The Capital Premier League (formerly known as NPL ACT 2 or simply NPL2) was an association football competition contested by clubs affiliated to Capital Football. The league currently defunct and was the second highest level (level 2) competition in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) region. It was a 2nd tier in ACT Capital Football and sits in Level 3 in the overall Australian league system. Prior to 2019, the league was known as the Capital League and was the top division of the ACT State League system and National Premier Leagues Capital Football 2 until end of 2025 seasons when the league folded in place by Capital Football.
History
Established in 1967 as Division 2 the level 2 division in the ACT has been competed every year except a three-year gap between 1984 and 1986, The league has been renamed three times prior to 2019 with the original Division 2 title changed to State League One in 1992 before becoming the Capital League in 2013.
1 August 2018, Capital Football announced a major overhaul of the local football structure with the top two divisions (level 1 and 2) linked with the introduction of promotion and relegation between the top two men's divisions. The top two leagues were re-branded from NPL Capital Football and the Capital League to NPL1 and NPL2.
3 August 2018, a group of current NPL clubs in the ACT raised concerns regarding the structure changes and the introduction of promotion and relegation. In particular the concern around governances was raised by Woden-Weston president Steve Rohan-Jones. While Canberra Olympic coach, Frank Cachia, raised the issues around juniors and the sustainability of an inter-state team if it gets relegated.
31 August 2018, Capital Football opened the application process for interested teams to apply to join the NPL1 and NPL2 leagues.
28 September 2018, Capital Football announced the successful applications for teams for the 2019 NPL season. NPL1 would consist of nine teams with seven teams selected for NPL2. Out of the ten teams that competed in the 2018 Capital League season, seven teams were successful in gaining NPL2 status while three teams, Narrabundah FC, Monaro Panthers reserves, and Canberra Olympic reserves were all unsuccessful. The bottom team of NPL1 in 2019 would be relegated to NPL2 for the 2020 season but no team from NPL2 would be promoted to even the two leagues to eight teams each.
Narrabundah FC lodged an official appeal supported by a number of other Capital Football affiliated clubs. Narrabundah's appeal was successful, and on 8 November 2018 Capital Football released a new declaration of leagues for the 2019 NPL level that included Narrabundah FC as an NPL2 participant.
15 November 2018, NSW regional club, Wagga City Wanderers, announced it was transferring from NSW State League to Capital Football and would join the NPL2 and NPLW leagues. This move resulted in both NPL1 and NPL2 leagues having nine teams each for the 2019 season.
Format
The regular season runs between April and September each year and consists of 16 rounds with four matches played each round and one team sitting out a bye. Each team plays each other twice (home and away) and sits out two byes over the course of the season. The top four teams qualify for the finals series (finals). The team that finishes first in the league standings is crowned league premiers and, from 2020, will be promoted to NPL1.
Finals is run over three weeks with the major (1 vs 2) and minor (3 vs 4) semi-finals held in the first week. The winner of the major semi-final progresses to the grand final in week 3 and the loser progresses to the preliminary final in week 2. The winner of the minor semi-final progresses to the preliminary final and the loser is eliminated.
Clubs
The inaugural season of NPL Capital Football 2 was originally planned to only have seven clubs, as published by Capital Football on 1 August 2018. After a successful appeal by Narrabundah a revised declaration of clubs for NPL level was released by Capital football on 8 August 2018 that increased the number of clubs from seven to eight. In November 2018, Wagga City Wanderers announced the club was leaving Football NSW and switching affiliation to Capital Football so the club's first grade team was added to NPL2 to bring the overall number up to nine (equal numbers with NPL1).
Eight of the inaugural season clubs were members of the previous ACT level two league (Capital league) in the previous season (2018). All nine inaugural season clubs were making their first appearance in the National Premier Leagues system, having previously competed in NSW and ACT State League systems.
Current clubs As of the 2025 Capital Premier League season, there are 8 clubs competing in the CPL.
