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

WA, Victoria and Northern NSW will launch their inaugural NPL competitions, while South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, QUeensland and the ACT are preparing for their second season.

Speaking at today’s official launch in Sydney, FFA CEO David Gallop spoke of the benefits of the NPL, which underpins the Hyundai A-League.

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

“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, February 21, between two of Australia’s most successful football clubs in West Adelaide and Adelaide City.

WA's NPL kicks off on March 8.

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.

For more information regarding the National Premier Leagues, please visit www.nationalpremierleagues.com.au