The Western Premier League is a regional Australian association football league, comprising teams from the Central West region of New South Wales. The competition is run under the Western NSW Football body, an associate of Football NSW - a member federation of Football Australia. It fits below the national A-League and NSW wide divisions including National Premier Leagues NSW, being level 5 league in the Australian league system.
| Founded | 1994 (reformed in 2020) |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Current champions | Orange Waratahs (5th title) (2022) |
| Current premiers | Orange Waratahs (5th title) (2022) |
| Current: 2023 Western Premier League season | |
History edit
The Western Premier League was founded in 1994 as the Central West Soccer League, with East Dubbo United taking out the inaugural championship, defeating Bathurst 75 on penalties 4–3 in the grand final, after the score was locked at 2-all at the end of extra-time.
The competition ran from 1994 until the end of 2012 before collapsing after Westside Panthers and Dubbo Bulls all pulled out in quick succession, leaving just three teams in the competition.[1] The competition was later revived ahead of the 2020 season, with nine teams initially entering the first WPL season in eight years,[2] later reduced to seven teams by July when the season commenced after a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Format edit
As of the 2023 season, the competition consists of nine teams from around the Central West region of New South Wales. Each team will play each other twice, to form a 18-round, round robin format. The current finals format is yet to be determined, but it will concluded with a grand final to determine the champion, usually held at the ground of the highest-ranked team.
Current clubs and location edit
The following clubs will participate in the 2023 Western Premier League:
| Club | Location | Ground | Founded | Champions | Champions years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathurst 75 | Bathurst | Proctor Park | 1975 | 7 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2023 |
| Barnstoneworth United | Orange | Sir Jack Brabham Park | 1998 | 0 | |
| Dubbo Bulls | Dubbo | Hans Claven Oval Victoria Park Apex Oval |
2005 | 4 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2020 |
| Macquarie United (Dubbo) | Dubbo | Hans Claven Oval Victoria Park Apex Oval |
2013 | 0 | |
| Orana Spurs | Dubbo | Hans Claven Oval Victoria Park Apex Oval |
1992 | 1 | 2001 |
| Orange Waratahs | Orange | Waratah Sports Ground | 1967 | 5 | 1995, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2022 |
| Panorama | Bathurst | Proctor Park | 2012 | 0 | |
| Parkes Cobras | Parkes | Woodward Oval Harrison Park |
2020 | 0 |
Former clubs edit
| Club | Location | Founded | Champions | Champions years | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathurst City Red Tops | Bathurst | 0 | Bathurst District Football | ||
| Bathurst City Colts | Bathurst | 0 | Disbanded | ||
| Canobolas Rangers | Orange | 1 | 1999 | Orange & District Football Association | |
| Cowra Wildcats | Cowra | 0 | Disbanded | ||
| East Dubbo United | Dubbo | 1984 | 1 | 1994 | Dubbo & District Football Association |
| Lithgow City Rangers | Lithgow | 1970 | 0 | Bathurst District Football | |
| Lithgow Workmen's | Lithgow | 1982 | 0 | Bathurst District Football | |
| Macquarie United (Bathurst) | Bathurst | 1984 | 0 | Bathurst District Football | |
| Mudgee Wolves | Mudgee | 0 | Bathurst District Football | ||
| Orange CYMS | Orange | 1975 | 0 | Orange & District Football Association | |
| Oxford United | Bathurst | 0 | Disbanded | ||
| SASS Strikers | Dubbo | 0 | Dubbo & District Football Association | ||
| Westside Panthers | Dubbo | 1979 | 3 | 2004, 2008, 2009 | Dubbo & District Football Association |
| Young Rebels | Young | 0 | Disbanded |
Grand final results edit
| * | Match went to extra time |
| † | Match decided via a penalty shoot-out after extra time |
| ‡ | Winning team won the Double (Grand final and minor premiership) |
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Venue's city/town | Minor premiers | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | East Dubbo United | 2–2† | Bathurst 75 | Marjorie Jackson Oval | Lithgow | 6 | |
| 1995 | Orange Waratahs | 1–0 | Canobolas Rangers | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | 7 | |
| 1996 | Bathurst 75 | 3–0 | Macquarie United (Bathurst) | Waratah Sports Ground | Orange | Bathurst 75 | 6 |
| 1997 | Bathurst 75 | 1–0 | Orange CYMS | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 6 |
| 1998 | Bathurst 75 | 3–0 | Orange Waratahs | Waratah Sports Ground | Orange | Bathurst 75 | 7 |
| 1999 | Canobolas Rangers | 3–0 | Orange CYMS | Jack Brabham Park | Orange | Orange Waratahs | 8 |
