National Soccer League 1984
Encyclopedia
The National Soccer League 1984 season was the eighth season of the National Soccer League
in Australia
. This season saw a restructure of the league, introducing a split into two geographical divisions, and an expansion from 16 to 24 teams. A Northern Conference comprised 12 clubs from NSW and ACT
, and a Southern Conference consisted of 12 Victoria
n, South Australia
n, and ironically, Queensland
clubs.
For the first time in the competition a finals system was introduced, whereby the five highest finishing teams in each conference would playoff to determine a conference winner. The two conference winners would then play each other in a two-legged Grand Final to be declared champions. The Grand Final was won by South Melbourne
over Sydney Olympic
.
Northern Conference winners: Sydney Olympic
Southern Conference winners: South Melbourne
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This season saw a restructure of the league, introducing a split into two geographical divisions, and an expansion from 16 to 24 teams. A Northern Conference comprised 12 clubs from NSW and ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, and a Southern Conference consisted of 12 Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n, and ironically, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
clubs.
For the first time in the competition a finals system was introduced, whereby the five highest finishing teams in each conference would playoff to determine a conference winner. The two conference winners would then play each other in a two-legged Grand Final to be declared champions. The Grand Final was won by South Melbourne
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
over Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic FC
Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian football club that plays in the NSW Premier League. It competed in the National Soccer League from 1977 until the league's demise in 2004, having won the championship in 1989–90, 2001–02, the League Cup in 1980, the minor premiership in 2002–03 and the...
.
Northern Conference
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Sydney City Sydney City Soccer Club Sydney City Soccer Club is a football club from Sydney, Australia.The club was formed in 1939 as Sydney Hakoah by members of the Sydney Jewish community. They played between 1977 and 1986 in the National Soccer League as Eastern Suburbs and Sydney City... |
28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 42 |
| 2 | Sydney Olympic Sydney Olympic FC Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian football club that plays in the NSW Premier League. It competed in the National Soccer League from 1977 until the league's demise in 2004, having won the championship in 1989–90, 2001–02, the League Cup in 1980, the minor premiership in 2002–03 and the... |
28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 40 |
| 3 | Marconi Fairfield Marconi Stallions The Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian football club located in Sydney, Australia. The club won the National Soccer League title a record four times, along with South Melbourne FC and Sydney City SC... |
28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| 4 | A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers APIA Leichhardt Tigers Football Club, also known as APIA Tigers and Sydney Tigers, is an Australian football club based in Sydney, Australia. The club was formed in 1954, known as APIA Leichhardt, by Italian Australians... |
28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 32 |
| 5 | Blacktown City Blacktown City Demons Blacktown City FC, formerly The Demons, are an Australian football club based in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. The club was formed in 1953 as Toongabbie Soccer Club and changed their name to Blacktown City in 1979... |
28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 30 |
| 6 | Sydney Croatia Sydney United Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area... |
28 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 27 |
| 7 | Penrith City Penrith City SC Penrith City SC is a defunct Australian football club that was based in Penrith, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1984, was an offshoot of the Penrith Panthers rugby league club, participating in the National Soccer League 1984 and 1985 seasons, in the league's Northern Division.- National... |
28 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 26 |
| 8 | Newcastle KB United Newcastle KB United Newcastle KB United are a defunct Australian association football club. They participated in the National Soccer League from 1978 until early in the 1984 season.-History:... |
28 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 26 |
| 9 | Canberra City Canberra City SC Canberra City Football Club, also known for some time as the Canberra Arrows, is an Australian football club based in Canberra in the ACT... |
28 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 25 |
| 10 | St George Saints St George Saints The St. George Saints Football Club are an Association football club based in the St. George region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The club plays its home games at St. George Stadium, after playing a brief stint at Belmore Sports Ground in the 2007-08. The St... |
28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 25 |
| 11 | Melita Parramatta Eagles Parramatta Eagles are an Australian football club that played in the National Soccer League and later the New South Wales Premier League. Due to various levels of mismanagement at the club it was demoted at the end of 2006... |
28 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 24 |
