The PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues is marked as the national football banner in Australia that acts as the second tier of competition below the Hyundai A-League.

Entering its fourth year since inception, the semi-professional PlayStation 4 NPL spans eight State and Territory competitions, with Northern New South Wales Football (NNSWF) managing the Northern sector of New South Wales division. 

Over 35 players who participated in PlayStation 4 NPL competitions last season went on to sign professional contracts with Hyundai A-League clubs confirming the PlayStation 4 NPL as the ‘engine room’ of player development and the best pathway for a professional football career. 

Across Northern New South Wales, players such as Andrew Hoole, Ben Kantarovski, Jason Hoffman, Taylor Regan and Nigel Boogard have played in the local National Premier League competition and gone on to have professional careers in the Hyundai A-League. 

This year, PlayStation 4 has introduced the inaugural PS4™ Player Pathway Award to give 24 aspiring footballers (aged 16-20) around the country a shot at a professional career. The aim of the award is to uncover some of Australia’s hidden football talent to become Hyundai A-League stars of tomorrow. 

Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Michael Ephraim said, “The PS4 NPL is widely recognised as the engine room for the future of professional league football in Australia. By introducing the PS4 Player Pathway Award we are offering another opportunity for players who have missed selection through traditional routes to follow their dreams into the A-League.”

With the support of FFA, PlayStation Australia and Northern NSW Football, the Player Pathway Award seeks to celebrate the vibrant communities found in grassroots football. As official spokesperson for the award, Adam Peacock will front a new show called “The Ones to Watch” where he will follow some of our brightest PS4 NPL stars from all around Australia on their journey through the Player Pathway Award.

“I am really looking forward to following the PS4 NPL talent as part of the Ones to Watch series because football is about more than just a sport – it’s about the players’ stories, the communities, the determination and the passion for our beautiful game,” said Peacock.

A number of players to have made an impression in the PlayStation 4 NPL Northern NSW competition last season who are eligible for the PS4 Player Pathway Award include Jayden Barber (Broadmeadow Magic), Lachlan Pasquale (Edgeworth Eagles), Tom Davies (Hamilton Olympic) and Jye McKellar (Maitland FC).

Northern NSW Football’s Chief Executive Officer, David Eland, believes the new PS4 Player Pathway Award will bring even greater interest to the game as well as giving talented young players something further to aspire to.

“The new PS4 Player Pathway Award is a terrific initiative and provides another opportunity for young players to get noticed and chase their dream of becoming a professional footballer,” Eland said.

The PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues Northern NSW 2016 Season commences on Saturday 9^th April 2016.