2025 CPL Club Location State Home grounds Founded Joined league 2024 Position ANU FC ActonACT ANU Willows Oval1962 2019 2nd Belconnen United McKellarACT McKellar Park1970 2023 3rd Brindabella Blues CalwellACT Everlast Enclosed1990 2019 4th Canberra Juventus HawkerACT Hawker Football Centre1953 2023 6th Canberra Olympic O'ConnorACT O'Connor Enclosed1955 2025 8th *Relegated from NPL 2024 Canberra White Eagles PhillipACT Woden Park1992 2019 7th Wagga City Wanderers Wagga WaggaNSW Gissing Oval2014 2019 5th West Canberra Wanderers PearceACT Melrose High School (Canberra)2014 2024 8th
Former Premier League or NPL 2 clubs
Club Location State Home ground Founded Narrabundah FC NarrabundahACT Narrabundah 219762021 Queanbeyan City QueanbeyanNSW High Street Oval19662024 O'Connor Knights O'ConnorACT O'Connor Enclosed19972021 Riverina Rhinos GriffithNSW SolarMad Stadium20142020 Southern Tablelands United GoulburnNSW Cookbundoon 220172019 Tuggeranong United GreenwayACT Greenway Enclosed19762022 Weston-Molonglo FC WaramangaACT Waramanga Playing Fields19712022 Yoogali SC GriffithNSW SolarMad Stadium19542023
Honours
Capital Premier League seasons (2022–2025)
Season Regular seasonFinalsTeam promoted to NPL1 League Premiers League Runners-Up Champions Score Finalists 2022 Tuggeranong United Queanbeyan City Tuggeranong United 2–1 (AET) Brindabella Blues Tuggeranong United 2023 Yoogali SC Queanbeyan City Yoogali SC 3–0 Queanbeyan City Yoogali SC 2024 Queanbeyan City ANU FC Queanbeyan City 2–0 Brindabella Blues Queanbeyan City 2025 Belconnen United Canberra Olympic Canberra Olympic 3–1 ANU FC Belconnen United Canberra Olympic Brindabella Blues Canberra Juventus Canberra White Eagles
NPL2 seasons (2019–2021)
A snapshot of the NPL Capital Football 2 seasons since its inauguration in 2019.
Season Regular seasonFinalsTeam promoted to NPL1 League Premiers League Runners-Up Champions Score Finalists 2019 Canberra White Eagles O'Connor Knights ANU FC 5–1 O'Connor Knights – 2020 No Premier declared. Wagga City Wanderers 2–2 (5-4 ) Yoogali SC – 2021 O'Connor Knights ANU FC not held.1 O'Connor Knights
Notes: 1 ACT finals series cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.
NPL2/Capital Premier League all-time record
Premierships Club Premierships Years Canberra White Eagles 1 2019 O'Connor Knights 1 2021 Tuggeranong United 1 2022 Yoogali SC 1 2023 Queanbeyan City 1 2024 Belconnen United 1 2025 Championships Club Championships Years ANU FC 1 2019 Wagga City Wanderers 1 2020 Tuggeranong United 1 2022 Yoogali SC 1 2023 Queanbeyan City 1 2024 Canberra Olympic 1 2025
Pre-NPL Honours
Pre-NPL seasons (1967–2018)
A snapshot of each ACT division two season between 1967 and 2018 before being aligned with the NPL in 2019.
