Woden Valley Soccer Club has one of the most successful junior girls’ programs in the ACT, yet is continuously denied entry into the National Premier League. Photo: Woden Valley Soccer Club.
Despite pushing for a girls’ team in the National Premier League for over a year, Woden Valley Soccer Club (WVSC) has been snubbed from competing in the ACT’s top competition for 2027.
WVSC boasts more than 550 female players and is leading Capital Football’s Junior Girls’ Club Championship, which combines ladder positions for first-division teams across U12, U14 and U16 age groups into a single table.
The club’s success in both 2026 and 2025, which saw them win the Club Championship, drove their push to replace Gungahlin United Football Club in the Girls’ National Premier League after it collapsed following the 2025 season.
Gungahlin United Football Club (GUFC) officially announced it was winding up operations and entering insolvency in October 2025 after accumulating debts of more than $550,000.
Despite WVSC’s girls program’s impressive resume, Capital Football has denied any club entry into the league for 2027 and beyond, a decision the club has labelled devastating.
“WVSC has been informed by Capital Football that it will not be permitted to enter the NPL Girls competition for season 2027, despite meeting all previous criteria via the now-paused promotion/relegation mechanism,” a club spokesperson said.
“Capital Football has attributed the pause to the collapse of Gungahlin United. WVSC is still unclear, as are many in the footballing community, as to why this pause was necessary.
“A central tenet of the NPL Review released in May 2025 was changed almost overnight, with no consultation with directly impacted parties.
“This effectively meant the NPL Youth competitions became locked to new entrants, irrespective of their suitability or on-field achievements.
“Two years of planning throughout the club became redundant almost overnight.”
WVSC said the club can do nothing more for its players and staff to prove it belongs at the top level of competition, and the only factor preventing the promotion is Capital Football.
“This news has been devastating for WVSC, impacting approximately one hundred of our female players. They bear the brunt of this decision through no fault of their own,” a spokesperson said.
“The decision has left the WVSC community with two clear questions.
“Why does the collapse of Gungahlin United FC in 2025 mean that WVSC can’t play in the NPL Girls competition in 2027, despite clearly being a prime candidate to do so?
“With the 2028 competition structures not yet known, meaning entry requirements are not yet known, does the decision by Capital Football to exclude WVSC now mean that WVSC will not be able to participate in the NPL until 2029 at the earliest?”
WVSC has confirmed it has organised to clarify with Capital Football its eligibility to participate in the National Premier League in future seasons.
Region has reached out to Capital Football on multiple occasions but has not received a response.