After 317 games and over 1,000 goals, the National Premier League (NPL) Victoria Men and Women’s seasons came to an end this weekend, with Heidelberg United and Box Hill United being crowned respective Champions.
Both matches lived up to the hype, delivering everything fans could have hoped for. Plenty of goals, mind-blowing saves, new heroes to cheer on and not a drop of rain.
The weekend was the icing on an incredible year of NPL football in Victoria, both on and off the pitch – and the numbers are staggering.
A combined 13,717 fans in full voice attended The Home of The Matildas and Lakeside Stadium to watch the two Senol NPL Victoria Grand Finals.
At the time of writing, views for the two games have surpassed 70,000 views on the NPL Victoria YouTube, already more than twice as many as the 2024 Grand Finals fetched.
Both of those numbers are indicative of the year of growth and interest the league has enjoyed in 2025.
The NPL Victoria YouTube channel has seen an enormous increase in both viewership numbers and channel followers.
NPL Victoria matches have received an astonishing 2.8 million views so far in 2025.
Fans have consumed over 468,000 hours of Victorian football, with the YouTube account attracting 8,500 new followers.
Since launching a dedicated Instagram account for the NPL following the 2024 season, the NPL Victoria Instagram account has grown to more than 6,600 followers.
Across the three-week window of the Senol NPL Finals Series, the NPL Victoria Instagram account has had 2.9 million views.
Football Victoria Interim CEO, Dan Birrell highlighted NPL Victoria's exposure following the weekend’s matches.
There’s an electrifying buzz around NPL Victoria right now. The quality of football being played in this state is the best in the country and football fans from across Australia are consuming it.
Victorian clubs are going deep into national competitions like the Hahn Australia Cup, and the A-Leagues are littered with former NPL Victoria Men’s and Women’s players, which in turn brings new fans to our competitions.
Our role now is to support our clubs as they continue to grow and ensure that when fans are inspired to play, their local club has everything they need to give them the best experience possible.
Thank you to everyone who supported the NPL Men’s and Women’s competitions in 2025 – we cannot wait to see you again in 2026.
The immense exposure of the leagues has the potential to build incredible momentum for football - but with that comes responsibility. While the Men’s Grand Final was a wonderful showcase for our game, it was unfortunately marred by a significant number of flare incidents, that created unsafe conditions for fans, players, match officials and staff. Football Victoria is investigating and will hold those found responsible accountable. If you have any relevant footage or information, please submit it to discipline@footballvictoria.com.au.
As our game grows, we have an even greater platform to celebrate what makes it special. We must collectively ensure we protect it by not allowing avoidable moments to overshadow the achievements of our players and clubs.
While the NPL goes into off-season mode now until early 2026, the NPL Victoria channels will keep you across NPLM & NPLW player movements – and fans will still be able to support some of the NPL Men's teams over the coming months.
Heidelberg United now take on Newcastle United in the Hahn Australia Cup Final on October 4, before they join Preston, Avondale and South Melbourne in the inaugural Australian Championship from October 10th.