1984 National Soccer League
The 1984 National Soccer League season was the eighth season of the National Soccer League in Australia. This season saw a restructure of the league, introducing a split into two geographical divisions, and an expansion from 16 to 24 teams. A Northern Conference comprised 12 clubs from New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, and a Southern Conference consisted of 12 Victorian, South Australian, and Queensland clubs.
| Season | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 March – 28 October 1984 |
| Champions | South Melbourne 1st title |
| Premiers | Sydney City South Melbourne |
| Relegated | Melita Eagles |
| Matches played | 350 |
| Goals scored | 969 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Duggie Brown (22) |
| Biggest home win | West Adelaide 7–0 Sunshine George Cross (29 April 1984) Sydney City 8–1 Newcastle Rosebud United (9 May 1984) South Melbourne 7–0 Newcastle Rosebud United (22 July 1984) |
| Biggest away win | Penrith City 1–7 Marconi Fairfield (22 April 1984) |
| Highest scoring | Sydney City 8–1 Newcastle Rosebud United (9 May 1984) |
| Highest attendance | 12,000 Brunswick Zebras 2–1 South Melbourne (8 April 1984) |
| Lowest attendance | 250 Penrith City 2–0 Brisbane City (15 April 1984) |
| Total attendance | 885,776 |
| Average attendance | 2,788 |
← 1983 1985 → | |
This season also saw the introduction of the two well-supported Croatian clubs, Melbourne Croatia and Sydney Croatia, both of which had had recent success in the state-leagues.
For the first time in the competition, a finals system was introduced, whereby the five highest finishing teams in each conference had a playoff to determine a conference winner. The two conference winners then played each other in a two-legged Grand Final to be declared champions. The Grand Final was won by South Melbourne over Sydney Olympic.