Victorian Premier League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the cricket competition, see Victorian Premier Cricket.
The Victorian Premier League (known as the Foxtel Cup in 2007 for sponsorship purposes), is the highest State level football (soccer) competition in Victoria, Australia. Nationally, it is one grade lower than the A-League. It is conducted by the Football Federation Victoria, the state's football (soccer) governing body.
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[edit] History
The league commenced in 1909 with Carlton United being the first champions, and has run continuously except for a three season postponement from 1916-1918 owing to World War 1. After 1945 the league, like fellow state competitions around the country, received a massive boost in numbers and quality with the post-war influx of European migrants, whose dominance was established so effectively that no club that had won the title before 1952, Juventus' first title, has won one since.
Juventus would go on to dominate the league in the 1950's, winning six titles, including five in a row from 1952-1956. From 1962 until 1976 the league was largely dominated by South Melbourne Hellas and Footscray JUST, who won 11 titles between them.
With the creation of the National Soccer League in 1977, the league was gradually drained of most of its stronger clubs, a trend which reached its peak during the period of 1984-1986 when the NSL used a split conference system. Post 1987 however the league slowly started regaining clubs, firstly those which had been discarded when the conference system experiment was abandoned, and later when clubs became permanently relegated by the NSL to their respective state leagues. The dominant side during the years 1977-2004 was Green Gully, who won six titles during this period, despite also missing the years 1984-1986 from being in the NSL.
Following the demise of the NSL in 2004, the remaining two Victorian NSL teams Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne were granted permission to play in the VPL season of 2005. The league received a major boost at the start of the 2005 season when Vodafone became major naming rights sponsors, with the competition being renamed the Vodafone Cup. The 2005 season initially saw crowds flocking in record numbers to witness the return of old derbies such as that between South Melbourne and Heidelberg United, but 2006 saw a sharp decline in attendances.
The end of the 2006 season also saw a controversial finish to the relegation battle. With three teams on finishing on 30 points, Sunshine Georgies were relegated on goal difference. However, a post-season appeal to the tribunal on the grounds that Essendon Royals had fielded a suspended player (Ilcho Mladenovski in round 24) saw the Royals deducted a point and relegated. However the Federation had not notified the Royals of the player's suspension, and got itself out of a potential costly legal battle by retaining both clubs for the 2007 season, and adding the Australian Institute of Sport to even out the numbers, and as the first part of reforms to the competition set to be brought about in 2008.
[edit] V-League
On the 1st of December 2006, it was announced that the Victorian Premier League would be rebranded the V-League, short for Victorian League, and keeping in line with the national equivalent, the A-League. The V-League was to consist of up to twelve teams instead of sixteen, and teams to be given a $200,000 salary cap, and venue requiring at least 500 undercover seats. [1] However, plans to introduce the reforms for the 2008 season were shelved prior to the start of the 2007 season.[2]
[edit] Media Coverage
Coverage of The Foxtel Cup is provided by the local non-profit community television station, Channel 31 Melbourne on The Victorian Football Show, as well Green Gully providing a program of their own on the same network. As with the New South Wales Premier League Grand Final, an edited version of the 2006 decider was also played on the Aurora pay television channel. In 2007, Aurora will also cover the league as part of coverage of various state competitions. Live calls of games were occasionally broadcast on sports radio station SEN 1116, along with discussion on the league, although that station's increased Australian Football League commitments have pushed that coverage aside. Print coverage is generally scant in Melbourne's two major daily newspapers, the Herald Sun and in particular The Age, but more coverage is provided by non-english language newspapers, and free suburban newspapers.
[edit] League Structure
Prior to 1992, the system was almost always first past the post. From 1992 onwards the structure usually followed a system of all teams playing each other twice, with the top five or six at the end of the home and away season playing off in the finals with the bottom two teams at the end of the season being relegated. For season 2007, a 26 round season with finals will be played, meaning some teams play each other only once during the season.
