# List of NSL champions

This is a list of National Soccer League (NSL) champions. The NSL was the elite football (soccer) competition in Australia from 1977 until 2004, when the competition was scrapped and replaced in 2005 by the fully professional A-League.

## National Soccer League Champions

From 1977 until 1983, the winner was the top placed team at the end of the season. From 1984 until 1986, the competition was split into two conferences, with playoffs to decide two grand finalists who met over two legs. In 1987 the system reverted to the pre 1984 system. From 1988 until the demise of the league in 2004, various playoff systems were used to decide the champion.
| Season | Grand Final Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location | GF Attendance | Joe Marston Medal |
| 1977 | — | Sydney City (1) | By Table | Marconi Stallions | — | — | — |
| 1978 | — | West Adelaide (1) | By Table | Sydney City | — | — | — |
| 1979 | — | Marconi Stallions (1) | By Table | Heidelberg United | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | Sydney City (2) | By Table | Heidelberg United | — | — | — |
| 1981 | — | Sydney City (3) | By Table | South Melbourne | — | — | — |
| 1982 | — | Sydney City (4) | By Table | St George | — | — | — |
| 1983 | — | St George (1) | By Table | Sydney City | — | — | — |
| 1984 | 24 October 1984 | South Melbourne (1) | 2–1 | Sydney Olympic | Olympic Park, Melbourne (1) | 10,000 | — |
| 1984 | 28 October 1984 | South Melbourne (1) | 1–2 | Sydney Olympic | St. George Stadium, Sydney (1) | 11,221 | — |
| 1985 | 4 September 1985 | Brunswick Juventus (1) | 0–1 | Sydney City | St. George Stadium, Sydney (2) | 2,491 | — |
| 1985 | 8 September 1985 | Brunswick Juventus (1) | 1–0 | Sydney City | Olympic Park, Melbourne (2) | 7,560 | — |
| 1986 | 12 October 1986 | Adelaide City (1) | 0–1 | Sydney Olympic | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide (1) | 12,232 | — |
| 1986 | 19 October 1986 | Adelaide City (1) | 3–1 | Sydney Olympic | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (1) | 14,032 | — |
| 1987 | — | APIA Leichhardt (1) | By Table | Preston Lions | — | — | — |
| 1988 | 4 September 1988 | Marconi Stallions (2) | 2–2 (5–4 Penalties) | Sydney United | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (2) | 17,064 | — |
| 1989 | 13 August 1989 | Marconi Stallions (3) | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Sydney Olympic | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (3) | 23,387 | — |
| 1989–90 | 20 May 1990 | Sydney Olympic (1) | 2–0 | Marconi Stallions | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (4) | 26,353 | Abbas Saad (Sydney Olympic) |
| 1990–91 | 5 May 1991 | South Melbourne (2) | 1–1 (5–4 Penalties) | Melbourne Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne (3) | 21,338 | Josip Biskic (Melbourne Knights) |
| 1991–92 | 3 May 1992 | Adelaide City (2) | 0–0 (4–2 Penalties) | Melbourne Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne (4) | 15,463 | Alex Tobin (Adelaide City) |
| 1992–93 | 16 May 1993 | Marconi Stallions (4) | 1–0 | Adelaide City | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (5) | 13,376 | Milan Ivanovic (Adelaide City) |
| 1993–94 | 1 May 1994 | Adelaide City (3) | 1–0 | Melbourne Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne (5) | 13,790 | Alex Tobin (Adelaide City) |
| 1994–95 | 7 May 1995 | Melbourne Knights (1) | 2–0 | Adelaide City | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide (2) | 15,573 | Steve Horvat (Melbourne Knights) |
| 1995–96 | 26 May 1996 | Melbourne Knights (2) | 2–1 | Marconi Stallions | Olympic Park, Melbourne (6) | 14,258 | Andrew Marth (Melbourne Knights) |
| 1996–97 | 25 May 1997 | Brisbane Strikers (1) | 2–0 | Sydney United | Lang Park, Brisbane (1) | 40,446 | Alan Hunter (Brisbane Strikers) |
| 1997–98 | 16 May 1998 | South Melbourne (3) | 2–1 | Carlton S.C. | Olympic Park, Melbourne (7) | 16,000 | Fausto De Amicis (South Melbourne) |
| 1998–99 | 30 May 1999 | South Melbourne (4) | 3–2 | Sydney United | Olympic Park, Melbourne (8) | 15,194 | Goran Lozanovski (South Melbourne) |
| 1999–2000 | 11 June 2000 | Wollongong Wolves (1) | 3–3 (7–6 Penalties) | Perth Glory | Subiaco Oval, Perth (1) | 43,242 | Scott Chipperfield (Wollongong Wolves) |
| 2000–01 | 3 June 2001 | Wollongong Wolves (2) | 2–1 | South Melbourne | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (6) | 13,402 | Matthew Horsley (Wollongong Wolves) |
| 2001–02 | 12 May 2002 | Sydney Olympic (2) | 1–0 | Perth Glory | Subiaco Oval, Perth (2) | 42,735 | Ante Milicic (Sydney Olympic) |
| 2002–03 | 1 June 2003 | Perth Glory (1) | 2–0 | Sydney Olympic | Subiaco Oval, Perth (3) | 38,111 | Simon Colosimo (Perth Glory) |
| 2003–04 | 4 April 2004 | Perth Glory (2) | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Parramatta Power | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (7) | 9,630 | Ahmad Elrich (Parramatta Power) |
The numbers in brackets indicate the number of championships won by a team, or the number of Grand Finals held in a city.

