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The National Premier Leagues Capital Football 1 (also known as NPL ACT 1 or simply NPL1) is a soccer competition contested by clubs affiliated to Capital Football. The league is the highest level (level 1) competition in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) region. It is a subdivision of the National Premier Leagues and sits in Level 2 in the overall Australian league system.[1][2]
| Founded | 2013 1992–2012 (as Premier League) 1952–1991 (as Division One) |
|---|---|
| Country |  Australia |
| State |  ACT  NSW |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Relegation to | Capital Premier League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup Federation Cup |
| Current champions | Canberra Croatia (2024) |
| Current premiers | Gungahlin United (2024) |
| Most championships | Canberra Olympic Canberra Croatia (3 titles) |
| Website | NPL Capital Football 1 |
| Current: 2024 NPL Capital Football | |
After the 2006 season, the tournament was reorganised based on criteria mandating a development pathway within clubs, where each club is required to field a squad in the reserves and Under-18 divisions. Nine teams contested in the Premier League in 2007, cutting Gungahlin Juventus, White Eagles and reigning premier Cooma Tigers from the top tier.[3]
The same nine teams remained in the Premier League for 2008 and 2009. The pathway system was expanded to include a Premier U16 competition, with all nine clubs required to field a team from their club or an affiliated club. Capital Football initially revoked the licence of Queanbeyan City for the 2009 season, citing a non-compliance with the developmental and administrative standards expected for the league.[4] However, Queanbeyan were reinstated on appeal and following the presentation of further evidence demonstrating these standards could be met.[5]
At the close of the 2009 season, the licences of all participating clubs were reviewed and expressions of interest sought for new additional entrants to the competition for 2010–2012.
In November 2014 Woden Weston FC was incorporated with the intention to merge the elite levels of Woden Valley FC and Weston Molonglo FC into one club, to compete in the National Premier Leagues in 2015 and beyond. The new merged club was officially launched on 20 February 2015, with colours for their new strip sourced from both clubs (black from Weston Creek and red from Woden Valley).[6]
In 2016 the league was expanded to 10 teams with the addition of the Canberra United Academy (CUA) team.[7] The decision by Capital Football to include the CUA in the top division of ACT soccer was met with opposition by other clubs in the league, citing concern with the prospect of losing their best young players to the Academy.[8] Along with the addition of the CUA, other clubs were concerned with lack of action taken on making the Presidents of the NPL clubs voting members of the Capital Football board. A possible rebel league was mooted, and it was believed there had already been contact made with the Referees' Association and potential sponsorship lined up by the NPL clubs.[9]
2016 also saw the establishment of the Capital Football Charity Shield to be played between the Federation Cup winners and NPL league champions before the start of the regular NPL season, as a charity fund-raiser.[10] The inaugural Capital Football Charity Shield match was contested on 18 March 2016 between Canberra FC (2015 League premiers) and Gungahlin United (2015 Federation Cup winners) at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval.[11]
7 November 2016, Capital Football announced the introduction of Riverina Rhinos for the men's and boy's National Premier Leagues Capital Football for 2017. Riverina has replaced the controversial Canberra United Academy, who have been amalgamated with the FFA Centre of Excellence, maintaining a ten team league.[12]
18 March 2017, Canberra Olympic won the first piece of ACT soccer silverware for the 2017 season with an emphatic 5–2 victory over Tigers FC at Gungahlin Enclosed oval to claim the second edition of the ACT Charity Shield. The match raised $1500 for charity CanTeen Australia with both clubs and Capital Football each contributing $500. Joshua Gulevski and Stephen Domenici both scored braces for Olympic while a long range goal from Robbie Cattanach clinched the high scoring victory for last season's league and final double winners.[13]
NPL1 Teams play a league season, followed by a finals series for the top 4 clubs. Clubs are required to field teams in all age groups (1st Grade and Under-20s).
A cup competition is contested by Premier League teams and other teams from the region, known as the Westfield FFA Cup Qualifiers, for which the winner is awarded the Federation Cup. The winners of the Federation Cup gain entry into the national FFA Cup competition.
Promotion and relegation
In 2019, the NPL ACT 2 competition was formed. The bottom team from NPL 1 competition was relegated for the 2020 season.[14][15]
2024 season
The following clubs are competing in the 2024 season.