| 12 | Wollongong City Wollongong Wolves The South Coast Wolves Football Club is an Australian Association football club based in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia currently playing in the NSW Premier League.The club was formed in 2009 as a not for profit organisation, run and owned by the community since the financial... |
28 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 15 |
Finals
- Elimination Semi-final: APIA Leichhardt 3 d. Blacktown City 1
- Preliminary Semi-final: Sydney Olympic 2 d. Marconi Fairfield 1
- Minor Semi-final: APIA Leichhardt 3 d. Marconi 3 (4-3 on penalties)
- Major Semi-final: Sydney City 1 d. Sydney Olympic 1 (4-2 on penalties)
- Preliminary Final: Sydney Olympic 3 d. APIA Leichhardt 0
- Final: Sydney Olympic 2 d. Sydney City 1
Northern Conference winners: Sydney Olympic
Southern Conference
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | South Melbourne South Melbourne FC South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World... |
28 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 40 |
| 2 | Heidelberg United Heidelberg United Heidelberg United Football Club is a football club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia... |
28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| 3 | Melbourne Croatia Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League... |
28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 33 |
| 4 | Brisbane Lions Queensland Lions Soccer Club Queensland Lions Football Club is an football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands, where they still play... |
28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 30 |
| 5 | Brunswick Juventus Brunswick Juventus Brunswick Juventus is an Australian association football club from Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club was a participant in the National Soccer League, where they were champions in 1985, and Victorian Premier League, in which they won eight titles... |
28 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 30 |
| 6 | Preston | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 28 |
| 7 | Adelaide City Adelaide City Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League... |
28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 25 |
| 8 | Green Gully Green Gully Cavaliers Green Gully Soccer Club is a football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Green Gully is one of the biggest clubs in Melbourne, it participated in the old National Soccer League between 1984-1986.... |
28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 24 |
| 9 | Footscray JUST Footscray JUST Footscray JUST is a defunct association football club from Melbourne, Australia.Established in 1950 by migrants from Yugoslavia they played in the Victorian leagues with a fair amount of success, winning five Victorian State League titles, and three Dockerty Cup titles... |
28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 25 |
| 10 | West Adelaide West Adelaide SC West Adelaide Soccer Club is an Australian football club from Adelaide, Australia. Currently it plays in the FFSA State League Competition. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1977 season until the end of the 1998/99 season, except for the periods 1987-89 and 1990-91. It was... |
28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 21 |
| 11 | Brisbane City | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 21 |
| 12 | Sunshine George Cross Sunshine George Cross FC Sunshine George Cross Football Club is an Australian football club from Sunshine, a western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and plays in the Victorian State League Division 1. Sunshine George Cross have played at Chaplin Reserve after agreement was reached with Sunshine City Soccer Club... |
28 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 16 |
Finals
- Elimination Semi-final: Brisbane Lions 4 d. Brunswick Juventus 2
- Preliminary Semi-final: Melbourne CSC 2 d. Heidelberg United 1
- Minor Semi-final: Heidelberg United 0 d. Brisbane Lions 0 (3-2 on penalties)
- Major Semi-final: South Melbourne 3 d. Melbourne CSC 2
- Preliminary Final: Heidelberg United 3 d. Melbourne CSC 1
- Final: South Melbourne 4 d. Heidelberg United 2
Southern Conference winners: South Melbourne
Grand final
----- South Melbourne win 4-2 on aggregate
Individual awards
- Player of the Year: Sergio MeltaSergio MeltaSergio Melta , is a former Australian footballer, who had an extensive career in Australia's National Soccer League, spent entirely with Adelaide City. He won the NSL's player of the year award in 1984...
(Adelaide CityAdelaide CityAdelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
) - U-21 Player of the Year: Tony FrankenTony FrankenAnthony Franken is a former Australian soccer goalkeeper from Perth, Western Australia. He is widely considered one of Australia's best ever....
(Canberra CityCanberra City SCCanberra City Football Club, also known for some time as the Canberra Arrows, is an Australian football club based in Canberra in the ACT...
) - Top Scorer(s): Doug BrownDoug BrownDoug Brown may refer to:*Doug Brown , American distance runner and two-time Olympian , who represented United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics...
(South MelbourneSouth Melbourne FCSouth Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
– 22 goals) - Coach of the Year: Eddie ThomsonEddie ThomsonEddie Thomson was a Scottish football player and coach.-Career:Born in Rosewell, Scotland, he played 162 games for Heart of Midlothian F.C. from 1966 to 1973, before moving to Aberdeen F.C. and playing a further 91 games with them...
(Sydney CitySydney City Soccer ClubSydney City Soccer Club is a football club from Sydney, Australia.The club was formed in 1939 as Sydney Hakoah by members of the Sydney Jewish community. They played between 1977 and 1986 in the National Soccer League as Eastern Suburbs and Sydney City...
)