| 2000 | Orange Waratahs | 3–1 | Orange CYMS | Waratah Sports Ground | Orange | Orange Waratahs | 8 |
| 2001 | Orana Spurs | 2–1 | East Dubbo United | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | East Dubbo United | 8 |
| 2002 | Bathurst 75 | 3–2 | Westside Panthers | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | Westside Panthers | 8 |
| 2003 | Bathurst 75 | 0–0† | Canobolas Rangers | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 8 |
| 2004 | Westside Panthers | 1–0 | Bathurst 75 | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | Westside Panthers | 7 |
| 2005 | Bathurst 75 | 1–0 | Dubbo Bulls | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 6 |
| 2006 | Orange Waratahs | 0–0† | Bathurst 75 | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 7 |
| 2007 | Orange Waratahs | 1–0 | Bathurst 75 | Alec Lamberton Field | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 7 |
| 2008 | Westside Panthers | 3–3† | Bathurst 75 | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | Westside Panthers | 7 |
| 2009 | Westside Panthers | 3–3† | Orange Waratahs | Jack Brabham Park | Orange | Orange Waratahs | 6 |
| 2010 | Dubbo Bulls | 1–1† | Orange Waratahs | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | Orange Waratahs | 6 |
| 2011 | Dubbo Bulls | 3–1 | Westside Panthers | Lady Cutler Oval | Dubbo | Dubbo Bulls | 5 |
| 2012 | Dubbo Bulls | 3–1 | Orange Waratahs | Waratah Sports Ground | Orange | Dubbo Bulls | 5 |
Competition disbanded between 2013-2019
| |||||||
| 2020 | Dubbo Bulls | 2–1 | Macquarie United (Dubbo) | Apex Oval | Dubbo | Macquarie United (Dubbo) | 7 |
| 2021 | 9 | ||||||
| 2022 | Orange Waratahs | 2–1 | Panorama | Waratah Sports Ground | Orange | Orange Waratahs | 11 |
| 2023 | Bathurst 75 | 2–1 | Barnstoneworth United | Proctor Park | Bathurst | Bathurst 75 | 8 |
Performance by club edit
There are seven clubs who have won the Western Premier League title.
Teams in bold compete in the Western Premier League as of the 2022 season.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years | Runners-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathurst 75 | 7 | 5 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2023 | 1994, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| Orange Waratahs | 5 | 4 | 1995, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2022 | 1998, 2009, 2010 2012 |
| Dubbo Bulls | 4 | 1 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2020 | 2005 |
| Westside Panthers | 3 | 2 | 2004, 2008, 2009 | 2002, 2011 |
| Canobolas Rangers | 1 | 2 | 1999 | 1995, 2003 |
| East Dubbo United | 1 | 1 | 1994 | 2001 |
| Orana Spurs | 1 | 0 | 2001 | |
| Orange CYMS | 0 | 3 | 1997, 1999, 2000 | |
| Macquarie United (Bathurst) | 0 | 1 | 1996 | |
| Macquarie United (Dubbo) | 0 | 1 | 2020 | |
| Panorama | 0 | 1 | 2022 | |
| Barnstoneworth United | 0 | 1 | 2023 |
Lower grades edit
Reserve Grade edit
- 1994 - Lithgow Workmen's
- 1995 - Canobolas Rangers
- 1996 - Bathurst 75
- 1997 - Bathurst 75
- 1998 - Bathurst 75
- 1999 - Canobolas Rangers
- 2000 - East Dubbo United
- 2001 - Bathurst 75
- 2002 - Bathurst 75
- 2003 - Orange Waratahs
- 2004 - Orana Spurs
- 2005 - Orange Waratahs
- 2006 - Bathurst 75
- 2007 - Canobolas Rangers
- 2008 - Orange Waratahs
- 2009 - Westside Panthers
- 2010 - Dubbo Bulls
- 2011 - Orange Waratahs
- 2012 - Dubbo Bulls
Under 18s edit
- 1995 - Canobolas Rangers
- 1996 - Cowra Wildcats
- 1999 - Lithgow City Rangers
- 2001 - Dubbo SASS
- 2002 - Dubbo SASS
- 2003 - Orana Spurs
- 2004 - Bathurst 75
- 2005 - Orange Waratahs
- 2006 - Dubbo Bulls
- 2007 - Westside Panthers
- 2008 - Westside Panthers
- 2009 - Orana Spurs
- 2010 - Lithgow Workmen's
- 2011 - Dubbo Bulls
- 2012 - Dubbo Bulls
Top scorers edit
- As of 24 June 2023. Includes both regular season and finals goals.
| Rank | Player | Years | Clubs | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gareth Williams
|
2020– | Dubbo Bulls | 26 |
| Craig Sugden
|
2021–2022 | Orange Waratahs | ||
| 3 | Alec Bateson
|
2020–2022 | Parkes Cobras | 25 |
| 4 | Alex Richardson-Bell
|
2020– | Dubbo Bulls | 24 |
| 5 | Blake Austin
|
2020– | Dubbo Bulls | 22 |
| 6 | Jaiden Culbert
|
2021– | Panorama | 20 |
| Logan Inwood
|
2020–2022 | Lithgow Workmen's | ||
| 8 | Mitch Hutchings
|
2021– | Parkes Cobras | 18 |
| Jacob Soetens-Chidiac
|
2020–2022 | Panorama | ||
| Agieg Aluk
|
2022– | Bathurst 75 |
Bold denotes players that has scored in the current 2023 Western Premier League season.
References edit
- ^ Western Premier League's 2020 revival all but confirmed in Western Advocate 2 February 2020
- ^ Western Premier League officially confirmed to return in 2020 in Western Advocate 17 February 2020
- ^ Western Premier League season abandoned due to COVID lockdown in Daily Liberal, 26 August, 2021