2023 New Zealand National League

The 2023 New Zealand Men's National League was the third season of the National League since its restructuring in 2021.[1] 32 clubs compete in the competition, with four qualifying from the Northern League, three qualifying from the Central League and two qualifying from the Southern League for the National Championship phase.[2][3] Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality.[4] Over the course of the season, each team must also ensure players aged 20 or under account for 10% of available playing minutes.[5]

New Zealand National League
Season2023
Dates24 March – 26 November 2023
ChampionsWellington Olympic
OFC Champions LeagueAuckland City
Wellington Olympic
Matches played46
Goals scored189 (4.11 per match)
Top goalscorerGianni Bouzouzkis
Garbhan Coughlan
(11 goals each)
Biggest home winWellington Olympic 7–1 Napier City Rovers
(30 September 2023)
Biggest away winNapier City Rovers 0–5 Eastern Suburbs
(11 November 2023)
Highest scoringManurewa 4–6 Wellington Phoenix Reserves
(8 October 2023)
Longest winning run7 matches
Auckland City
Longest unbeaten run9 matches
Wellington Olympic
Longest winless run9 matches
Petone
Longest losing run6 matches
Petone
2022
2024

Qualifying leagues

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2023 Northern League

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Northern League
Season2023
Dates24 March 2023 - 2 September 2023
ChampionsAuckland City
RelegatedTakapuna
Manukau United
Matches played132
Goals scored480 (3.64 per match)
Top goalscorerRyan de Vries
Derek Tieku
(19 goals each)
Biggest home winAuckland City 7–0 Manurewa
(28 June 2023)
Biggest away winManukau United 0–7 Birkenhead United
(1 April 2023)
Highest scoringBirkenhead United 4–4 Hamilton Wanderers
(2 September 2023)
2022
2024

Auckland City won the title for the third consecutive season on the final day beating Manukau United 6–1.[6] This was Auckland City's third season in the Northern League, winning the title each of those seasons. Both Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs completed the Northern League season undefeated.[6][7] This was the first season two clubs had gone undefeated in the Northern League. It was only the second time a team had gone undefeated since Eastern Suburbs did so in 1965, the first season of the NRFL Premier League.[8]

Heading into the final day of the season, no team had been mathematically relegated. The matchday started with Bay Olympic and Manukau United in the relegation zone with Takapuna three points ahead in the last safe spot. Bay Olympic bettered Takapuna's goal difference by three and Manukau's by ten.[9]

Manukau lost 6–1 away to Auckland City and were subsequently relegated. Takapuna, the only side to have their fate completely in their own hands, lost 3–2 at West Coast Rangers. Bay Olympic, hosting Manurewa equalized from the spot in the 84th minute and were looking like going down until, they found a winner in the first minute of stoppage time. This meant they relegated Takapuna on goal difference after finishing level on points.[6]

Northern League teams

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Twelve teams are competing in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the 2022 NRFL Division 1. The promoted teams are West Coast Rangers and Manurewa.[10] It is Manurewa's first and West Coast Rangers second season (after relegation in 2021) in the National League. They replaced Waiheke United (relegated after their debut season on the Northern League) and North Shore United (relegated after a two-year Northern League spell).

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Auckland City Kiwitea Street Sandringham, Auckland 1st
Auckland United Keith Hay Park Mount Roskill, Auckland 3rd
Bay Olympic Olympic Park New Lynn, Auckland 8th
Birkenhead United Shepherds Park Beach Haven, Auckland 2nd
Eastern Suburbs Madills Farm Kohimarama, Auckland 10th
Hamilton Wanderers Porritt Stadium Chartwell, Hamilton 5th
Manukau United Centre Park Māngere East, Auckland 7th
Manurewa Jellicoe Park Manurewa, Auckland 2nd in Division 1 (promoted)
Melville United Gower Park Melville, Hamilton 4th
Takapuna Taharoto Park Takapuna, Auckland 9th
West Coast Rangers Fred Taylor Park Whenuapai, Auckland 1st in Division 1 (promoted)
Western Springs Seddon Fields Westmere, Auckland 6th

