The National Premier Leagues Women's (NPLW), also referred to as Women's National Premier Leagues (WNPL) in some states, 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.
With the addition of Northern NSW in 2022, the WNPL is now contested by clubs from seven member federations: Capital Football (ACT), NSW, Northern NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
History In October 2010, (FFA) commenced a National Competition Review, its main objective being to review the current structure of soccer competitions in Australia, and to monitor and improve elite player development. NSW were the first federation to commence a competition, after a review on women's football in NSW in 2013, which looked at staying aligned with the FFA's pathway for women's football program.
Queensland switched to the NPL format in 2015, followed by South Australia and Victoria in 2016, the ACT (Capital Football) in 2017, Western Australia in 2020, and Northern NSW in 2022.
Competition format and teams The WNPL competitions in each state and territory are run independently by the member federations, with a similar format to the equivalent men's competition - the National Premier Leagues. Teams may be relegated from the WNPL to a third-tier league in the same state (and vice versa), but there is currently no mechanism for a team to be promoted to the first tier of Australian Football, the A-League Women. The number of teams promoted and relegated from third-tier leagues per state has varied over time. The table below details the number of teams relegated automatically from the WNPL at the end of the season and the number of NPL teams which go into a relegation playoff against a lower league team.
Federation Number of Clubs Current SeasonAutomaticRelegation RelegationPlayoffs ACT none 2026 NPL ACT Women's NSW10 2026 National Premier Leagues NSW Women's NNSW not known 2026 NPL Women's Northern NSW Queensland 1 0 2026 Women's NPL Queensland SA 1 0 2026 Women's NPL SA Victoria 2 0 2026 NPL VIC Women WA 1 0 2026 Women's NPL WA
Current clubs
Below are listed the National Premier Leagues clubs in each member federation that competed in the 2026 season. ACT Belconnen UnitedCanberra CroatiaCanberra OlympicMajura FCTuggeranong UnitedWest Canberra WanderersNSW APIA LeichhardtBulls FC AcademyGladesville RavensHills United Illawarra StingraysMacarthur RamsManly UnitedNorthern TigersNWS SpiritSydney OlympicSydney UniversityUNSW FCWestern City RangersWestern Sydney WanderersNorthern NSW Adamstown RosebudBroadmeadow MagicCharlestown AzzurriLake Macquarie CityMaitland FCNewcastle OlympicNew Lambton FCQueensland CapalabaEastern SuburbsFQ Academy of SportGold Coast UnitedLions FCMoreton Bay UnitedOlympic FCSouths UnitedSunshine Coast WanderersSouth Australia Adelaide City Adelaide Comets Adelaide University Flinders UnitedFootball SA NTC Fulham United Metro United Salisbury Inter West Adelaide West Torrens BirkallaVictoria AlameinAvondale FCBentleigh Greens Boroondara-Carey Eagles Box Hill United Bulleen LionsEssendon Royals Heidelberg UnitedKeilor ParkMelbourne City YouthMelbourne Victory Youth Preston Lions FC South MelbourneSpring HillsWestern Australia Balcatta Football West NTC U-19 Fremantle City Perth Azzurri Perth RedStar Sorrento FC Subiaco AFC UWA-Nedlands FC
Honours Premiers by season Federations commenced under the WNPL Structure in different years. Season ACT New South Wales Northern NSW Queensland South Australia Victoria Western Australia2014 Macarthur Rams 2015Macarthur RamsThe Gap2016Sydney UniversityThe GapMetro UnitedCalder United2017Belconnen United Macarthur RamsPeninsula PowerWest AdelaideSouth Melbourne2018Belconnen United Sydney UniversityThe GapMetro UnitedSouth Melbourne2019Belconnen United Sydney UniversityLions FCAdelaide CityCalder United2020Canberra CroatiaSydney UniversityGold Coast UnitedAdelaide City — —2021Canberra Croatia —Lions FC Salisbury Inter — Murdoch University Melville2022Canberra CroatiaSydney UniversityWarners BayLions FC West AdelaideCalder United Perth RedStar2023Canberra Olympic APIA LeichhardtBroadmeadow MagicLions FC Adelaide CometsBulleen Lions Perth RedStar2024Canberra Olympic Macarthur RamsMaitland FC Brisbane City West AdelaideBulleen Lions Perth RedStar2025Belconnen United Bulls FC AcademyCharlestown Azzurri Gold Coast Knights West AdelaideHeidelberg United Perth SC2026Belconnen United Bulls FC AcademyMaitland FC Gold Coast Knights West AdelaideBox Hill United Pythagoras Perth Azzurri
See also National Premier Leagues Men's Football Australia Australian soccer league system
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