## Playoff Series Champions

From 1977–1983 and 1987, the top placed team at the end of the regular season was declared champion. However a compromise format was devised between the traditional first past the post system and the Australian system of finals. A Playoff series was conducted in these years except for the 1977, 1981 & 1983 seasons, however the winner of the Playoff Series didn't become champion of the NSL.
| Season | Grand Final Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location | GF Attendance |
| 1978 | 17 September 1978 | Sydney City (1) | 4–2 | Marconi Stallions | Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney (1) | 9,136 |
| 1979 | 28 October 1979 4 November 1979 | Sydney City (2) | 1–0 1–1 | Brisbane City | Wentworth Park, Sydney (1) Perry Park, Brisbane (1) | 2,532 4,200 |
| 1980 | 26 October 1980 | Heidelberg United (1) | 4–0 | Sydney City | Canberra Stadium, Canberra (1) | 11,126 |
| 1982 | 3 October 1982 | St George (1) | 3–1 | Sydney City | Penrith Stadium, Sydney (1) | 6,495 |
| 1987 | 1 November 1987 | St George (2) | 4–0 | APIA Leichhardt | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney (1) | 6,961 |
The numbers in brackets indicate the number of playoff series won by a team, or the number of Grand Finals held in a city.

## NSL Cup Winners

The NSL also held a cup competition, which was held initially during the regular season, before gradually becoming a pre-season warm-up tournament. It was discontinued after the 1996–97 season.
| Season | Cup Final Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location | Cup Final Attendance |
| 1977 | 9 October 1977 | Brisbane City (1) | 1–1 (5–3 Penalties) | Marconi Stallions | Perry Park, Brisbane (1) | 9,000 |
| 1978 | 8 October 1978 | Brisbane City (2) | 2–1 | Adelaide City | Perry Park, Brisbane (2) | 6,964 |
| 1979 | 30 September 1979 | Adelaide City (1) | 3–1 | St George | Olympic Sports Field, Adelaide (1) | 9,554 |
| 1980 | 5 October 1980 15 October 1980 | Marconi Stallions (1) | 0–0 (a.e.t.) 3–0 (Replay) | Heidelberg United | Olympic Park, Melbourne (1) Marconi Stadium, Sydney (1) | 7,000 5,000 |
| 1981 | 20 September 1981 | Brisbane Lions (1) | 3–1 | West Adelaide | Canberra Stadium, Canberra (1) | 6,132 |
| 1982 | 12 September 1982 | APIA Leichhardt (1) | 2–1 | Heidelberg United | Olympic Park, Melbourne (2) | 7,000 |
| 1983 | 6 November 1983 13 November 1983 | Sydney Olympic (1) | 1–0 1–0 | Heidelberg United | St. George Stadium, Sydney (1) Olympic Park, Melbourne (3) | 9,420 6,000 |
| 1984 | 13 September 1984 | Newcastle Rosebud United (1) | 1–0 | Melbourne Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne (4) | 5,000 |
| 1985 | 11 August 1985 | Sydney Olympic (2) | 2–1 | Preston Lions | St. George Stadium, Sydney (2) | 11,187 |
| 1986 | 17 September 1986 | Sydney City (1) | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | West Adelaide | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide (1) | 5,200 |
| 1987 | 14 October 1987 18 October 1987 | Sydney United (1) | 1–0 1–0 | South Melbourne | St. George Stadium, Sydney (3) Olympic Park, Melbourne (5) | 5,845 6,000 |
