From this season, the Illawarra Premier League Player of the Grand Final will be awarded the Scott Chipperfield Medal.

Additionally, the best player in the District League Grand Final will receive the Matthew Horsley Medal.

Horsley remains one of the greats of south coast football and is a former two-time NSL grand final winner with Wollongong Wolves.

"These two men are fantastic ambassadors for our game and our region," said IFA president Eddy De Gabriele at last night's launch of the league.

Chipperfield's mother Dale and Matthew Horsley's brother Andrew were on hand to accept the honours on the players' behalf.

Mrs Chipperfield said: "I know this honour means a lot to Scott and he is pleased to be recognised at home. He loves it here and comes home every chance he gets."

Several Socceroo legends were also feted at last night's launch, including 1974 World Cup Socceroo Adrian Alston, Jimmy Fraser and 1956 Olympic Games team captain Bob Bignell who together with three other recipients received national team caps as recognition of their efforts with the national team.

The launch also revealed that local Fairfax newspaper Illawarra Mercury had signed as naming rights sponsor for the IFA. The Mercury has made a formal commitment to allocate a full page each Tuesday for IFA news and statistics.

"We're very excited that a blue chip newspaper the Illawarra Mercury will take over the naming rights of the Illawarra Premier League," De Gabriele told au.fourfourtwo.com.

Other changes for the IFA include canning the IFA reserve league. The tier underneath seniors will be U20s league which, similar to the National Youth League, allows three overage players to compete in it.

De Gabriele also said the local football associations would be united under the one umbrella as of July 1, thereby streamlining the local pathways which he says he hopes one day will lead to a south coast team in the A-League.