Football Tasmania will take a State NPL XI to Perth to battle it out against Western Australia’s best NPL players at the end of this season.
Football West - in partnership with Citrus Promotions and Soccer Sensations by Rhys Williams - has thrown down the gauntlet, inviting Tasmania to a one-off match at the Inglewood United Football Facility at 6pm on Saturday 19 September.
Each year, Football Tasmania acknowledges a ‘Team of the Year’ for both the NPL and WSL, which is announced at the end of season awards night.
In 2026, the Team of the Year will be selected at the close of the regular NPL season in early August, to allow enough time for the team to train around the five-week finals series.
The side will be coached by the peer-elected Coach of the Year. All NPL coaches will be invited to vote for a starting line-up, with the caveat that they can’t choose any of their current squad.
CEO Tony Pignata OAM said the event was an opportunity for Tasmania to test itself against another State’s top players.
“For the team that makes the Hahn Australia Cup (this year, the Kingborough Lions, who won Monday’s Lakoseljac Cup final) and the Australian Championship (contested by the side that wins the NPL title at the end of the season), there is already a pathway to bigger and better games against some of the top sides around the country.
“This is an opportunity for great Tassie players outside of those teams to also show their stuff on a bigger stage, and is an added incentive for giving their all, regardless of their NPL side’s performance this season. It’s also an opportunity for our top coach to work with other talented players outside of their regular squad.
“I know that we’ll give Western Australia a run for their money, and I can’t wait to see our State NPL XI take shape in preparation.
“As a former WA resident during my time at Perth Glory, there’s serious bragging rights on the line and I know my counterpart, Football West CEO Jamie Harnwell, is as excited as I am."