# 2015 Football NSW season

The Football NSW 2015 season was the third season of football in New South Wales under the banner of the National Premier Leagues. The competition consisted of four divisions across the state of New South Wales, excluding those regions affiliated with the Northern NSW Football federation.
Blacktown City were Premiers of the 1st Division, and qualified for the National Premier Leagues finals series. Blacktown City won this competition, becoming the 2015 National Premier Leagues Champion, and additionally received a spot in the 2016 FFA Cup (entering at the Round of 32).

## Pre-Season Changes

| League | Promoted to league | Relegated from league |
| NPL NSW Men's 1 | Parramatta FC | St George FC |
| NPL NSW Men's 2 | Hakoah Sydney City East FC | Hills Brumbies FC |
| NSW State League Division 1 | Rydalmere Lions | Camden Tigers |
| NSW State League Division 2 | Dunbar Rovers FC Gazy Lansvale Wagga City Wanderers | Enfield Rovers Southern Branch |

## League Tables
### 2015 National Premier League NSW Men's 1

The National Premier League New South Wales 2015 season was played over 22 rounds, from March to August 2015.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Blacktown City | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 54 | 23 | +31 | 50 | 2015 National Premier Leagues Finals |
| 2 | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 45 | 2015 NSW Finals |
| 3 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles (C) | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 49 | 35 | +14 | 43 | 2015 NSW Finals |
| 4 | Sydney Olympic | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 45 | 31 | +14 | 42 | 2015 NSW Finals |
| 5 | South Coast Wolves | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 32 | 2015 NSW Finals |
| 6 | Rockdale City Suns | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 30 | |
| 7 | Sydney United 58 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 28 | |
| 8 | Manly United | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 27 | |
| 9 | Blacktown Spartans | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 51 | −11 | 27 | |
| 10 | Sutherland Sharks | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 24 | |
| 11 | Parramatta FC | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 22 | 35 | −13 | 20 | |
| 12 | Marconi Stallions (R) | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 14 | 55 | −41 | 7 | Relegated to the 2016 NPL NSW 2 |
* ↑ Promotion and Relegation system based on Club Championship and including points from U20 and U18 teams.

#### Results

| Home \ Away | API | BLC | BLS | BWE | MAN | MAR | PAR | ROC | SCW | SUT | SYO | SYU |
| APIA Leichhardt Tigers | | 1–1 | 4–4 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Blacktown City | 3–1 | | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 3–2 |
| Blacktown Spartans | 1–5 | 0–4 | | 3–5 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 2–4 |
| Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 |
| Manly United | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 5–0 |
| Marconi Stallions | 2–5 | 0–5 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–2 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 |
| Parramatta FC | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 5–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 |
| Rockdale City Suns | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| South Coast Wolves | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–1 | | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 |
| Sutherland Sharks | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 6–2 | 2–2 | | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Sydney Olympic | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 1–0 |
| Sydney United | 1–1 | 1–6 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–5 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | |

#### Finals

| Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| | | | 1 | Blacktown City | 2 | | | | 1 | Blacktown City | 0 |
| | | | 3 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 4 | | | | 3 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 2 |
| 2 | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 1 | | | | 1 | Blacktown City | 6 | | | |
| 3 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 3 | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | 2 | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 1 | | | |
| | | | 2 | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 1 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Sydney Olympic | 2 | 4 | Sydney Olympic | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | South Coast Wolves | 0 | | | | | | | | | |

#### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Kit partner |
| APIA Leichhardt Tigers | Billy McColl | Michael West | Givova | Wests Ashfield Leagues Club |
| Blacktown City | Mark Crittenden | Zach Cairncross | UniPro Sports | Nissan |
| Blacktown Spartans | Ben de Haan | Carlos Saliadarre | Elite Sportswear | H&M Civil |
| Bonnyrigg White Eagles | Brian Brown | Chris Tadrosse | Legea | NSW Compensation Lawyers |
| Manly United | Paul Dee | Graeme Forbes | TeamRhino Sports | |
| Marconi Stallions | Darren Locca | James Chronopoulos | Erreà | Club Marconi |
| Parramatta FC | Franco Cosentino | TBA | Legea | TBA |
| Rockdale City Suns | Branko Culina | Askin Oygur | Stobi Sports | Gregory Jewelers |
| South Coast Wolves | Jacob Timpano | TBA | Dixon Sportswear | GPT Group |
| Sutherland Sharks | Robbie Stanton | TBA | Macron | Pipe King |
| Sydney Olympic | Grant Lee | Petar Markovic | Adidas | Bank of Sydney |
| Sydney United 58 | Mark Rudan | TBA | Legea | BOKA Aluminium Windows |

#### Top Scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Blake Powell | APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 21 |
| 2 | Joey Gibbs | Blacktown City | 16 |
| 3 | Robert Younis | Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC | 13 |
| 4 | Brendan Cholakian | Manly United | 11 |
| 4 | Harris Gaitatzis | Sydney Olympic | 11 |
| 4 | Marko Ješić | Rockdale City Suns | 11 |
| 7 | Patrick Antelmi | Blacktown City | 10 |
| 7 | Shu Sasaki | Blacktown Spartans | 10 |

### 2015 National Premier League NSW Men's 2

The 2015 National Premier League NSW Men's 2 was the third edition of the new NPL NSW 2 as the second level domestic association football competition in New South Wales. 12 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 22 rounds, with the top team at the end of the year promoted to the NPL NSW Men's 1 competition. Hakoah Sydney City East FC were promoted into the division after finishing 1st in the 2014 State League Division 1, and St George FC were relegated from the 2014 National Premier League's Men's 1.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Spirit FC | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 50 | 16 | +34 | 51 | Qualified for the 2015 NPL NSW Men's 2 Finals |
| 2 | Hakoah Sydney City East (P) | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 38 | 24 | +14 | 43 | Promotion to the 2016 National Premier League |
| 3 | Northern Tigers (C) | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 22 | +14 | 41 | Qualified for the 2015 NPL NSW Men's 2 Finals |
| 4 | Central Coast FC | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 43 | 36 | +7 | 37 | Qualified for the 2015 NPL NSW Men's 2 Finals |
| 5 | Bankstown City | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 36 | Qualified for the 2015 NPL NSW Men's 2 Finals |
| 6 | Fraser Park | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 31 | |
| 7 | Bankstown Berries | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 37 | −5 | 31 | |
| 8 | Mt Druitt Town Rangers | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 42 | −12 | 28 | |
| 9 | Macarthur Rams | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 38 | −14 | 21 | |
| 10 | St George | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 21 | |
| 11 | Sydney University (R) | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 18 | Relegation to the 2016 NPL NSW 3 |
| 12 | Mounties Wanderers | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 43 | −22 | 15 | |
* 1 2 Promotion and Relegation based on Club Championship and including points from U20 and U18 teams.

#### Finals

| Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| | | | 1 | Spirit | 1 | | | | 3 | Northern Tigers | 2 |
| | | | 3 | Northern Tigers | 5 | | | | 5 | Bankstown City | 1 |
| 2 | Hakoah Sydney City East | 0 | | | | 1 | Spirit | 3 | | | |
| 3 | Northern Tigers | 3 | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | 5 | Bankstown City | 5 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Hakoah Sydney City East | 1 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Central Coast | 0 | 5 | Bankstown City | 2 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Bankstown City | 1 | | | | | | | | | |

