Football Federation Australia (FFA) today launched the 2014 National Premier Leagues (NPL) season for the semi-professional state-based competitions in Australian football.

The second edition of the NPL see clubs from eight (8) of FFA’s member Federations participate with clubs from Northern NSW Football, Football Federation Victoria and Football West competing for the first time .

Speaking at today’s official launch in Sydney, FFA CEO David Gallop said it was an important competition that underpins the Hyundai A-League.

“The formation of a standardised National Premier Leagues competition was a key component of our national football development plan,” said Gallop.

“Following the inaugural NPL rollout last year, we have seen a number of players graduate from the NPL to the professional ranks of the Hyundai A-League which is one of the key objectives of the competition and football pathway.

“This year we will see youth teams from some Hyundai A-League clubs compete in their respective NPL competition to ensure that our most talented players maximise their development opportunities by being able to play competitive football twelve months a year.

“We also acknowledge the efforts of the Member Federation and clubs. We have three new Federations on board being Football Federation Victoria, Football West and Northern NSW Football, which makes the NPL a truly national competition.

“I would like to wish all clubs the best for the upcoming season and look forward to seeing who will be crowned the 2014 NPL champion."

The opening game of the 2014 NPL season will be in South Australia on Friday 21st February between two of Australia’s most successful football clubs in West Adelaide and Adelaide City.

The National Premier Leagues 2014 Finals Series will begin on the weekend of 20/21 September with the National Premier Leagues 2014 Grand Final to be played on the weekend of 4/5 October.

National Premier Leagues 2014 Finals Series – Match Schedule

The National Premier Leagues 2014 Finals Series shall be staged between the weeks of:

National Premier Leagues 2014 Elimination Finals - 20/21 September 2014
National Premier Leagues 2014 Semi Finals - 27/28 September 2014
National Premier Leagues 2014 Grand Final - 4/5 October 2014

The National Premier Leagues 2014 Finals Series draw is as follows:

National Premier Leagues 2014 Elimination Finals (First named team shall be the host)

Game 1 Northern NSW Football vs Football Queensland
Game 2 Capital Football vs Football NSW
Game 3 Football Federation Tasmania vs Football Federation Victoria
Game 4 Football West vs Football Federation South Australia

National Premier Leagues 2014 Semi Finals (hosts to be confirmed)

Game 5 Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 3
Game 6 Winner of Game 2 vs Winner of Game 4

National Premier Leagues 2014 Grand Final (hosts to be confirmed)

Game 7 Winner of Game 5 vs Winner of Game 6

For additional information regarding the National Premier Leagues, click here