| 1988 | 14 August 1988 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | 0–0 (5–3 Penalties) | Brunswick Juventus | Marconi Stadium, Sydney (2) | 5,200 |
| 1989 | 20 August 1989 | Adelaide City (2) | 2–0 | Sydney Olympic | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide (2) | 10,000 |
| 1989–90 | 25 April 1990 | South Melbourne (1) | 4–1 | Sydney Olympic | Olympic Park, Melbourne (6) | 7,000 |
| 1990–91 | 7 April 1991 | Parramatta Eagles (1) | 1–0 | Preston Lions | Marconi Stadium, Sydney (3) | 8,749 |
| 1991–92 | 7 April 1992 | Adelaide City (3) | 2–1 | Marconi Stallions | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide (3) | 6,500 |
| 1992–93 | 18 April 1993 | Heidelberg United (1) | 2–0 | Parramatta Eagles | Marconi Stadium, Sydney (4) | 4,596 |
| 1993–94 | 17 October 1993 | Parramatta Eagles (2) | 2–0 | Sydney United | Marconi Stadium, Sydney (5) | 5,156 |
| 1994–95 | 16 October 1994 | Melbourne Knights (1) | 6–0 | Heidelberg United | Olympic Park, Melbourne (7) | 6,000 |
| 1995–96 | 27 January 1996 | South Melbourne (2) | 3–1 | Newcastle Breakers | Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne (1) | 5,000 |
| 1996–97 | 6 October 1996 | Collingwood Warriors (1) | 1–0 | Marconi Stallions | Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne (2) | 2,327 |
The numbers in brackets indicate the number of cups won by a team, or the number of Cup Finals held in a city.

## National Youth League

The NSL also had a national youth competition, consisting of a variety teams, both from within and outside of the NSL's membership. The competition began in 1984, and was ended at the same time as the NSL, in 2004.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner up | Venue |
| 1984 | South Melbourne Hellas | 3–2 | Melita Eagles | |
| 1985 | Sydney City | 3–0 | Heidelberg Alexander | |
| 1986 | Australian Institute of Sport | 3–0 | Sunshine George Cross | |
| 1987 | Sydney Olympic | 1–0 | Sunshine George Cross | |
| 1988 | Marconi | 2–1 | Sunshine George Cross | |
| 1989 | Sunshine George Cross | 3–2 | Marconi | |
| 1989–1990 | Melbourne Croatia | 2–1 | APIA Leichhardt | |
| 1990–1991 | South Melbourne | 3–2 | Sydney Olympic | |
| 1991–1992 | Sydney Croatia | 3–1 | South Melbourne | |
| 1992–1993 | West Adelaide | 1–0 | Australian Institute of Sport | |
| 1993–1994 | South Melbourne | 2–0 | Sydney United | |
| 1994–1995 | Sydney United | 1–0 | Melbourne Knights | |
| 1995–1996 | Marconi Stallions | 3–1 | West Adelaide | |
| 1996–1997 | Melbourne Knights | 1–0 | Sydney United | |
| 1997–1998 | Australian Institute of Sport | 4–1 | Adelaide City | |
| 1998–1999 | Australian Institute of Sport | 8–1 | Adelaide City | Knights Stadium |
| 1999–2000 | Carlton | 1–0 | Parramatta Power | |
| 2000–2001 | Melbourne Knights | 3–2 | Marconi Stallions | |
| 2001–2002 | Parramatta Power | 2–0 | Melbourne Knights | |
| 2002–2003 | Parramatta Power | 6–2 | Whittlesea Stallions | |
| 2003–2004 | Canberra Deakin | 2–1 | South Melbourne | |