| 1981 National Soccer League Final Table Written by John Punshon and Greg Stock |
| 1980 |
Results | Table | Top Scorers | Squads | NSL Cup | NSL Index | 1982
Source: National Soccer League Season Guide 2002/3 by Andrew Howe.
| Final Table | ||||
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney City | 30 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 59 | 30 | 29 | 43 |
| 2 | South Melbourne | 30 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 39 |
| 3 | Brisbane City | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 37 | 25 | 12 | 35 |
| 4 | APIA Leichhardt | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 39 | 33 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Canberra City | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 33 |
| 6 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 33 |
| 7 | Adelaide City | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 46 | 42 | 4 | 32 |
| 8 | Heidelberg United | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 48 | 40 | 8 | 31 |
| 9 | Sydney Olympic | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 31 |
| 10 | Newcastle KB United | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 30 |
| 11 | Wollongong City | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 35 | 39 | -4 | 28 |
| 12 | Preston Makedonia | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 39 | 41 | -2 | 25 |
| 13 | Footscray JUST | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 32 | 48 | -16 | 25 |
| 14 | Marconi | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 45 | -22 | 25 |
| 15 | Blacktown City | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 32 | 47 | -15 | 21 |
| 16 | West Adelaide | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 26 | 57 | -31 | 14 |
Competition Rules: 2 points for a win; 1 point for a draw Champions, premiers and relegations Sydney City were crowned 1981 National Soccer League Champions. No Finals Series was contested. Blacktown City were relegated to the 1982 New South Wales State League competition. St. George were promoted from the 1981 New South Wales State League competition. |