User:Eccy89/List of NSW soccer champions

The Australian soccer champions are the winners of the highest league in Australian men's soccer, which since 2005–06 is currently the A-League Men.

The National Soccer League was established in 1977. At the end of the 1977 season, Sydney City (now Hakoah Sydney City East) were the first club to be crowned champions.

As is the case in most Australian sports, the winners of a post-season playoffs competition, known as the Finals, has traditionally been crowned champion, unlike the first-past-the-post system used in many other countries. The team that finished first-past-the-post was often referred to as the Minor Premiers while the Finals winning team was awarded the Premiership. In an attempt to create more prestige around the first-past-the-post title, it was renamed the Premiership and the finals winning team is now awarded the Championship.

Background
In 1977, the Australian Soccer Association established the National Soccer League (NSL) of Australia, which included teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The competition ran a promotion-relegation system for its entire lifespan as well as a knockout cup competition.

For the first seven seasons, the NSL awarded the championship to the team that finished first-past-the-post and was dominated by Sydney-based teams. By the mid-80s, the league had introduced a post-season playoffs competition that would crown the champions and the title was shared more evenly around the nation. Seasons initially ran over the winter months until 1989 when it was changed to the summer months to avoid conflicts with Australian rules football and the two rugby codes. By 2000, each major capital city had secured at least one NSL title outside of Perth. The Perth Glory made history in 2002–03 when they were crowned champions and the victory meant the five major cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney had all secured at least one NSL title over the duration of the league's history.

The National Soccer League was disbanded in 2004 and an 8-team A-League Men competition was established in 2005, which included a salary cap and no promotion-relegation. Adelaide, Newcastle and Perth were the only NSL teams retained in the new competition. It included one team from each of the major capital cities, two regional teams and a team from New Zealand. As is the case in many sporting leagues in Australia, a New Zealand-based team has been allowed entry into the top tiered Australian league since 1999. The decision to retain a New Zealand-based team in the top league has proved problematic in recent years due to Football Federation Australia's decision to move from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. As a result, a New Zealand-based team can be crowned Premiers and/or Champions of Australia but is ineligible to compete in the Asian Champions League.

Total championships won
There are 21 clubs who have won an Australian championship (either by winning the grand final or finishing top of the league in the seasons without a grand final), including eight who have won the A-League Men (2005–present). The most recent clubs to win their inaugural championship were Western United (2021–22 champions), Melbourne City (2020–21) and Adelaide United (2015–16).

Six teams have finished as runner-up without ever winning the championship: Heidelberg United (1979, 1980), Preston Lions (1987), Sydney United 58 (1988, 1996–97, 1998–99), Carlton (1997–98), Parramatta Power (2003–04) and Western Sydney Wanderers (2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16).

Teams in bold compete in the A-League Men as of the 2022–23 season.

Total Premierships won
Teams in bold will compete in the A-League as of the 2022–23 season.

Total Cups won
All-time honour board This list includes all Waratah Cup champions and runners-up since the inaugural New South Wales Federation of Soccer Clubs in 1957.

National Champions (?)
Only includes national champions when qualifying for national cups from the top tier of NSW. It does not include NSW clubs winning national cups when competing in national leagues, e.g. NSL or A-League

The Treble
Note: In the 2008–09 season Melbourne Victory won all three pieces of A-League silverware on offer, the Pre-Season Challenge Cup, the Premiership, and the Championship.

National Premier Leagues NSW Pre-Season Cup
Please note the following:
 * From 1957–1990: The inaugural pre-season cup began as the William Kennard Cup before changing names to the Ampol Cup in 1959 and the NSW Bank Cup in 1987 for sponsorship reasons. This tournament lasted for 33 seasons before being discontinued.
 * From 2004–2008: A new pre-season tournament was created, named the Johnny Warren Cup after the great Socceroo, Johnny Warren. This was discontinued after four editions until the formation of the National Premier Leagues.
 * From 2013–2015: There were three editions of the IGA Pre-Season Cup before being discontinued in 2016. No further pre-season replacement cups exist.

Source: www.ozfootball.net

Note: All seasons were exclusive to NSW Tier 1 clubs only.

Multiple title winners
Clubs in bold play in the A-League.