2024 NPL1 ACT based clubs
2024 NPL1 NSW based clubs
| 2024 NPL 1 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Location | State | Home grounds | Founded | Joined league | 2023 Position |
| Canberra Croatia | Deakin | ACT | Deakin Stadium | 1958 | 2013 | 4th |
| Canberra Olympic | O'Connor | ACT | O'Connor Enclosed | 1955 | 2013 | 3rd |
| Tigers FC | Cooma | ACT | Nijong Oval | 1952 | 2013 | 6th |
| Gungahlin United | Gungahlin | ACT | Gungahlin Enclosed Oval | 1963 | 2015 | 2nd |
| HNK O'Connor Knights | O'Connor | ACT | O'Connor Enclosed | 1997 | 2022 | 1st |
| Monaro Panthers | Queanbeyan | NSW | Riverside Stadium | 1967 | 2013 | 5th |
| Tuggeranong United | Greenway | ACT | Greenway Enclosed | 1976 | 2013 | 7th |
| Yoogali SC | Griffith | NSW | SolarMad Stadium | 2014 | 2024 | 1st *Promoted from CPL 2023 |
Former Premier League or NPL clubs
| Club | Location | State | Home ground | Founded | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANU FC | Acton | ACT | ANU Willows Oval | 1962 | 2010 |
| Belconnen United | McKellar | ACT | McKellar Park | 1970 | 2022 |
| Burns FC | Kambah | ACT | Kambah | 1925 | 1967 |
| Canberra City | Hackett | ACT | Hackett 2 | 1977 | 2014 |
| Canberra United Academy | McKellar | ACT | McKellar Park | 2015 | 2016 |
| Canberra White Eagles | Phillip | ACT | Woden Park | 1992 | 2006 |
| FFA Centre of Excellence | Bruce | ACT | Australian Institute of Sport | 1981 | 2017 |
| Goulburn Strikers | Goulburn | NSW | Strikers Park | 2001 | 2011 |
| Narrabundah FC | Narrabundah | ACT | Narrabundah 2 | 1976 | 1987 |
| Queanbeyan City | Queanbeyan | NSW | Riverside Stadium | 1966 | 1989 |
| Riverina Rhinos | Griffith | NSW | SolarMad Stadium | 2014 | 2019 |
| West Canberra Wanderers | Pearce | ACT | Melrose High School (Canberra) | 2014 | 2023 |
| Weston Creek | Waramanga | ACT | Waramanga Playing Fields | 1971 | 2002 |
NPL seasons (2013–present)
A snapshot of each NPL Capital Football 1 season since the formation of the NPL in 2013.
| Season | Competition | Regular season | ACT Finals | NPL Finals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Premiers | League Runners-Up | Champions | Score | Finalists | Representative | Position | ||
| 2013 | NPL CF | Canberra FC | Belconnen United | Canberra Olympic | 2–0 | Canberra FC | Canberra FC | QF |
| 2014 | NPL CF | Cooma Tigers | Belconnen United | Belconnen United | 3–3 (3–2 (p)) | Canberra FC | Cooma Tigers | QF |
| 2015 | NPL CF | Canberra FC | Tigers FC | Canberra Olympic | 3–1 | Canberra FC | Canberra FC | QF |
| 2016 | NPL CF | Canberra Olympic | Tigers FC | Canberra Olympic | 3–1 | Canberra FC | Canberra Olympic | QF |
| 2017 | NPL CF | Canberra Olympic | FFA COE | Belconnen United | 2–1 | Canberra Olympic | Canberra Olympic | QF |
| 2018 | NPL CF | Canberra FC | Canberra Olympic | Canberra FC | 2–1 | Canberra Olympic | Canberra FC | QF |
| 2019 | NPL CF 1 | Canberra Olympic | Tigers FC | Gungahlin United | 5–0 | Tigers FC | Canberra Olympic | QF |
| 2020 | NPL CF 1 | No Premier declared.1 | Canberra Croatia | 3–1 | Gungahlin United | —[lower-alpha 1] | ||
| 2021 | NPL CF 1 | Tigers FC | Canberra Croatia | not held.[lower-alpha 2] | ||||
| 2022 | NPL CF 1 | Canberra Croatia | Gungahlin United | Monaro Panthers | 2–1 | Canberra Croatia | —[lower-alpha 3] | |
| 2023 | NPL CF 1 | HNK O'Connor Knights | Gungahlin United | Canberra Croatia | 1–1 (6–5 (p)) | HNK O'Connor Knights | ||
| 2024 | NPL CF 1 | Gungahlin United | Canberra Croatia | Canberra Croatia | 4–3 | Canberra Tigers | ||
NPL/Pre-NPL (1952–2012) all-time record
National Premier Leagues Capital Football honours since introduction in 2013.
