The Premiership winning side in the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s competition will take on the equivalent from South Australia as the matchups for the PS4 NPL 2016 Finals Series were decided after a draw was conducted at Football Federation Australia (FFA) headquarters.

NSW have been successful in the last few years as Sydney United 58 FC took out the inaugural NPL Finals Series in 2013 while Blacktown City took out the 2015 crown.

The draw gave clubs competing in the eight PS4 NPL competitions around the country a glimpse of which State/Territory they will face in the PS4 NPL 2016 Finals Series should they finish on top of their respective leagues at the conclusion of the home and away season.

The draw saw the eight Member Federations numbered in alphabetical order and was conducted by PlayStation 4 NPL General Manager, Mal Impiombato, and Managing Director Australia/NZ & Vice President Europe Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Michael Ephraim.

Match 1 of the Elimination Finals will feature Football West hosting Football Federation Tasmania, while Match 2 sees Football Federation Victoria at home to Northern NSW Football.

In Match 3, Capital Football will travel north to face Football Queensland, with the last Elimination Final drawn out pitting Football NSW against Football Federation South Australia.

The winner of Match 1 will take on the winner of Match 2 in the first Semi Final, with the winner of Match 3 taking on the winner of Match 4 in the other Semi Final. Similarly to previous years, the host clubs of the Semi Finals and Grand Final will be determined by a points system.

This was the first time in the competition’s four year history the matchups for the PS4 NPL Finals Series were determined by an open draw, unlike previously when the groupings were based on each State/Territory’s geographical location.

The draw also included the unveiling of a new Delta HyperSeam match ball for this year’s Final Series courtesy of Mitre, one of the world’s leading football brands and official ball partner of the PS4 NPL 2016 Finals Series.

“Mitre is very pleased to be providing the official ball to this year’s NPL final series,” said Gerrard Woods, Sportgroup Wholesaler Mitre Australia.

“This year we believe we’re providing players with an unrivalled ball to help players perform to their best in this great regional competition. The Delta Hyperseam fuses both a bonded and stitched construction to deliver optimum in-play consistency, and aerodynamic control.

“The ball is engineered with 12 identical symmetrical panels, which helps the ball fly more accurate, at higher speeds. We at Mitre have absolutely no doubt that the Delta Hyperseam will deliver exciting match play, and contribute to enjoyable tournament for players and fans alike.”

The PlayStation 4 NPL Finals Series is a national knockout competition for the first placed clubs of Australia’s eight PS4 NPL competitions.

Consisting of four Elimination Finals, two Semi Finals before culminating in the Grand Final, the winning club of the PS4 NPL Finals Series will be crowned PS4 NPL Champions of Australia while also securing automatic entry into the Round of 32 of next year’s Westfield FFA Cup.

All Elimination Final matches in the PS4 NPL 2016 Finals Series will be played on the weekend of 17-18 September. The match details and competing clubs will be decided in due course. All of the relevant information and details around the PS4 NPL 2016 Finals Series can be found on www.nationalpremierleagues.com.au

ELIMINATION FINALS (17-18 September 2016)

SEMI FINALS (24-25 September 2016)

GRAND FINAL (1-3 October 2016)

POINTS SYSTEM TO DETERMINE HOSTS OF SEMI FINALS AND GRAND FINAL

In order to determine the host Member Federation clubs for the Semi Finals and Grand Final, the following points system will apply at the conclusion of the Elimination Finals and the Semi Finals:

·         Win within regulation time = 3 points

·         Win during extra time = 2 points

·         Win on penalty shootout = 1 point

·         Goals scored (excluding penalty shootouts) = 3 points

·         Goals conceded (excluding penalty shootouts) = -1 point

·         Yellow cards = -1 point

·         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.

For further information about the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues including links to the eight competing Member Federation websites, visit www.nationalpremierleagues.com.au