The first round of the National Premier League was played in Sydney over the weekend.
I was at Marconi Stadium in Bossley Park on Saturday night. In first grade Parramatta FC defeated Marconi 2 goals to 1. Parramatta were back in the top division, gaining promotion after winning NPL2 last season.
The match between Parramatta and Marconi was also the first game in the Legea Cup. This is a competition sponsored by Hallmark Sportswear for teams in the NSW NPL which wear Legea kits. A different approach, but it’s good to see more firms getting involved commercially in the NPL.
Commercial sponsorship is very important for NPL clubs to help make the competition stronger. It’s an absolute necessity if the NPL is ever to be involved in promotion and relegation with the A-League, with Football NSW having featured promotion and relegation in its competitions (NPL1, NPL2, State League 1, and State League 2) for years.
Match attendances were down on hoped for numbers. One of the challenges for this time of year is that the A-League and NPL overlap – Western Sydney Wanderers had a home game on Friday night at Parramatta (lost 0-3 to Melbourne Victory), while Sydney FC played at home on Sunday evening (winning 5-4 over Brisbane).
Even the most enthusiastic football supporter can only watch a limited number of games. I expect that the NPL will face challenges with match attendance until after the A-League season is finished.
The results over the weekend for the NSW NPL were:
Marconi 1 defeated by Parramatta FC 2
Sutherland 3 defeated Blacktown Spartans 1
Sydney Olympic 3 defeated South Coast Wolves 0
Rockdale 2 defeated by APIA 4
Blacktown City 3 defeated Sydney United 2
Manly 0 defeated by Bonnyrigg 3
There are National Premier League competitions under way in each state, with Victoria up to Round 4, South Australia at Round 6 in, and Queensland at Round 3. Western Australia starts March 28.
Did anyone else see any NPL games?
Jeff Williamson
Roar Pro
Glad you enjoyed the NPL in Queensland. We saw the Palm Beach Sharks play in the FFA Cup last year. I thought they did well. The quality of the NPL in Sydney is quite good. A few former A-league players. A few players who are good enough to play A-league, but have not yet had the chance. I will not pretend it is the A-league, but it is competitive and entertaining.
Franko
Guest
"Match attendances were down on hoped for numbers. One of the challenges for this time of year is that the A-League and NPL overlap" Bring on the curtain-raisers........?
Simon Smale
Roar Guru
God to see some NPL coverage Jeff. What did you make of the quality? I was pleasantly surprised at the standard in the Queensland comp when I went the other week. A bit more exposure to it will have people going back after the A-League finishes I hope...