| Honours | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Premierships Wins | Premiership Years | Championships Wins | Championship Years | Shields Wins | Shield Years | Total |
| Canberra Croatia | 4 | 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022 | 3 | 2018, 2020, 2023 | 4 | 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023 | 11 |
| Canberra Olympic | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2019 | 3 | 2013, 2015, 2016 | 2 | 2017, 2018 | 8 |
| Belconnen United | 2 | 2014, 2017 | 2 | ||||
| Tigers FC | 2 | 2014, 2021 | 2 | ||||
| Gungahlin United | 1 | 2019 | 1 | ||||
| Monaro Panthers | 1 | 2022 | 1 | 2022 | 2 | ||
| HNK O'Connor Knights | 1 | 2023 | 1 | ||||
A snapshot of each ACT top division season between 1952 and 2012 before the NPL started in 2013.[18][19]
| Season | Competition | Regular season | Finals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League Premiers | League Runners-Up | Champions | Score | Finalists | ||
| 1952 | Division One | Season standings & results unknown | ||||
| 1953 | Division One | Season standings & results unknown | ||||
| 1954 | Division One | Napad | Napad | 6–2 | Hollandia | |
| 1955 | Division One | Napad | Roma | Hollandia | 2–1 | Canberra United[lower-alpha 4] |
| 1956 | Division One | Balkan | Canberra United | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1957 | Division One | Bohemians | Canberra United Burns | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1958 | Division One | Bohemians | Wistula | Olympic | 3–1 | Bohemians |
| 1959 | Division One | Bohemians | FTC Hungaria | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1960 | Division One | FTC Hungaria | Olympic | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1961 | Division One | FTC Hungaria | Olympic | FTC Hungaria | 2–1 | Olympic |
| 1962 | Division One | SC Hope | Kosciusko[20] | SC Hope | 7–3 | Kosciusko |
| 1963 | Division One | SC Hope | Queanbeyan | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1964 | Division One | Juventus | Cooma United | Juventus | 2–2, 4–3 | Cooma United |
| 1965 | Division One | Juventus | Cooma United | Juventus | 4–3 | SC Hope |
| 1966 | Division One | SC Hope | Juventus | SC Hope | 1–1 (5–4 (p)) | Juventus |
| 1967 | Division One | Juventus | Croatia Deakin | Croatia Deakin | 2–1 | Cooma United |
| 1968 | Division One | Juventus | Inter Monaro | Juventus | 1–1 3–1[lower-alpha 5] | Croatia Deakin |
| 1969 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | Queanbeyan Macedonia | Final abandoned | ||
| 1970 | Division One | Juventus | Queanbeyan Macedonia | Juventus | 3–1 | Turner Eagles |
| 1971 | Division One | Griffith United | Inter Monaro | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1972 | Division One | Juventus | Croatia Deakin | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1973 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | Juventus | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1974 | Division One | West Woden Juventus | Croatia Deakin | No Finals Series held | ||
| 1975 | Division One | Downer Olympic | Croatia Deakin | West Woden Juventus | 2–0 | Croatia Deakin |
| 1976 | Division One | West Woden Juventus | Inter Monaro | West Woden Juventus | 2–1 | Croatia Deakin |
| 1977 | Division One | Inter Monaro | West Woden Juventus | Inter Monaro | 3–2 | West Woden Juventus |
| 1978 | Division One | West Woden Juventus | Croatia Deakin | Croatia Deakin | 3–2 | West Woden Juventus |
| 1979 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | West Woden Juventus | Croatia Deakin | 3–2 | Canberra City Roos |
| 1980 | Division One | Downer Olympic | Croatia Deakin | West Woden Juventus | 3–2 | Downer Olympic |
| 1981 | Division One | Luso[lower-alpha 6] | Narrabundah | Luso | 1–0 | Narrabundah |
