Premier League Volleyball
What is Premier League Volleyball?
The Volleyball NSW Premier League is the highest level of club volleyball competition in New South Wales, showcasing talent and bringing together the best players, coaches and clubs in a competitive showcase for the sport.
The League is comprised of eight licensed clubs who will compete against each other across both men’s and women’s divisions at a Premier Level for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Additionally, as part of the League, competitions for Reserves and Under 18s are also held. The purpose of this structure is to ensure a strong pipeline of emerging talent and provide development opportunities in a competitive environment.
The League runs during the winter season in a round-robin format, culminating in a Finals Series where the Premier League Champions are crowned. Premier League Volleyball is a separate competition from the Sydney Volleyball League and there is no promotion or relegation between the two competitions.
The Premier League is governed by a Club Licensing System, which outlines the standards and expectations for those participating at this level. This ensures consistency, professionalism, and alignment with Volleyball NSW’s long-term vision for the sport. See below for more information on the Licensing System and the application process.
Why was the League created?
In 2024, after listening to feedback from the volleyball community, Volleyball NSW set out to reshape the way competitive volleyball works across the state. An Advisory Group was formed to help design a system that better supports players, coaches, officials, and clubs depending on what level they wanted to participate at.
The result? A three-tier system that gives everyone a place to grow, compete and thrive:
· Top Tier – Premier League Volleyball (PLV)
The elite platform for top-performing athletes, coaches, and officials—driven by high standards, competition and visibility of the sport.
· Middle Tier – Sydney Volleyball League (SVL)
A development-focused competition that helps nurture clubs, players, coaches and officials in a competitive yet accessible environment.
· Social Tier
Entry-level and social competitions run by clubs, supporting community engagement and fundraising.
Click here for a presentation introducing the Premier League Concept back in February 2025.
What is the Licensing system?
To support the vision of the Premier League, a Club Licensing System was introduced to ensure only the most prepared and committed clubs take part in the Top Tier—setting a new benchmark for excellence in the sport.
This Licensing System outlines how the system is administered, who and how they can apply and the criteria that must be met during the Licensing Cycle in order to obtain and maintain a license.
VIEW THE CLUB LICENSING SYSTEM REGULATIONS HERE (v1.4)
TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE COMPETITION LICENSING COMMITTEE
TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE COMPETITION APPEALS COMMITTEE
Applications for Licences are currently being taken for those looking to compete in Premier League Volleyball for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Applications for the 2026-27 Licensing Cycle will close Sunday the 21st September 2025.
VIEW THE APPLICATION FORM HERE [NOW OPEN]
VIEW APPLICATION FORM EXAMPLE HERE
VIEW INVITATION LETTER
VIEW THE 2025 EVALUATION PROCESS
Please send your questions regarding Premier League Volleyball or the Licensing System to ramsay.cobb@volleyballnsw.com.au
This section will be updated as questions are received and answers will be provided here.
How does the Application process work and who can apply?
Any affiliate of Volleyball NSW can apply to be in the Premier League as long as they can fulfil all of the mandatory criteria as outlined in the Club Licensing System Regulations.
Applications for the 2026/27 Premier League will only be taken via the official application form (Google Forms). During this application process Applicants will have to confirm that they will comply with the Licensing Criteria and may be required to submit supporting documents during the application process.
Are joint applications allowed? Can a separate entity be formed?
Yes, any Volleyball NSW affiliate may team up with one or more other affiliates and submit a joint application. Please ensure that this partnership is noted when applying.
If a separate entity is formed by existing affiliates for the purposes of applying and participating in the Premier League then that entity will also have to be affiliated with Volleyball NSW.
What makes a good Application?
While many questions that are part of the application are compliance-based there are a few areas where applicants have the ability to provide comprehensive responses and demonstrate that they are a strong candidate. Examples of this include the applicant's plans for youth, coach and referee development as well as C grade criteria such as quality of training venue, ability to host matches in the future and a marketing strategy. Generally speaking, the more comprehensive the answer the better.
How are License Applications assessed?
License Applications are assessed by the Competition Licensing Committee. Applications are tested against the Licensing Criteria and recommendations are made to the Competition Appeals Committee on which Applicants should be granted a licence. The powers and responsibilities of these committees can be found in the Club Licensing System Regulations and in their respective Terms of Reference above.
More information on the evaluation process can be found here.
Who is on the decision making committees?
Volleyball NSW will not be disclosing the membership of the two decision-making bodies of the Licensing System. This is done in order to avoid undue influence on committee members during the application, sanctioning or appeals process. However, as can be seen in the Terms of Reference for each committee the following Volleyball NSW staff roles sit on these groups:
- Competition Licensing Committee - Licensing Competition Manager (Indoor Leagues Manager) and Operations Manager
- Competition Appeals Committee - Chief Executive Officer
Can we choose not to submit some teams such as no Men's teams or no U18s teams and still be part of the Premier League?
No. It is a requirement that all participating teams provide all six teams across all Premier League divisions. Any potential applicant who may struggle to provide the requisite teams should consider a joint application with other affiliates.
How will the auditing of criteria during the Licensing Cycle work?
Depending on the criteria in question, each will fall into three broad categories:
- Criteria that is required at the time of application OR;
- Criteria that will be required by a specific date prior to the start of the Premier League season OR;
- Criteria that will be audited / compliance checked during the Licensing Cycle.
A schedule will be provided to Licensees for 2 and 3 above. Volleyball NSW will aim to audit a different aspect of the criteria each month. For example August 2026 may be an audit of Referee Development (CD05) while September 2026 is Child Protect and Welfare (G05).
If our application is rejected do we have the right to appeal?
Yes as per the Club Licensing System Regulations Applicants have the right to appeal. However the scope of appeal is very restrictive and will only be considered if the following has occurred. The application:
a) It was not afforded a reasonable opportunity to provide information at first instance;
b) The determination of the Competition Licensing Committee was affected by bias;
c) The decision was one that was not reasonably open to the Competition Licensing Committee having regard to the submission before it; or
d) There was a material error in the application of these Regulations when assessed by the Competition Licensing Committee.
Furthermore all appeals must be submitted via the official appeals form and include payment of an appeal fee of $1,000 ($700 refund if successful).