Northern Tigers FC is the representative club of the Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA), which encompasses the Northern Suburbs region of Sydney, New South Wales. The association has a long-running history of representative football.The Early Years (1959-2001)Expand
In the 60’s
NSFA (then named Ku-ring-gai District Soccer Association) first entered representative teams in NSW Amateur Soccer Association competitions in 1959 or 1960.
Ku-ring-gai United was formed in 1963 and entered the NSW Soccer Federations’s Amateur League. This was the first Senior representative team.
In the 70’s
Ku-ring-gai United became Ku-ring-gai Soccer Club Ltd. in 1970 and merged with Artarmon to form Artarmon-Ku-ring-gai. They competed in the NSW Soccer Federation Division Two Competition.
In 1975 Ku-ring-gai played a curtain-raiser at the SCG before the Australia V Glasgow Rangers match.
In the 80’s
Ku-ring-gai SC merged with North Sydney/Artarmon in 1989 to form North Shore United. This folded in 1990.
2000’s
In 2001 Ku-ring-gai entered a Senior team and an U18 team in the NSW Soccer Association Premier League. The U18’s won the Grand Final.
Beginning of Northern Tigers (2002)Expand
Beginning of Northern Tigers
KDSA purchased a NSW Soccer Federation Division 1 licence from Balmain Tigers in 2002.
In rebranding the new team, the traditional bottle green of the Ku-ring-gai representative sides was retained, but as part of the agreement the Tigers moniker would remain, with Northern Tigers FC being brought into existence. In this first season the Men’s U21’s won the Grand Final in 2002.
The first Girls team to represent KDSA was formed in 2002. In the late 70’s and early 80’s a separate Women’s Association was formed and a Senior team and U15 team competed as Ku-ring-gai.
In 2003 Northern Tigers won promotion to the Super League by winning the First Division title. Ku-ring-gai had last won this trophy when it was the Divison Two trophy in the 1980’s.
Ku-ring-gai reps in the U13 – U18 age groups changed their names to Northern Tigers. The U11 & U12 teams continued as Ku-ring-gai Association.
In 2005 Northern Tigers entered a Senior team and an U21 team in the Women’s Super League.
In 2007 Northern Tigers Senior team won the Winter Super League Competition under coach Hugh McCory. The U20’s won the competition and the Grand Final in 2008.
Northern Tigers players twice won the Silver Medal for Best Player in the Super League – Paul Davies in 2006 and Stuart Page in 2008.
In 2010 the Northern Tigers Men’s team claimed the club’s first ever Super League Championship under Coach Jason Eagar with a 4-0 win over St George. Jason Eagar was also awarded Super League Coach of the Year.
In 2011 Gabriella Dal Pozzo won the Silver Medal for Best Player in Women’s Super League.
In 2012 the KDSA was renamed as the Northern Suburbs Football Association. Northern Tigers Women finished as Super League club championship winners and were promoted to Women’s Premier League, while the Men’s First Grade did the Premiership-Championship double. Jason Eagar was again awarded Super League Coach of the Year.
Northern Tigers Men were champions in the 2015 NSW Men’s NPL 2 season.
In 2016 Northern Tigers women won the Women’s NPL 2 Club Championship and earned promotion to the 2017 Women’s NPL. The all-round strength of the program was shown by all five squads (First Grade, Reserves, U17’s, U15’s and U13’s) qualifying for their respective Grand Finals, securing victories in First Grade, U15’s and U13’s.
In 2019 Northern Tigers 1st Grade Women made the NPL Grand Final for the first time, losing to Sydney University in a penalty shoot-out. Jason Eagar was awarded Womens NPL Coach of the Year.
In 2023 and 2024 the First Grade Women qualified for the Sapphire Cup Final, winning the Cup for the first time in 2024 under coach Chris Wood.
In 2025 First Grade Men qualified for the Waratah Cup Final for the first time, losing a tight game 1 – 0 to Sydney United 58 FC. The 1st Grade Men also qualified for the Australia Cup Round of 32 for the first time, another narrow defeat 1 – 0 to Sydney United 58 FC again.
Notable Players
The most notable players to have represented Northern Tigers and NSFA/KDSA representative programs include:Socceroos
Murray Barnes, Robert Hooker, Bruce Djite, Grant Lee and Robert Wheatley. Matildas
Leigh Wardell, Thea Slatyer, Sharon Dewar, Servet Uzunlar, Eliza Campbell, Rachel Lowe, Ellie Brush, Gema Simon, Carol Vinson. U20 Youth International
Brett Hughes Australian Schoolboys
Brian Ellem, Derek Poimer, Greg Fuchs, Jordan Smylie, Nathan Phillips, Will Hodgson Australian Schoolgirls
Emma Watkins U13 Australian Girls team, 2010
Stephanie Maiolo, Lauren Stein National League Players (W-League, A-League, NSL)
Andy Harper, Natalie Tobin, Brett Hughes, George Blackwood, Brian Ellem, Patrick Flottmann, Duncan Worthington, Anthony Kalik, Stuart Robertson, Adam Snyder, James Stubbs-Mills, Grant Last, Derek Poimer, Rebecca Lake, Josie Wilson, Isabel Gomez, Sarah Langman, Shadeene Evans, Ella Tonkin, Emilia Murray, Ashlee Brodigan and Hannah McNulty
