# 2012 Victorian Premier League

The 2012 Victorian Premier League was the one-hundredth season of the top tier of club football in Victoria. The home and away season commenced on 23 March 2012. Green Gully were the defending champions. Dandenong Thunder defeated Oakleigh Cannons in the Grand Final, becoming the first side in thirty one years to secure a Victorian football treble, having won the State Knockout Cup, VPL League Title and their first VPL Grand Final this year.

## Teams

| Team | Home city | Home ground |
| Bentleigh Greens | Cheltenham, Melbourne | Kingston Heath Soccer Complex |
| Dandenong Thunder | Dandenong, Melbourne | George Andrews Reserve |
| Green Gully | Keilor, Melbourne | Green Gully Reserve |
| Heidelberg United | Heidelberg, Melbourne | Olympic Park |
| Hume City | City of Hume, Melbourne | John Ilhan Memorial Reserve |
| Melbourne Knights | Sunshine, Melbourne | Knights Stadium |
| Northcote City | Thornbury, Melbourne | John Cain Memorial Park |
| Oakleigh Cannons | Oakleigh, Melbourne | Jack Edwards Reserve |
| Richmond SC | Richmond, Melbourne | Kevin Bartlett Reserve |
| South Melbourne FC | South Melbourne, Melbourne | Lakeside Stadium |
| Southern Stars FC | Dingley, Melbourne | Kingston Heath Soccer Complex |
| Moreland Zebras | City of Moreland, Melbourne | Epping Stadium |
On 16 December 2011, Whittlesea Zebras announced it would change its name to Moreland Zebras effective this season.

## Promotion and relegation

Teams promoted from Victorian State League Division 1: (After the end of the 2011 season.)
* Whittlesea Zebras (champions)
* Southern Stars FC (runners-up)
Teams relegated to Victorian State League Division 1: (After the end of the 2011 season.)
* Springvale White Eagles (11th)
* St Albans Saints (12th)

## Regular season

The Victorian Premier League 2012 season was played over 22 rounds, beginning on 23 March and concluding on 16 September 2012, followed by the final series.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dandenong Thunder (C) | 22 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 47 | 14 | +33 | 48 | VPL 2012 Victorian Premier League Finals |
| 2 | Oakleigh Cannons | 22 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 40 | VPL 2012 Victorian Premier League Finals |
| 3 | Green Gully | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 25 | +6 | 37 | VPL 2012 Victorian Premier League Finals |
| 4 | Bentleigh Greens | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 37 | 27 | +10 | 35 | VPL 2012 Victorian Premier League Finals |
| 5 | Northcote City | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 33 | VPL 2012 Victorian Premier League Finals |
| 6 | South Melbourne | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 32 | |
| 7 | Richmond | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 30 | |
| 8 | Melbourne Knights | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 29 | |
| 9 | Hume City | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 28 | |
| 10 | Southern Stars FC | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 38 | −12 | 27 | |
| 11 | Moreland Zebras | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 42 | −12 | 18 | Relegation to Victorian State League Division 1 |
| 12 | Heidelberg United | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 56 | −33 | 10 | Relegation to Victorian State League Division 1 |

## Finals

| Qualifying/Elimination Finals | Qualifying/Elimination Finals | Qualifying/Elimination Finals | Semi Final | Semi Final | Semi Final | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| | | | 1 | Dandenong Thunder | 1 (4) | | | | Oakleigh Cannons | 1 |
| | | | | Oakleigh Cannons | 1 (5) | | | | Dandenong Thunder | Dandenong Thunder | 2 |
| 2 | Oakleigh Cannons | 2 | | | | Dandenong Thunder | Dandenong Thunder | 4 | | | |
| 3 | Green Gully Cavaliers | 0 | | | | Green Gully Cavaliers | Green Gully Cavaliers | 1 | | | |
| | | | Green Gully Cavaliers | Green Gully Cavaliers | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | Northcote City | Northcote City | 1 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Bentleigh Greens | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Northcote City | 1 | | | | | | | | | |

### Grand Final
## Top goalscorers

| Pos | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Luke Flynn | Dandenong Thunder | 17 |
| 2 | Nathaniel Foster Bowen | Dandenong Thunder | 11 |
| 3 | Nicholas Hegarty | Hume City | 11 |
| 4 | Ricky Diaco | Oakleigh Cannons | 10 |
| 5 | Thomas Cahill | Richmond SC | 9 |