| 1982 | Division One | Belconnen United | JM United[lower-alpha 7] | Belconnen United | 7–0 | Downer Olympic |
| 1983 | Division One | Kambah United (City) West Woden Juventus (Country) | Narrabundah (City) Downer Olympic (Country) |
West Woden Juventus | 5–4 | Canberra Croatia |
| 1984 | Division One | Canberra United (City) West Woden Juventus (Country) | Concordia Phillip (City) Croatia Deakin (Country) |
West Woden Juventus | 3–2 | Croatia Deakin |
| 1985 | Division One | West Woden Juventus | Croatia Deakin | Belconnen United | 3–2 | Canberra City Olympians |
| 1986 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | Juventus | Juventus | 2–1 | Belconnen United |
| 1987 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | Belconnen United | Croatia Deakin | 4–1 | Belconnen United |
| 1988 | Division One | Croatia Deakin | CCAE | Croatia Deakin | 5–3 | CCAE |
| 1989 | Division One | CCAE | Canberra Croatia | Canberra City Concordia | 3–2 | Canberra Croatia |
| 1990 | Division One | Belconnen United | Canberra City | Belconnen United | 1–1 (3–1 (p)) | Canberra City |
| 1991 | Division One | Tuggeranong United | Olympic | Tuggeranong United | 1–0 | Olympic |
| 1992 | Premier League | AIS | Tuggeranong United | Tuggeranong United | 2–0 | Belconnen United |
| 1993 | Premier League | Olympic | Southern Cross | Olympic | 3–3 (5–4 (p)) | Southern Cross |
| 1994 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Tuggeranong United | Olympic | 3–1 | Tuggeranong United |
| 1995 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Shamrock Rovers | Canberra Deakin | 3–2 | Juventus |
| 1996 | Premier League | Belconnen United | Canberra Deakin | Belconnen United | 1–0 | Canberra Deakin |
| 1997 | Premier League | Belconnen United | Canberra Olympic | Canberra Olympic | 4–0 | Canberra Deakin |
| 1998 | Premier League | Belconnen United | Monaro Panthers | Belconnen United | 2–0 | Canberra Olympic |
| 1999 | Premier League | Capital City Suns | Weston Creek Royals[lower-alpha 8] | Monaro Panthers | 1–0 | Capital City Suns |
| 2000 | Premier League | Gungahlin Juventus | Belconnen United | Belconnen United | 1–0 | Gungahlin Juventus |
| 2001 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Gungahlin Juventus | Gungahlin Juventus | 2–1 | Canberra Deakin |
| 2002 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Gungahlin Juventus | Belconnen United | 2–1 | Canberra Olympic |
| 2003 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Canberra Olympic | Canberra Deakin | 1–0 | Canberra Olympic |
| 2004 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | Gungahlin Juventus | Canberra Deakin | 4–1 | Gungahlin Juventus |
| 2005 | Premier League | Canberra Deakin | O'Connor Knights | Canberra Deakin | 1–0 | O'Connor Knights |
| 2006 | Premier League | Canberra Olympic | Belconnen United | Cooma Tigers | 2–1 | Canberra Olympic |
| 2007 | Premier League | Canberra FC | Belconnen United | Canberra FC | 5–4 | Belconnen United |
| 2008 | Premier League | Canberra FC | Canberra Olympic | Belconnen United | 4–1 | Canberra FC |
| 2009 | Premier League | Canberra FC | Belconnen United | Canberra FC | 2–1 | Belconnen United |
| 2010 | Premier League | Canberra FC | Belconnen United | Canberra FC | 6–0 | Belconnen United |
| 2011 | Premier League | Canberra FC | Canberra Olympic | Canberra FC | 8–5 | Canberra Olympic |
| 2012 | Premier League | Belconnen United | Cooma Tigers | Cooma Tigers | 2–1 | Belconnen United |
Pre-NPL all-time record
Pre-NPL era Division 1 honours since 1952.
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- NPL finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[16]
- ACT finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[17]
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