competition or formalized structure. However in August of 1974, the first National Women's Championships were held in Sydney between five teams of state representation (New South Wales, Northern New South Wales, Victoria, South Queensland and Western Australia). The matches were played at Granville, Centennial Park, and Bankstown in Sydney, with New South Wales winning the inaugural championship.
Following this initial tournament, representatives from the sides who had participated met and formed the Australian Womens Soccer Association (AWSA). National championships were held annually until 1993. In 1996, the AWSA established the Women's National Soccer League which gained national recognition when the competition was sponsored by Ansett Airlines. Clubs in the league were initially representatives of the various state-based institutes of sports. The league was initially split into two conferences (North & Southern), similar to that of the men's National Soccer League. The southern conference was represented by ACT Academy of Sports (later became Canberra Eclipse), ITC Victoria (later became Victoria Vision), SA Sports Institute (later became Adelaide Sensation). The northern conference was represented by NSW Institute of Sport (later became NSW Sapphires), Queensland Academy of Sport (later became Queensland Sting) and Northern NSW ITC (later became Northern NSW Pride). Western Australia would receive representation during the final season with the introduction of the Western Waves.
The WNSL disbanded in 2004 alongside the National Soccer League, and Queensland Sting were the most successful side winning 4 championships. [1]
| Club | City | Home Ground | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Sensation | Adelaide, South Australia | Hindmarsh Stadium | SA Sports Institute, SASI Buffalo Pirates |
| Canberra Eclipse | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | AIS, McKellar Stadium | ACT Academy of Sports |
| Northern NSW Pride | Newcastle, New South Wales | Weston Park, Wanderers Oval | Northern NSW ITC, NNSW Horizon |
| NSW Sapphires | Sydney, New South Wales | Sydney United Sports Centre | NSW Institute of Sport |
| Queensland Sting FC | Brisbane, Queensland | Perry Park, QAS Centre | Queensland Academy of Sport |
| Victoria Vision | Melbourne, Victoria | Bulleen Soccer Club | ITC Victoria |
| Western Waves* | Perth, Western Australia | Perth Oval | |
Champions are: [2]
| Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Queensland Sting FC | 2–0 | Northern NSW Pride |
| 2003–04 | NSW Sapphires | 3–1 | Queensland Sting FC |
| 2002–03 | Queensland Sting FC | 1–0 | NSW Sapphires |
| 2001–02 | Canberra Eclipse | 1–0 | NSW Sapphires |
| 2000–01 | Queensland Sting FC | 1–0 | NSW Sapphires |
| 1999 | NSW Sapphires | 1–0 | SASI Pirates |
| 1998–99 | SASI Pirates | 2–0 | Canberra Eclipse |
| 1997–98 | NSWIS | 3–2 | SASI |
| 1996–97 | QAS | 2–1 | SASI |
The medal is awarded annually to the player voted to be the best player in the Women's Football League in Australia, named after former Matildas Captain and football administrator Julie Dolan. The award was for the best player in the WNSL, and is currently maintained in the successor competition, the W-League. The following table contains only those winners of the medal who won it during the WNSL era.
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | unknown | |
| 1997–98 | Sharon Black [3] | SA Sports Institute |
| 1998–99 | Julie Murray | NSWIS Sapphires |
| 1999–00 | Ann Marie Vozzo | SASI Pirates |
| 2000–01 | Taryn Rockall [4] | NSW Sapphires |
| 2001–02 | Joanne Peters [5] | NSW Sapphires |
| 2002–03 | Lisa De Vanna Heather Garriock [6] | Adelaide Sensation Queensland Sting |
| 2003–04 | unknown | |
| 2004–05 | Taryn Rockall [4] | NSW Sapphires |
| Season | Top Scorer | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Katie Gill | NNSW | 13 |
| 2003–04 | Catherine Cannuli | NSW | 13 |
| 2002–03 | Lisa De Vanna | ADE | 9 |
| 2001–02 | Caitlin Munoz | CNB | 9 |
| 2000–01 | Taryn Rockall | NSW | 6 |
| 1999 | Belinda Dawney | QLD | 7 |
| 1998–99 | Lisa Casagrande | CNB | 16 |
| 1997–98 | Sharon Black | SASI | 11 |
| 1996–97 | Kristy Moore | SASI | 9 |
| Year | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Erin Hunter [6] | Northern NSW Pride |
| 2004–05 | Sasha McDonnell [4] | Queensland Sting |
Football NSW is the governing body for soccer in the Australian state of New South Wales, with the exception of the northern regions of NSW. Football NSW is a member of the national governing body, Football Australia. Football NSW's premier football competition is the National Premier Leagues NSW. The premier futsal competition is the Futsal Premier League. Prior to 1 April 2007, Football NSW was known as Soccer NSW.