Northern League personnel

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Team Manager Captain
Auckland City   Albert Riera[11]   Cam Howieson[12]
Auckland United   José Figueira[11]   Ross Haviland[13]
Bay Olympic   Rudy Mozr[14]   Callum McNeill[15]
Birkenhead United   Paul Hobson[11]   Luke Jorgensen[16]
Eastern Suburbs   Kane Wintersgill[17]   Adam Thomas[18]
Hamilton Wanderers   Joseph Hinds[11]   Derek Tieku[18]
Manukau United   Tashreeq Davids[19]   Hayden Johns[20]
Manurewa   Paul Marshall[21]
Melville United   Jarrod Young[22]   Aaron Scott
Takapuna   Chris Milicich[23]   Connor Cahil-Fahey[24]
West Coast Rangers   Chad Coombes[25]   Dev Pokhrel[26]
Western Springs   Scott Hales[27]   Oscar Ramsay[24]

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Eastern Suburbs   Hoani Edwards End of contract Pre-season   Kane Wintersgill[17]
Western Springs   Chris Zoricich[28] Mutual consent 1 October 2022   Scott Hales[27] 5 January 2023
Bay Olympic   Liam Mulrooney[29] Stepped down 26 October 2022   Rudy Mozr[30] 10 November 2022
Manukau United   Rudy Mozr[14] Signed by Bay Olympic 10 November 2022   Juan Roman[31] 14 December 2022
Manurewa   Rhys Ruka[32] Resigned[A] 19 March 2023[B]   Paul Marshall[21] 20 March 2023[B]
Manukau United   Juan Roman No reason given May 2023 11th   Thabiso Tleane[19] May 2023
Manukau United   Thabiso Tleane[19] No reason given 26 June 2023 12th   Tashreeq Davids[19] 26 June 2023

Northern League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Auckland City (C) 22 19 3 0 64 9 +55 60 Winner of Northern League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Eastern Suburbs 22 17 5 0 51 17 +34 56 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Auckland United 22 13 4 5 50 24 +26 43
4 Manurewa 22 11 3 8 46 37 +9 36
5 Western Springs 22 10 3 9 39 35 +4 33
6 Hamilton Wanderers 22 8 6 8 39 49 −10 30
7 West Coast Rangers 22 8 2 12 33 49 −16 26
8 Birkenhead United 22 7 4 11 46 44 +2 25
9 Melville United 22 6 5 11 30 47 −17 23
10 Bay Olympic 22 4 3 15 33 55 −22 15
11 Takapuna (R) 22 4 3 15 23 50 −27 15 Relegation to NRFL Championship
12 Manukau United (R) 22 3 3 16 26 64 −38 12
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Northern League results table

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Home \ Away AC AU BO BU ES HW MAN MR MEL TP WC WS
Auckland City 2–1 5–1 5–1 0–0 2–0 6–1 7–0 3–1 4–0 1–1 4–0
Auckland United 0–2 4–1 3–3 0–1 4–0 3–0 1–1 4–0 1–0 4–0 1–1
Bay Olympic 0–1 1–2 2–4 2–4 1–3 3–2 2–1 1–1 2–3 4–2 2–3
Birkenhead United 0–2 0–3 3–0 0–2 4–4 2–3 2–4 2–0 5–0 2–0 1–2
Eastern Suburbs 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 6–1 1–0 4–3 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–0
Hamilton Wanderers 0–2 0–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 2–1 3–3 1–1 1–0 3–2 3–2
Manukau United 0–5 1–4 3–3 0–7 0–6 2–2 0–1 2–1 0–2 3–4 1–2
Manurewa 0–2 0–2 1–0 1–3 0–3 4–1 3–0 5–0 0–0 5–1 1–0
Melville United 0–1 1–5 3–2 1–1 0–1 2–4 1–0 5–2 1–1 3–1 2–1
Takapuna 0–2 3–4 1–2 3–2 2–5 2–3 2–2 0–4 0–1 2–1 0–3
West Coast Rangers 0–3 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 3–1 1–3 0–4 5–2 3–2 1–1
Western Springs 1–3 4–1 3–1 3–1 0–1 3–1 3–2 1–3 3–3 3–0 0–1
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Northern League scoring

