Former national league club Melbourne Knights and nine-time Victorian Premier League champions Green Gully Cavaliers will feature in the top tier of the inaugural National Premier League Victoria (NPL) competition, which starts next month.
Football Federation Victoria handed out an initial 30 three-year licences to the NPL and has split the league, with 14 teams in the first tier and 16 in the second.
Local clubs Sunshine George Cross and St Albans Saints will play in the second tier, NPL1.
The top 14 clubs comprises mainly of last season’s VPL clubs, who will make the switch to the newly formed league along with promoted state league 1 clubs and two regional clubs.
The top division, name NPL, will consist of the Knights, the Cavaliers, Ballarat Red Devils, Bentleigh Greens, Dandenong Thunder, Goulburn Valley Suns, Heidelberg United, Hume City, Northcote City, Oakleigh Cannons, Pascoe Vale, Port Melbourne Sharks, South Melbourne and Werribee City.
The second division, named NPL1, will be the Georgies, the Saints, Avondale Heights, Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, Box Hill United, Brunswick City, Dandenong City, Eastern Lions, FC Bulleen Lions, Kingston City, Moreland Zebras, North Geelong Warriors, Richmond Eagles, Springvale White Eagles, Surf Coast and Whittlesea Ranges.
The leagues will start on March 14, with teams to play each other twice on a home-and-away basis.
The first-past-the-post system will be implemented, meaning no finals series.
Knights president Ange Cimera never doubted his club’s eligibility for the new league.
“I never thought there was any doubt about the Knights being accepted in the NPL,” he said.
“We pretty much met the criteria without needing to make any major changes.
“We already have an A-class facility, we regularly promote our young players and we have a technical director who has already been working with our juniors for over a year.”
The FFV also released its draft state league structure last week.
Where your club will play in 2014
NPL: Green Gully Cavaliers, Melbourne Knights
NPL1: St Albans Saints, Sunshine George Cross
SL1NW: Cairnlea, Western Suburbs, Keilor Park, Sydenham Park, Westgate
SL2NW: North Sunshine Eagles, Westvale
SL3NW: Western Eagles
SL4W: Brimbank Stallions
SL5W: Balmoral, Keilor Wolves, Spring Hills Football Club
