Eight clubs eyeing national success in PS4 NPL Finals Series

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The first four matches of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) National Premier Leagues (NPL) 2017 Finals Series will be held this weekend with two games to be played on both Saturday and Sunday.

The PS4 NPL Finals Series brings together the eight teams who finished top of their respective PS4 NPL standings at the end of their regular seasons to determine Australia’s best PS4 NPL side.

2017 marks the fifth edition of the PS4 NPL Finals Series, which was last year won by Sydney United 58 FC from New South Wales. Sydney United 58 FC also won the inaugural competition in 2013, while MetroStars SC from South Australia (2014) and Blacktown City FC from New South Wales (2015) have also been crowned Champions of the series in the past.

This year’s PS4 NPL Finals Series will kick off at Adelaide City Park in Oakden, South Australia when Adelaide City FC hosts APIA Leichhardt Tigers at 2:00pm local time (2:30pm AEST).

Saturday’s action will continue in the nation’s capital when Canberra Olympic hosts Northern New South Wales’ Edgeworth Eagles FC at Deakin Stadium from 5:00pm eastern.

On Sunday the focus of the series will shift south to Tasmania as South Hobart FC lines up against Queensland’s representative, Brisbane Strikers. Kick-off in this match at Darcy Street will be at 12:30pm eastern.

The final match in the first phase of the series will be held in Western Australia at 12:00pm local time (2:00pm AEST) on Sunday when Bayswater City welcomes Victoria’s Heidelberg United FC to Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium in Inglewood.

The PS4 NPL Finals Series draw was conducted via live stream in February this year. Please find attached the PS4 NPL 2017 Finals Series draw in full.

The winner of the PS4 NPL 2017 Finals Series will receive automatic entry into the Round of 32 of the Westfield FFA Cup 2018, providing an added incentive for the eight clubs taking part.

Every match in the PS4 NPL 2017 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). Games can also be accessed live via PS4 consoles.

The PS4 NPL 2017 Finals Series could also make Australian football history this year, with an IFAB (International Football Association Board) trial of a new penalty system in place. Should any matches go to penalties, team ‘A’ will shoot first, followed by two penalties from team ‘B’, then two penalties from team ‘A’, and so on until a winner is achieved.

The system, which can be compared to a tiebreak in tennis and is known as ‘ABBA’, is currently being trialled in English Football League (EFL) competitions, and has recently been used a variety of continental and international youth tournaments.

The PS4 NPL 2017 Finals Series schedule is as follows:

Match 1

Saturday 16 September 2017

Adelaide City FC (Football Federation SA) vs APIA Leichhardt Tigers (Football NSW) – Adelaide City Park, Oakden, SA – 2:30pm

Match 2

Sunday 17 September 2017

Bayswater City (Football West) vs Heidelberg United FC (Football Federation Victoria) – Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium, Inglewood, WA – 2:00pm

Match 3

Saturday 16 September 2017  

Canberra Olympic (Capital Football) vs Edgeworth Eagles FC (Northern NSW Football) – Deakin Stadium, Deakin, ACT – 5:00pm

Match 4

Sunday 17 September 2017

South Hobart FC (Football Federation Tasmania) vs Brisbane Strikers (Football Queensland – Darcy St, South Hobart, TAS – 12:30pm

PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues 2016 Semi Finals                             

Match 5 – 23/24 Sep 2017 Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2 Host to be determined by points system

Match 6 – 23/24 Sept 2017 Winner of Match 3 vs Winner of Match 4 Host to be determined by points system

PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues 2016 Grand Final                             

Match 7 – Sep 30/Oct 1 2017 Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 6 Host to be determined by points system

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.