Legend: BOLD = first league or finals title a club secures
Season Competition Regular seasonFinals League Premiers League Runners-Up Champions Score Finalists 1967 Division Two Inter Monaro Kosciusko Inter Monaro 1–0 RAAF 1968 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1969 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1970 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1971 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1972 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1973 Division Two Queanbeyan Macedonia ANU FC No Finals Series held 1974 Division Two ANU FC Belconnen United No Finals Series held 1975 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1976 Division Two Season standings & results unknown 1977 Division Two Canberra United ANU FC Canberra United 3–1 ANU FC 1978 Division Two Queanbeyan Macedonia RMC Queanbeyan Macedonia 3–1 RMC 1979 Division Two Kambah United Concordia Phillip Concordia Phillip 2–1 Kambah United 1980 Division Two Polonia White Eagles JAT United Polonia White Eagles 2–1 Canberra North 1981 Division Two Croatia Deakin Unknown Canberra North 3–2 Croatia Deakin 1982 Division Two Cooma FC RMC Unknown Finals Series results 1983 Division Two RMC Narrabundah Unknown Finals Series results No Division 2 league run between 1984 and 1986 1987 Division Two Weston Creek Canberra City ANU FC 1–0 Weston Creek 1988 Division Two Queanbeyan Macedonia Canberra City Queanbeyan Macedonia Unknown ANU FC 1989 Division Two ADFA ANU FC Downer Olympic 3–0 ADFA 1990 Division Two Downer Olympic Condors Queanbeyan Macedonia 3–1 Condors 1991 Division Two ADFA Queanbeyan Macedonia ADFA 4–1 Condors 1992 State League One Latin America Unknown University of Canberra Unknown Latin America 1993 State League One Queanbeyan City Unknown Unknown Finals Series results 1994 State League One Canberra White Eagles ANU FC ANU FC Unknown Canberra White Eagles 1995 State League One Queanbeyan City ANU FC Queanbeyan City Unknown score and losing team 1996 State League One ANU FC Burns FC Cooma FC 2–1 ANU FC 1997 State League One Capital City Suns Cooma FC Burns FC 2–1 Capital City Suns 1998 State League One Burns FC ANU FC ANU FC 2–1 Burns FC 1999 State League One O'Connor Knights Tuggeranong United Tuggeranong United 6–1 O'Connor Knights 2000 State League One Canberra White Eagles ANU FC ANU FC 1–0 Canberra White Eagles 2001 State League One Cooma FC Belconnen United Cooma FC 1–0 Belconnen United 2002 State League One Cooma FC Canberra Olympic UCU Pumas 1–0 Canberra City 2003 State League One O'Connor Knights Canberra City Canberra White Eagles 2–1 O'Connor Knights 2004 State League One Canberra White Eagles ANU FC Canberra White Eagles 2–0 ANU FC 2005 State League One ANU FC Queanbeyan City ANU FC 4–1 Queanbeyan City 2006 State League One Queanbeyan City Tuggeranong United Queanbeyan City 1–0 Tuggeranong United 2007 State League One Cooma FC Southern Tablelands Canberra White Eagles 3–1 Cooma FC 2008 State League One Southern Tablelands Cooma FC Canberra White Eagles 3–2 Narrabundah 2009 State League One Canberra White Eagles Southern Tablelands Canberra White Eagles 1–0 Cooma FC 2010 State League One Canberra White Eagles Queanbeyan City Queanbeyan City 1–0 Canberra White Eagles 2011 State League One Canberra White Eagles O'Connor Knights Canberra White Eagles 5–1 ANU FC 2012 State League One Canberra White Eagles Queanbeyan City Canberra White Eagles 2–1 Queanbeyan City 2013 Capital League Canberra White Eagles (Group A) Narrabundah (Group B) ANU FC (Group A) Queanbeyan City (Group B) Narrabundah 0–0 (5–3) Queanbeyan City 2014 Capital League ANU FC Canberra White Eagles Weston Molongo 2–0 ANU FC 2015 Capital League Monaro Panthers ANU FC ANU FC 1–1 (4–3) Canberra White Eagles 2016 Capital League ANU FC Canberra White Eagles ANU FC 6–3 Queanbeyan City 2017 Capital League ANU FC O'Connor Knights ANU FC 5–1 O'Connor Knights 2018 Capital League Queanbeyan City Canberra White Eagles ANU FC 6–1 Canberra White Eagles
Pre-NPL all-time record
Pre-NPL era Division 2 honours since 1967 till 2018, prior to the transition to NPL in 2019.