### 2015 NSW State League Division 1

The 2015 NSW State League Division 1 was the third edition of the State League to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 12 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 22 rounds.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | North Shore Mariners (P, C) | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 63 | 24 | +39 | 57 | Promotion to the 2015 NPL NSW 2 |
| 2 | Rydalmere Lions | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 40 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 1 Finals |
| 3 | Hills United | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 35 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 1 Finals |
| 4 | Balmain Tigers | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 32 | +8 | 34 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 1 Finals |
| 5 | Dulwich Hill | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 41 | 38 | +3 | 34 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 1 Finals |
| 6 | Stanmore Hawks | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 32 | |
| 7 | Hawkesbury City | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 30 | |
| 8 | Gladesville Ryde Magic | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 28 | |
| 9 | Inter Lions | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 31 | 42 | −11 | 25 | |
| 10 | Western NSW Mariners | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 36 | 58 | −22 | 25 | |
| 11 | Granville Rage | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 18 | |
| 12 | Nepean FC (R) | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 25 | 60 | −35 | 15 | Relegation to 2015 NSW State League |
* 1 2 Promotion and Relegation based on Club Championship and including points from U20 and U18 teams.

#### Finals

| Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Major semi-final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| | | | 1 | North Shore Mariners (a.e.t.) | 2 | | | | 1 | North Shore Mariners | 3 |
| | | | 3 | Hills Brumbies | 0 | | | | 3 | Hills Brumbies | 2 |
| 2 | Rydalmere Lions | 1 | | | | 3 | Hills Brumbies | 4 | | | |
| 3 | Hills Brumbies | 4 | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | Minor semi-final | 4 | Balmain Tigers | 1 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Rydalmere Lions | 2 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Balmain Tigers | 1 | 4 | Balmain Tigers (a.e.t.) | 3 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Dulwich Hill | 0 | | | | | | | | | |

### 2015 NSW State League Division 2

The 2015 NSW State League Division 2 was the third edition of the State League to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 10 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 18 matches.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dunbar Rovers (P) | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 11 | +39 | 43 | Promotion to the 2015 National Premier Leagues NSW 3 |
| 2 | Hurstville FC | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 14 | +26 | 40 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 2 Finals |
| 3 | Southern Bulls (C) | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 57 | 30 | +27 | 33 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 2 Finals |
| 4 | Western Condors | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 27 | +17 | 31 | Qualified for the 2015 NSW State League Division 2 Finals |
| 5 | Prospect United | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 30 | |
| 6 | Camden Tigers | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 26 | |
| 7 | University of NSW | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 22 | 37 | −15 | 21 | |
| 8 | FC Gazy Lansvale | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 53 | −26 | 13 | |
| 9 | Hurstville City Minotaurs | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 23 | 59 | −36 | 10 | |
| 10 | Wagga City Wanderers | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 28 | 64 | −36 | 5 | |
* ↑ Promotion and Relegation based on Club Championship and including points from U20 teams.

#### Finals

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 1 | Dunbar Rovers (p) | 2 (4) | | | | 1 | Dunbar Rovers | 0 |
| 2 | Hurstville | 2 (1) | | | | 3 | Southern Bulls | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Hurstville | 0 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Southern Bulls | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Southern Bulls | 5 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Western Condors | 0 | | | | | | |

### 2015 National Premier League NSW Women's 1

The 2015 National Premier League NSW Women's 1 was the second edition of the NPL NSW Women's competition to be incorporated under the National Premier Leagues banner. 10 teams competed, playing each other twice for a total of 18 rounds.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Macarthur Rams | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 58 | 19 | +39 | 43 | Qualification for the 2015 NPL NSW Women's Finals |
| 2 | Blacktown Spartans | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 31 | 21 | +10 | 32 | Qualification for the 2015 NPL NSW Women's Finals |
| 3 | Sydney University (C) | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 29 | +14 | 31 | Qualification for the 2015 NPL NSW Women's Finals |
| 4 | Manly United | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 20 | +14 | 31 | Qualification for the 2015 NPL NSW Women's Finals |
| 5 | Illawarra Stingrays | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 57 | 48 | +9 | 30 | |
| 6 | North Shore Mariners | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 25 | |
| 7 | Emerging Jets | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 36 | 44 | −8 | 23 | |
| 8 | North West Sydney Koalas | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 19 | |
| 9 | Football NSW Institute | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 34 | 55 | −21 | 16 | |
| 10 | Central Coast Mariners Academy (R) | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 77 | −61 | 4 | Relegation to 2016 NPL NSW Women's 2 competition |

