Football Victoria

Football Victoria began operation in 1884 under the name Anglo Australian Football Association of Victoria and is one of the oldest sporting associations in Victoria.[1] It has had several name changes over the years, but has survived as the governing body of soccer in Victoria since this time.

In 2009, player registrations for soccer in Victoria passed 50,000, the highest number in the federation's history.[2]

In May 2018, Peter Filopoulos was appointed CEO and held that post until August 2020 when he was appointed [Head of Marketing, Communications and Corporate Affairs] at Football Australia.

During this period Peter drove a new strategic agenda, FootbALLways and strong participation growth of 24% in 2018 and 29% in 2019, unlocking over $300M in government funding to address the grassroots facilities gap in Victoria and a leading the Home of the Matildas project and developing a business case for a $116M world class national training centre and successfully securing government funding support from the Federal and State Governments.

In September 2020, upon the departure of Peter Filopoulos, Kimon Taliadoros vacated the position of President and stepped into the role of Interim CEO until he was appointed formally into the role of CEO in February 2021. Antonella Care became President at the same time.

In 2018, the federation was renamed from "Football Federation Victoria" to "Football Victoria".[3]

Football Federation Victoria oversees all aspects of the sport within the state, however there are twelve regional associations that manage local leagues and competitions in their areas.

• Albury Wodonga Football Association
• Ballarat & District Soccer Association
• Bendigo Amateur Soccer League
• Cobram Junior Soccer Association
• Football Federation Victoria Geelong Region
• Gippsland Soccer League
• Latrobe Valley Soccer League
• Moama-Echuca Soccer Association
• Shepparton Junior Soccer Association
• Football Federation Victoria Sunraysia
• Swan Hill Soccer League
• South West Victorian Football Association

For the full soccer pyramid in Australia, see Australian soccer league system.

The soccer pyramid in Victoria comprises the seven levels of soccer in Victoria below the A-League. It has a hierarchical format that features promotion and relegation between all levels (aside from the A-League and regional leagues). All clubs in the system are eligible for entry to the FFA Cup, and are seeded in accordance to tier standing.

For the 2013 season, Football Federation Victoria announced a restructure of the league.[4] Tiers 5, 6 and 7, which were previously known as Provisional League 1, 2 and 3 respectively were removed, as was the Metropolitan League (tier 8). They were replaced by State League 4 and 5, divided geographically into North, East, South and West divisions, thus making State League 5 the lowest division in which are club can theoretically be promoted into the VPL. The Victorian Premier League and State League 1 to 3 remained the same.

2013 will also see the inaugural State League Champions series take place in Victoria. The champion of each league from State League 1 and below will play a finals series against the champions of other regions in their division as follows:

• State League 1 North-West v South-East
• State League 2 North-West vs South-East
• State League 3 North-West vs South-East
• State League 4 North vs West & South vs East, with winners meeting in a final
• State League 5 North vs West & South vs East, with winners meeting in a final

Various regional leagues that are affiliated with the FFV, although they are not connected to the Victorian soccer pyramid and thus there is no promotion or relegation between them. These leagues include Bayside FA Premier, Gippsland Soccer League, North Eastern Soccer League, Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, Ballarat & District Soccer Association, Geelong Regional Football Association and South West Victorian Football Association, as well as various junior leagues.

• Football Federation Victoria Official website