One week after the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland Grand Final, 2018 Premiers Lions FC will host Edgeworth FC from Northern New South Wales Football in their NPL Finals Series Elimination Final.
The NPL Finals Series brings together the eight teams who finished top of their respective NPL standings at the end of their regular seasons to determine Australia’s best NPL side.
It will kick off next weekend when Devonport Strikers FC from Tasmania host last year’s Champions Heidelberg United FC from Victoria at Valley Road in the first of the Elimination Finals.
The remaining three Elimination Finals will be played over 15-16 September when Lions host the Eagles, with Canberra FC (ACT) and Campbelltown City SC (SA) and Sydney Olympic FC (NSW) and Perth SC (WA) also going head-to-head that weekend.
The winner of the NPL 2018 Finals Series will receive automatic entry into the FFA Cup 2019 Final Rounds, providing an added incentive for the eight clubs taking part.
Every match in the NPL 2018 Finals Series will be streamed LIVE on www.nationalpremierleagues.com.au as well as via the official Hyundai A-League Facebook page (www.facebook.com/aleague).
The NPL 2018 Finals Series schedule is as follows:
| National Premier Leagues 2018 Elimination Finals | Venue | Kick-Off (local) | Kick-Off (AEST) | |||
| Match 1: Sunday, 16 September 2018 | Sydney Olympic FC (NSW) | vs | Perth SC (WA) | Lambert Park, Leichhardt, NSW | 3:30pm | 3:30pm |
| Match 2: Saturday, 15 September 2018 | Canberra FC (ACT) | vs | Campbelltown City SC (SA) | Deakin Stadium, Deakin, ACT | 5:00pm | 5:00pm |
| Match 3: Saturday, 8 September 2018 | Devonport Strikers FC (TAS) | vs | Heidelberg United FC (VIC) | Valley Road, Devonport, TAS | 6:00pm | 6:00pm |
| Match 4: Saturday, 15 September 2018 | Lions FC (QLD) | vs | Edgeworth FC (NNSW) | Lions Stadium, Richlands, QLD | 7:30pm | 7:30pm |
| National Premier Leagues 2018 Semi Finals | ||||||
| Match 5: 22/23 September 2018 | Winner of Match 1 | vs | Winner of Match 2 | Host to be determined by points system | ||
| Match 6: 22/23 September 2018 * | Winner of Match 3 | vs | Winner of Match 4 | Host to be determined by points system* | ||
| National Premier Leagues 2018 Grand Final | ||||||
| Match 7: 29/30 September 2018 | Winner of Match 5 | vs | Winner of Match 6 | Host to be determined by points system | ||
*Please note this is subject to change
POINTS SYSTEM TO DETERMINE HOSTS OF SEMI FINALS AND GRAND FINAL:
To determine the host Member Federation clubs for the Semi Finals and Grand Final, the following points system will apply.
- Win within normal time (i.e. 90 minutes) = 3 points
- Win during extra time = 2 points
- Win on penalties = 1 point
- Goals scored by home team (excluding penalty shootouts) = 3 points
- Goals scored by away team (excluding penalty shootouts) = 4 points
- Goals conceded (excluding penalty shootouts) = -1 point
- Yellow cards = -1 point; and
- Red cards = -3 points
The host of the Grand Final will be determined by the club with the highest accumulation of points across the Elimination Finals and Semi Finals.
Note: In the event that Heidelberg United is successful in Match 3, they will progress to Match 6 and be deemed the away club for this fixture regardless of the NPL Finals Series points system. FFA shall determine the match details for this fixture in its sole and absolute discretion.