[edit] 2006 Table
| Team | Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakleigh Cannons | 55 | ||||
| 2 | Altona Magic | 43 | ||||
| 3 | South Melbourne FC | 42 | ||||
| 4 | Heidelberg United | 41 | ||||
| 5 | Kingston City FC | 38 | ||||
| 6 | Green Gully Cavaliers | 37 | ||||
| 7 | Preston Lions FC | 37 | ||||
| 8 | Richmond SC | 35 | ||||
| 9 | Bulleen Zebras | 33 | ||||
| 10 | Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues | 31 | ||||
| 11 | Melbourne Knights | 30 | ||||
| 12 | Sunshine Georgies | 30 | ||||
| 13 | Essendon Royals | 29* | ||||
| 14 | Frankston Pines | 23 | ||||
South Melbourne defeated Altona Magic 1-0 in the grand final at Bob Jane Stadium. Sunshine Georgies and Frankston Pines were relegated. However, a post season appeal to the tribunal by Sunshine saw the Essendon Royals deducted 1 point for fielding an ineligible player (owing to an administrative error by the FFV). With the possibility of further appeals and legal action delaying the release of fixtures and even the start of the next season, the FFV decided to keep both Sunshine and Essendon in the VPL, and add a team from the Australian Institute of Sport (who had previously competed in the 1987 competition, though their games didn't count for points) in order to avoid having a bye.
[edit] Champions
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[edit] Clubs participating - 1963-2007
- Albion Leyland/Albion Rovers/Albion Turk Gucu/Melton Reds (1978-79, 1982-1985, 1990-1997)
- Altona City (1977-1981)
- Altona East Phoenix (1999-2002)
- Altona Gate/Altona Magic (1989-)
- Bentleigh Greens (1996-2005)
- Box Hill (1969-1973, 1983-1990, 1995-1996)
- Broadmeadows (1984)
- Broadmeadows City (1987)
- Brunswick Juventus/Juventus (1963-1983, 1989-93)
- Bulleen Lions (1988-1997)
- Bulleen Zebras (1998-2006)
- Caulfield City (1986-1990, 1993)
- Croydon City (1979-84)
- Doncaster Rovers (1995)
- Doveton (1981-1984, 1991)
- Essendon Lions/Lions (1963-1970, 1977)
- Essendon Royals/Triestina ((1964-1965, 2001, 2003-)
- Fawkner Blues (1983-2004, 2007-)
- Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues (2005-2006)
- Fitzroy City (2002)
- Footscray JUST/Melbourne City JUST (1963-1976, 1990)
- Frankston City (1977-1982)
- Frankston Pines (1984-1987, 1989-1990, 2003-2006)
- George Cross Courage/George Cross/Sunshine George Cross (1963-1983, 1992-1999, 2005-)
- Green Gully Cavaliers (1977-1983, 1987-)
- Hakoah. St Kilda/St. Kilda Hellas-Hakoah (1963-1982)
- Heidelberg United/Fitzroy United Alexander/Alexander (1964, 1966-1968, 1970-1976, 1988, 1990, 1996-1998, 2000-2002, 2005-)
- Keilor Austria/Austria (1972-1974)
- Kingston City (2006-)
- Knox City (1984-1985, 1992-1993, 2004)
- Maribyrnong Polonia/Polonia (1963-77, 1982-1989)
- Melbourne Knights/Essendon Croatia/Melbourne Croatia (1963, 1965-72, 1978-1983, 2005-)
- Melbourne/Melbourne Hungaria (1963-1975, 1986)
- Melbourne Raiders (1999-2000)
- Moorabbin City (1998)
- Mooroolbark/Mooroolbark United (1974-1976, 1990-1991)
- Morwell Falcons (1982-1992)
- North Geelong Warriors (1992-1997)
- Northcote City (1981-1991)
- Oakleigh Cannons (1987-1988, 1991-1992, 2000, 2004-)
- Port Melbourne Sharks (1994-2003)
- Port Melbourne Slavia/Prahran Slavia (1963-1970, 1973-80)
- Preston Makedonia/Preston Lions (1967, 1976-80, 1994-1995, 1997-)
- Richmond SC/Alemannia Richmond (1963, 2006-)
- Ringwood City/Ringwood City Wilhelmina (1963-1966, 1968-1986, 1988-1990)
- South Dandenong/Dandeong Thunder (1998-1999, 2001)
- South Melbourne (1963-1976, 1983, 2005-)
- Springvale City (1985-1989, 1993-1996)
- Springvale White Eagles (1997-1999, 2007-)
- St. Albans Saints (1984-2005)
- Sunshine City (1975-1982)
- Thomastown Zebras (1985-1994, 1996-1998)
- Werribee City Bees (1994-1995)
- Western Suburbs SC (1980, 1984-1988, 2007-)
- Westvale (1999)
- Whittlesea Stallions (2002-2004)
- Whittlesea Zebras (2007-)
[edit] References
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