Illawarra Premier League
The Illawarra Premier League is a regional Australian semi-professional association football league, comprising teams from the Illawarra, and South Coast regions of New South Wales. The competition is run under the Football South Coast body, an associate of Football NSW - a member federation of Football Federation Australia. It therefore fits below the national A-League and NSW wide divisions including National Premier Leagues NSW, The league sits at level 4 on the New South Wales league system, making it a level 5 league in the Australian League System. The major sponsor for the Illawarra Premier League is the Illawarra Mercury and as such the competition is often referred to as the Illawarra Mercury Premier League.
| Founded | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| State | NSW |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Relegation to | Illawarra District League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Australia Cup Fraternity Club Cup Bert Bampton Cup |
| Current champions | Wollongong Olympic (2022) |
| Current premiers | Wollongong United (2022) |
| Website | footballsouthcoast |
History
The Illawarra Premier League was founded in 1977 with Berkeley taking out the inaugural championship, defeating Fairy Meadow 1-0 in the grand final. Fairy Meadow had won the inaugural Premiership.
Format
The competition consists of 12 teams from around the Wollongong, Illawarra, and South Coast regions of New South Wales. Each team plays each other twice, to form a 22-round, round robin format. 5 teams progress to a month-long finals series. The final two teams play-off in a grand final to determine the winner.
Clubs
The following clubs competed in the 2023 Illawarra Premier League
| Club | Location | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Albion Park White Eagles | Albion Park | Terry Reserve |
| Bellambi Rozellas | Bellambi | Elizabeth Park |
| Bulli FC | Bulli | Balls Paddock |
| Coniston FC | Coniston, New South Wales | JJ Kelly Park |
| Corrimal Rangers | Corrimal | Memorial Park |
| Cringila Lions | Cringila | John Crehan Park |
| Helensburgh Thistles | Helensburgh | Rex Jackson Park |
| Port Kembla | Port Kembla | Wetherall Park |
| South Coast Croatia | Kembla Grange | Sir Ian McLennan Park |
| Tarrawanna Blueys | Tarrawanna | Tarrawanna Oval |
| Wollongong Olympic | Wollongong | Herb Clunis Oval |
| Wollongong United | Berkeley | Macedonia Park |
Honours
Port Kembla FC are the most successful Illawarra Premier League club, with 9 grand final wins, and 7 Premierships since the league's inception in 1977.[1]
| Year | Premiers | Grand Final Champions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Fairy Meadow (1st) | Berkeley (1st) | |
| 1978 | Berkeley (1st) | Tarrawanna (1st) | |
| 1979 | Fairy Meadow (2nd) | Fairy Meadow (1st) | |
| 1980 | Fairy Meadow (3rd) | Fairy Meadow (2nd) | |
| 1981[lower-alpha 1] | Shellharbour Workers (1st) | Coniston (1st) | |
| 1982 | Wests/Figtree (1st) | Wests/Figtree (1st) | |
| 1983 | Wests/Figtree (2nd) | Wests/Figtree (2nd) | |
| 1984 | Fernhill FC (1st) | Fernhill FC (1st) | |
| 1985 | Bulli FC (1st) | Aris FC (1st) | |
| 1986 | Bulli FC (2nd) | Bulli FC (1st) | |
| 1987 | South Coast Croatia (1st) | South Coast Croatia (1st) | |
| 1988 | Bulli FC (3rd) | Wests/Figtree (3rd) | |
| 1989[lower-alpha 2] | South Coast Croatia (2nd) | Wests/Figtree (4th) | |
| 1990 | Wests/Figtree (3rd) | Wests/Figtree (5th) | |
| 1991 | Wests/Figtree (4th) | Balgownie Rangers (1st) | |
| 1992 | Coniston Makedonija (1st) | Wests/Figtree (6th) | |
| 1993 | Cringila Lions (1st) | Cringila Lions (1st) | |
| 1994 | Wollongong Olympic (1st) | Cringila Lions (2nd) | |
| 1995 | Port Kembla (1st) | Port Kembla (1st) | |
| 1996 | Lysaghts FC (1st) | Port Kembla (2nd) | |
| 1997 | Lysaghts FC (2nd) | Lysaghts FC (1st) | |
| 1998 | Cringila Lions (2nd) | Wollongong White Eagles (1st) | |
| 1999 | Northern United (1st) | Port Kembla (3rd) | |
| 2000 | Port Kembla (2nd) | Port Kembla (4th) | |
| 2001 | Port Kembla (3rd) | Coniston Lions (2nd) | |
| 2002 | Kemblawarra (1st) | Port Kembla (5th) | |
| 2003 | Port Kembla (4th) | Port Kembla (6th) | |
| 2004 | Port Kembla (5th) | Port Kembla (7th) | |
| 2005 | Dandaloo FC (1st) | Picton Rangers (1st) | |
| 2006 | Dandaloo FC (2nd) | Picton Rangers (2nd) | |
| 2007 | Dandaloo FC (3rd) | Albion Park White Eagles (2nd) | |
| 2008 | Albion Park White Eagles (1st) | Albion Park White Eagles (3rd) | |
| 2009 | Dandaloo FC (4th) | Dandaloo FC (1st) | |
| 2010 | Port Kembla (6th) | Dandaloo FC (2nd) | |
| 2011 | Dandaloo FC (5th) | Dandaloo FC (3rd) | |
| 2012 | Dapto Dandaloo Fury FC (6th) | Dapto Dandaloo Fury FC (4th) | |
| 2013 | Port Kembla (7th) | Port Kembla (8th) | |
| 2014 | Bulli FC (4th) | Dapto Dandaloo Fury FC (5th) | |
| 2015 | Dapto Dandaloo Fury FC (7th) | Wollongong United (1st) | |
| 2016 | Kemblawarra Fury (1st) | Albion Park White Eagles (4th) | |
| 2017 | Bulli FC (5th) | Port Kembla (9th) | |
| 2018 | Bulli FC (6th) | Bulli FC (2nd) | |
| 2019 | Wollongong Olympic (1st)[2] | Corrimal Rangers (1st)[3] | |
| 2020 [lower-alpha 3] | Woonona Sharks (1st) | Wollongong United (2nd) | |
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[lower-alpha 4] | ||
| 2022 | Wollongong United (1st) | Wollongong Olympic (2nd) | |
| 2023 | Albion Park White Eagles (2nd) | Coniston FC (2nd) | |
Source:[lower-alpha 5]
George Naylor Medalist
The George Naylor Medal goes to the player of the season.
| Year | Winner | Runner/s up |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Shohei Okuno | N/A |
| 2017 | Guy Knight | Ricky Goodchild |
Notes
- http://www.socceraust.co.uk/1981/ILL/PL/fixtures.html
- http://www.socceraust.co.uk/1989/ILL/PL/fixtures.html
- Half-season due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic
- Half-season due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic
- http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/States/NSW/IPLC.html
References
- "Overall Champions List". Socceraust. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- "Table for Illawarra Mercury Premier League FG".
- "Results for Illawarra Mercury Premier League FG".