#### Finals

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 1 | Macarthur Rams | 4 | | | | Macarthur Rams | Macarthur Rams | 4 |
| 2 | Blacktown Spartans | 1 | | | | Sydney University | Sydney University | 5 |
| | | | Blacktown Spartans | Blacktown Spartans | 0 | | | |
| | | | Sydney University | Sydney University | 3 | | | |
| 3 | Sydney University (a.e.t.) | 5 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Manly United | 4 | | | | | | |

## 2015 Waratah Cup

Football NSW soccer clubs competed in 2015 for the Waratah Cup. The tournament doubled as the NSW qualifier for the 2015 FFA Cup, with the top five clubs progressing to the Round of 32. 104 clubs entered the qualifying phase, with the clubs entering in a staggered format (with NPL and NPL 2 clubs seeded to a later round). The five winners then were randomly drawn in order to create a preliminary fixture, before the semi-finals of the competition.
The competition was won by Sydney United 58, their 5th title, defeating Blacktown City.
In addition to the A-League clubs Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, the five qualifiers (Balmain Tigers, Blacktown City, Rockdale City Suns, Sydney Olympic and Sydney United 58 competed in the final rounds of the 2015 FFA Cup. Of these qualifying clubs, only Rockdale City Suns, Sydney Olympic and Sydney United 58 progressed to the Round of 16.

## Awards

The NPL Gala Dinner was held on 11 September at Rosehill Gardens, acknowledging achievements from across all NPL teams from Men's 1, Men's 2, Women's 1, Women's 2 and their respective youth teams.

### National Premier Leagues NSW

| Award | National Premier Leagues NSW | National Premier Leagues NSW | National Premier Leagues NSW 2 | National Premier Leagues NSW 2 |
| Award | Men's | Women's | Men's | Women's |
| Club Championship | Blacktown City | Manly United | Hakoah Sydney City East | Marconi Stallions |
| Player of the Year | Franco Parisi (APIA Leichhardt) | Tara Pender (Blacktown Spartans) | Gosue Sama (Spirit FC) | Danni Wise (Southern Branch) |
| Golden Boot | Blake Powell (APIA Leichhardt – 21 goals) | Michelle Carney (Illawarra Stingrays – 19 goals) | Hussein Akil (Fraser Park FC – 13 goals) | Danielle Calvi (Sydney Olympic – 20 goals) |
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Nenad Vekic (Blacktown City) | Jada Whyman (Macarthur Rams) | David Lowery (Spirit FC) | Renee Krstanovska (Marconi Stallions) |
| Coach of the Year | Mark Crittenden (Blacktown City) | Jason Harrison (Emerging Jets) | Mark Robertson (Hakoah FC) | Michael McGovern (Sutherland Shire) |
| Referee of the Year | Kurt Ams | Katie-Louise Patterson | n/a | n/a |
| Goal of the Year | Blake Powell (APIA Leichhardt) | — | n/a | n/a |
| U-20's Golden Boot | Jonathan Grozdanovski (Blacktown City – 26 goals) | Amelia Vitek (North Shore Mariners – 19 goals) | Garang Awac (Mt Druitt Town Rangers – 15 goals) | Sarah Mandile (Inter Lions – 17 goals) |
| U-20's Player of the Year | Jonathan Grozdanovski (Blacktown City) | Natalie Penman (NWS Koalas) | Harry McAllister (Northern Tigers) | Marissa Saverino (Sutherland Shire) |

### Other Awards

| Media Award | Nick Houghton |
| Charles Valentine Award | Charles Abdilla (Mounties Wanderers) |