The Victoria Premier League 2 (formerly National Premier Leagues Victoria 3, 2020-2024), commonly referred to as VPL 2, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is the third-highest in the Victorian league system, behind NPL Victoria and Victoria Premier League 1, and forms part of the fourth tier of the overall Australian pyramid.
| Founded | 2020 as National Premier Leagues Victoria 3 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| State |  Victoria |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | Victoria Premier League 1 |
| Relegation to | State League 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup Dockerty Cup |
| Current champions | Melbourne Srbija (2024) |
| Most championships | Preston Lions Caroline Springs George Cross Melbourne Srbija (1 title each) |
The league was initially created from the bottom halves of NPL Victoria 2 East and West, when the league was reorganised from two geographic conferences to two separate vertical NPL divisions.[1]
The competition is administered by Football Victoria, the governing body of the sport in the state. Initially due to commence in 2020, the league's first season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning in the 2024 season, the third-tier competition has been renamed the Victoria Premier League 2,[2] the name of the state-tier competition prior to the formation of NPL Victoria.
Format
editAs of the 2025 season, the Victoria Premier League 2 is contested by 14 teams. Each team plays home and away against teams against all other teams in the league for a total of 26 fixtures each season. The top two finishing clubs the league gain automatic promotion to Victoria Premier League 1, while those clubs finishing in positions 3rd through 6th play off for a promotion berth. The bottom three teams at the conclusion of the season are relegated to State League 1. [3]
Current clubs (2025)
editThe following clubs will take part in the 2025 VPL 2 season:
| Club | Location | Grounds | Capacity | Club Heritage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altona City | Altona | HC Kim Reserve | 1,000 | Maltese and British |
| Boroondara-Carey Eagles | Bulleen | Carey Bulleen Sports Complex | 100 | Italian |
| Box Hill United | Box Hill | Wembley Park | 1,000 | Greek |
| Brunswick Juventus | Fawkner | CB Smith Reserve | 2,000 | Italian |
| Eltham Redbacks | Eltham North | Eltham North Reserve | 1,000 | Australian |
| Essendon Royals | Essendon | Cross Keys Reserve | 500 | Italian (Triestine) |
| Geelong SC | Corio | Stead Park | 1,500 | Macedonian |
| Goulburn Valley Suns | Shepparton | John McEwan Reserve | 3,200 | Australian |
| North Geelong Warriors | Lara | Elcho Park | 5,000 | Croatian |
| Nunawading City | Forest Hill | Mahoney's Reserve | 1,000 | Australian and Greek |
| Pascoe Vale | Fawkner | CB Smith Reserve | 2,000 | Macedonian (Vlach) |
| Springvale White Eagles | Keysborough | Serbian Sports Centre | 5,000 | Serbian |
| Werribee City | Werribee | Galvin Park Reserve | 1,000 | Italian |
| Whittlesea United | Lalor | Mosaic Reserve | 1,000 | Turkish |
History
editIn 2018, pressures from member clubs and a desire to re-evaluate league structure and organisation led Football Victoria to commission a report into how the NPL Victoria leagues could be re-worked. Among a series of recommendations on improvements to the youth structure, the report recommended that NPL Victoria 2 - then a two-conference division with ten teams each in an east-west split, contesting 28 fixtures each per season - should be reformed with NPL Victoria 2 turned into a single division of 12 teams and a new 12-team division - NPL Victoria 3 - created.[1]
The proposed changes were agreed, and to enact the split the top six teams of each NPL Victoria 2 conference in the 2019 season were given places in the 2020 Victoria 2 competition, with the bottom four of the two conferences all relegated to Victoria 3. Four additional teams were promoted from Victorian State League 1 to make up the numbers. Among the sides moved to NPL Victoria 3 were the NPL development sides of A-League duo Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.[4]
Past winners
edit| Year | Champions |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[5] |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[6] |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Victoria restructures its NPL competition". footballtoday.news. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ "NPLM/W 2024 Update | Football Victoria". www.footballvictoria.com.au. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "NPLM and VPLM competition structures in 2025 & 2026". Football Victoria. 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "Football Victoria Announces New 2020 NPL Structures". Football Victoria. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- ^ "2021 Start Up". Football Victoria. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Metro Melbourne 2021 season status". Football Victoria. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.