The Northern League One (known as the HIT Northern League One for sponsorship reasons) is a regional Australian semi-professional soccer league comprising teams from New South Wales. The league sits at Level 2 on the Northern New South Wales league system (Level 3 of the overall Australian league system). The competition is administered by Northern NSW Football, the governing body of the sport in the northern region of the state (the southern region governed by Football NSW). Prior to 2014, the league was formally known as the New FM 1st Division / Northern NSW State League Division 1 from 1998 to 2013 and the Northern NSW Football League Division Two from 1948 to 1997.
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | NPL NNSW |
| Relegation to | Zone League One |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup |
| Current champions | Belmont Swansea United (2024) |
| Website | [1] |
From the end of 2024 season, there will be promotion and relegation between Northern League One and Zone League One.
Format
editThe competition consists of 9 teams, each of whom have a 1st-grade and Reserves. The regular season takes place over 20 rounds, with each team playing each other twice and each team get a bye round. The team that finishes first at the end of the 20 rounds is crowned Premiers.[1]
In 2024 promotion and relegation was reintroduced to the league. With 1st place automatically promoted into the National Premier LeagueNational Premier League. The other promotion spot is determined via a Play-off series with 2-leg games 2nd vs 3rd and 4th vs 11th placed NPL team. The winner of each will proceed to a one game final with the winner to play in the National Premier League and the loser to play in Northern League One. Belmont Swansea was the first team to be promoted since the reintroduction.
Relegation to Zone League One will commence from 2025 with last placed to be relegated
Team History
editThe 2015 competition saw the introduction of 3 more teams into Northern NSW State League Division 1: Cooks Hill United FC, Kahibah FC and Wallsend FC.[2]
2017 saw the promotion of New Lambton FC.
At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Cooks Hill United were promoted to NPL Northern NSW.
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, New Lambton FC were promoted to NPL Northern NSW.
Current Teams (2024)
edit| Club | Location | Ground | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Swansea United | Blacksmiths | Blacksmiths Oval | 1,500 |
| Cessnock City Hornets | Cessnock | Turner Park | 1,000 |
| Kahibah FC | Charlestown | Kahibah Oval | 750 |
| Singleton Strikers | Singleton | Howe Park | 1000 |
| South Cardiff | Cardiff South | Ulinga Oval | 1,000 |
| Thornton Redbacks | Thornton | Thornton Park | 500 |
| Toronto Awaba Stags | Toronto | Lyall Peacock Field | 2,000 |
| Wallsend FC | Wallsend | The Gardens | 3,000 |
| West Wallsend | West Wallsend | Johnston Park | 1,500 |
Northern Inland (Youth)