| Countries | Victoria, Australia |
|---|---|
| Confederation | Asia |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Promotion to | N/A |
| Relegation to | N/A |
| Domestic cup(s) | Mirabella Cup |
| Current champions | Fortuna 60 |
| Website | Gippsland Soccer |
The Gippsland Soccer League was founded in 1973 and consists of 17 soccer teams and encompasses a competition that is competed between all age groups.
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The GSL features three senior grades, the Seniors (First Division), Reserves and Second Division along with Junior grades, from Under 7's to Under 16's. 1 The introduction of a women's league in 2008, has seen a number of sides putting a women's team together.
Falcons 2000, an offshoot club from Gippsland Falcons, play in the Gippsland Soccer League and play at Falcons Park which is the home of soccer in the Gippsland Soccer League.
Morwell Pegasus also feature in the Gippsland Soccer League's junior divisions, however its senior team plays in the State League Division 2 South-East, two divisions below the Victorian Premier League, having won promotion at the end of the 2008 season.
Warragul United's senior and reserve sides compete in the Provisional League Division One South-East.
The GSL currently comprises 10 teams in Seniors and Reserves with 13 teams in the Second Division. 10 of the clubs also have teams copmeting in the women's league.
| Club | Town | Founded | Nickname | Colours | Home Ground | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill United | Churchill | 1969 | Rams | Grey & Red | Hazelwood South Reserve | [1] |
| Falcons 2000 | Morwell | 1961 | Falcons | Sky Blue & Navy Blue | Latrobe City Soccer Stadium | [2] |
| Fortuna 60 | Morwell | 1960 | Lions | Orange & Black | Crinigan Road South Reserve | [3] |
| Moe United | Moe | 1952 | Red Devils | Red, Black & White | Olympic Park | |
| Monash | Newborough | 1958 | Wolves | Yellow & Black | Monash Reserve | [4] |
| Morwell Pegasus* | Morwell | 1959 | The Flying Horse | Maroon & Sky Blue | Ronald Reserve | [5] |
| Newborough/Yallourn | Newborough | Navy Blue | Burrage Reserve | [6] | ||
| Sale United | Sale | 1974 | Green & White | Godfrey Baldwin Reserve | [7] | |
| Trafalgar* | Trafalgar | 1996 | Victory | Red & White | Trafalgar High Oval | [8] |
| Traralgon City | Traralgon | 1968 | Roosters | Black & White | Harold Preston Reserve | [9] |
| Traralgon Olympians | Traralgon | 1980 | Blue & White | Harold Preston Reserve | [10] | |
| Tyers | Tyers | Lightning | Green | Tyers Recreation Reserve | ||
| Warragul United* | Warragul | 1963 | Gulls | Red & Black | Baxter Park |
In recent years, Churchill United Rams won the Grand Final in 2005 in a penalty shootout against league champions Fortuna 60 after the game finished 1-1, but Fortuna exacted revenge on them by defeating them in the same way in 2006 after the final score was 2-2.
The 2007 Senior League Champions were Churchill United, winning the league ahead of second placed Fortuna, with 3 rounds to spare. The Churchill Reserves and Second Division teams followed suit by both winning the league titles on the last day of the season.
Moe United won the Grand Final in 2007 however, defeating Churchill United 3-1 with 2 goals coming in the last 5 minutes. It was Moe's first major trophy since winning the League Title in 1997 and it was Churchills first loss all season.
The Finals were not held in 2008 but returned in 2009.
All Senior Gippland clubs contest for the Battle of Britain Cup, the oldest continually contested trophy in Victorian soccer. Churchill won it 3 years in a row from 2005 to 2007. Their great run in the tournament was ended in the semi final in 2008 after they were defeated by Moe United. Traralgon Olympians were the eventual champions in 2008, defeating Moe 2-0 in the final. The 2009 Final was won by Falcons who beat Monash 4-2.
Fortuna was on top of the league for much of the 2009 season until a 1-0 home defeat to Churchill saw the Rams leapfrop Fortuna and clinch their 3rd consecutive title by just a single point. Both teams then reached the Grand Final after defeating Monash and Falcons respectively in the Semi Finals. Fortuna got their revenge on Churchill by beating them 5-4 on penalties in the Grand Final after an incredible 4-4 draw. Churchill led 2-0 in the 2nd half but had a player sent off and an injury to their keeper let Fortuna back into the game and they levelled it at 2-2 with just 2 minutes left of the 90. Fortuna twice took the lead in extra time but Churchill pegged them back on both occasions so the match ended 4-4. After 8 successful penalties, the Fortuna keeper saved Churchill's 5th spot kick to clinch the trophy 5-4 on penalties.
Fortuna were crowned league champions in 2010 after going undefeated during the season with 17 wins and a draw against Newborough/Yallourn. They finished 12 points clear of Churchill United and Falcons and it was their first league triumph in 4 years. Fortuna also won their 2nd consecutive Grand Final, beating cross town rivals Falcons 2-0.
The 2011 season saw Fortuna dominant early, claiming 25 out of a possible 27 points in the first half of the season. Churchill's round 2 loss at Moe United saw them slip behind and after a 2-2 draw at Fortuna in Round 16, they still trailed the Lions by 3 points with 3 rounds remaining. However, in the following weekend, Traralgon Olympians secured an upset 2-1 win over Fortuna and when Churchill beat Newborough/Yallourn the following day, the Rams drew level on points with the Lions. In the penultimate weekend of the season, Churchill easily disposed of Olympians 6-0 while Fortuna scraped past Traralgon City 2-1 the following day which meant the Lions were still on top of the ladder by goal difference. The final round of the season was supposed to have taken place in mid July but a referee strike had saw the postponement of the round until after Round 18. Churchill beat Falcons 5-1 to move 3 points clear of Fortuna with equal goal difference. This meant Fortuna had to beat Sale United by only 1 goal the following day to clinch back-to-back League Championships. The secured an easy 6-2 win.
The following weekend, Fortuna reached the Grand Final after beating Monash on penalties after a 2-2 draw after extra time. Churchill followed suit, easily defeating Traralgon City 4-1. The Rams got their revenge in the Grand Final, beating the Lions 4-1 to lift the trophy for the first time in 6 years. The following weekend, Fortuna made amends for their Grand Final loss, defeating Falcons 4-3 in the Battle of Britain cup final.
| Year | League Champions | Battle of Britain Cup | Grand Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Fortuna | Churchill United | Churchill United |
| 2006 | Fortuna | Churchill United | Fortuna |
| 2007 | Churchill United | Churchill United | Moe United |
| 2008 | Churchill United | Traralgon Olympians | – |
| 2009 | Churchill United | Falcons 2000 | Fortuna |
| 2010 | Fortuna | Falcons 2000 | Fortuna |
| 2011 | Fortuna | Fortuna | Churchill United |
Referees are Football Federation Australia and Football Federation Victoria accredited. As a result, referees wear both the FFA and FFV referee patches. Several Gippsland referees referee in the Victorian leagues and of these several, two referee in the national leagues (A-League and W-League).