State league

The state league system in men's association football (soccer) is generally underpinned by the National Premier Leagues (NPL), which administers individual competitions in eight state-based member federations. Each of the state league competitions represent the second tier in the Australian soccer league system. Following the imminent introduction of the National Second Division in 2024, the premier NPL competitions will shift down to level 3 in the system. The term 'state league' is also used as a divisional name in several member federations' lower-tier competitions.

In women's soccer, the state league system is largely operated by National Premier Leagues Women's, which currently consists of seven state-based member federations.

State leagues in women's netball form the third tier of competition in Australia, below the elite Super Netball and the second-tier Australian Netball Championships (ANC). However, unlike the ANC – which has been reduced to a week-long series of matches held largely between Super Netball reserves and academy sides – state league netball competitions operate throughout the winter months and provide consistent pathways to players aiming to reach a higher level in the sport.

While men's netball is growing in popularity, the sport is yet to establish a strong history of state league competitions. Half of the current men's state leagues are branded under the M-League name and are operated by the various state-based men's and mixed netball associations.

State leagues in cricket are traditionally referred to as grade cricket, with most state-based organisations now operating competitions under the Premier Cricket name following a move by Cricket Australia in 2016 to standardise branding.[1] These leagues form the third tier of Australian cricket, below the elite Sheffield Shield and Women's National Cricket League for men and women respectively, and the second-tier Second XI competition for men.