Lacrosse in Australia is a minor sport, with a long and proud history dating back to 1876, with a small but dedicated community of participants and volunteers. The established centres for lacrosse are in the greater metropolitan areas of Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. In these cities there are organised weekend field lacrosse competitions for men and women at senior and junior levels, played over the winter months. In the off-season, there are informal box lacrosse and sofcrosse competitions, though the majority of players in Australia are mostly of the field lacrosse type. Some lacrosse is also played in Sydney, South East Queensland, Canberra, Ballarat and Bendigo, it is very much at the developmental level.
Soccer, also known as football, is the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA), which until 2019, organised the A-League Men, A-League Women, and still organises the Australia Cup, as well as the men's and women's national teams. The FA comprises nine state and territory member federations, which oversee the sport within their respective region.
Soccer in New South Wales is a popular participation and spectator sport. It is organised and managed on a state level by two separate governing bodies; Football NSW and Northern New South Wales Football which are affiliated at a national level to Football Federation Australia.
The AFL National Championships is an annual Australian national underage representative Australian rules football tournament. It is seen as one of the main pathways towards being drafted into a team in the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL).
Taryn Rockall is an Australian soccer player. She played for the NSW Sapphires in the Women's National Soccer League (WNSL), Arsenal in the FA Women's Premier League and later for the Central Coast Mariners in the Australian W-League during the 2008–09 season. She won the Julie Dolan Medal twice, in 2001–02 and 2004–05, as best player in the WNSL.
Selin Kuralay is an Australian soccer player of Turkish ancestry. She plays at national league level for Australian W-League team Melbourne Victory.
Kim Marie Carroll is a retired Australian soccer player who played in the A-League Women for Perth Glory and for Brisbane Roar, as well as playing for Fortuna Hjørring in the Danish Women's League. She has also played over 50 matches for Australia.
The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a men's national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based federation within Australia. In total the NPL is contested by clubs from eight divisions; these are ACT, NSW, Northern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The NPL is overseen by Football Australia, in partnership with participating state-based member federations.
The 2003 Women's National Soccer League, known as the Ansett Summer Series under a sponsorship arrangement with Ansett Australia, was the eighth season of the Women's National Soccer League, the Australian national women's soccer competition. The season was played over 10 rounds followed by a grand final match between the top two teams. Queensland Sting finished first in the league however second-placed NSW Sapphires were crowned champions after winning the grand final.
The NAB AFL Women's Under-18 Championships are the annual national Australian rules football championships for women players aged 18 years or younger. The competition is seen as one of the main pathways towards being drafted into a team in the professional AFL Women's competition (AFLW). Originally known as the AFL Youth Girls National Championship, the competition has teams of players representing their states and territories in a round robin tournament. The tournament is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank. The winner of the 2019 tournament was Vic Metro.
The National Premier Leagues Women's (NPLW) are regional association football competitions in some states and territories in Australia, which act as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League Women. The WNPL consists of the highest level state league in a subset of the state-based federations within Australia, and is overseen by Football Australia (FA) in partnership with participating member federations.
The 1996–97 Women's National Soccer League was the first season of the Women's National Soccer League, the former top Australian women's professional soccer league, since its establishment in 1996. Sponsored by Ansett Airlines, it was the first organized Australia-wide female football competition.
The Western Waves Football Club were a short-lived West Australian women's association football club that played only one season in the former Women's National Soccer League.
The Canberra Eclipse(founded in 1996 as the ACT Academy of Sport) were a women's association football club that represented the city of Canberra and the Australian Capital Territory in the now defunct Women's National Soccer League. The Canberra Eclipse played in all 8 seasons of the WNSL, winning the Championship during the 2001–02 season, and finishing runners up in 1998–99. The club featured several players that would go on to represent the Matildas, and are considered to be the forerunner for the professional W-League club Canberra United FC.
The Queensland Sting(founded in 1996 as the Queensland Academy of Sport) were a women's association football club that represented the state of Queensland, Australia in the now-defunct Women's National Soccer League. During the 8-seasons of the competition, the Sting won 4 championships making them the most successful club in WNSL history.
The Adelaide Sensation were a former women's association football club that represented the state of South Australia in the now-defunct Women's National Soccer League. The club had moderate success throughout the tenure of the competition, winning one title in the 1998–1999, and finishing as runners up in the 1996, 1997 and 1999 seasons.
The NSW Sapphires were a women's association football club that represented the State of New South Wales in the Women's National Soccer League which ran between 1996 and 2004. Throughout the 9 seasons that the competition ran, the Sapphires won 3 Championships and were also runners up on 3 occasions, making them one of the most successful teams in the short-lived league.
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