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Northern League top scorers
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Rank Player Club Goals[34][35]
1   Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers 19
  Ryan de Vries Auckland City
3   Monty Patterson Manurewa 13
4   Joshua Redfearn Auckland United 12
5   Allan Pearce West Coast Rangers 11
6   Nicolas Bobadilla Manurewa 10
  Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs
  Ibrahim Nadir Bay Olympic
9   Luke Jorgensen Birkenhead United 9
10   Reid Drake Western Springs 8
  Liam Gillion Auckland City
  Jacob Mechell Eastern Suburbs
Northern League hat-tricks
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Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
7[36]   Nicolas Bobadilla Manurewa Hamilton Wanderers Away 3–3 29 April 2023
7[36]   Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers Manurewa Home 3–3 29 April 2023
12[37]   Joshua Redfearn Auckland United Takapuna Away 3–4 3 June 2023
13[38]   Monty Patterson Manurewa West Coast Rangers Away 0–4 10 June 2023
11[39]   Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manukau United Away 0–5 14 June 2023
14[40]   Allan Pearce West Coast Rangers Manukau United Away 3–4 14 June 2023
10[41]   Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manurewa Home 7–0 28 June 2023
15[42]   Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs Hamilton Wanderers Home 6–1 1 July 2023
22[43]   Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manukau United Home 6–1 2 September 2023

2023 Central League

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Central League
Season2023
Dates25 March 2023 – 2 September 2023
ChampionsWellington Olympic
RelegatedWhanganui Athletic
Matches played90
Goals scored419 (4.66 per match)
Top goalscorerMatthew Brazier
(18 goals)
Biggest home winWellington Olympic 7–0 North Wellington
(29 April 2023)
Biggest away winMiramar Rangers 0–7 Wellington Olympic
(10 June 2023)
Whanganui Athletic 0–7 Wellington Olympic
(1 July 2023)
Highest scoringWellington Olympic 8–3 Western Suburbs
(2 September 2023)
2022
2024

Central League teams

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Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the one team promoted from the 2022 play-off between the winners of the Central Federation League and the Capital Premier. The winner of the play-off was Stop Out. This is their first season in the Central League, since New Zealand football’s restructuring in 2021. They replaced Havelock North Wanderers (relegated to the Capital Premier League after one season in the Central League). Wellington United was entered as one of the originally 10 teams to play the 2023 season but withdrew in 2022.[44] They were replaced by Whanganui Athletic who had originally missed out on promotion to Stop Out.

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Miramar Rangers David Farrington Park Miramar, Wellington 2nd
Napier City Rovers Bluewater Stadium Napier 4th
North Wellington Alex Moore Park Johnsonville, Wellington 7th
Petone Memorial Park Petone, Lower Hutt 6th
Stop Out Hutt Park Lower Hutt 1st in Capital Premier (promoted via play-offs)
Waterside Karori Karori Park Karori, Wellington 5th
Wellington Olympic Wakefield Park Wellington 1st
Wellington Phoenix Reserves Fraser Park Lower Hutt 3rd
Western Suburbs Endeavour Park Porirua 9th
Whanganui Athletic Wembley Park Whanganui East, Whanganui Replaced Wellington United after they withdrew

Central League personnel

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Team Manager[45] Captain
Miramar Rangers   Kale Herbert[46]   Sam Mason-Smith
Napier City Rovers   Bill Robertson   Jim Hoyle[47]
North Wellington   Davor Tavich   Gavin Hoy[48]
Petone   Ryan Edwards[49]  Hami Paranihi-Nuku
Stop Out  Aston Hughes  Maxim Johnson
Waterside Karori   Sam Morrissey[50]   Harry Fautley
Wellington Olympic   Rupert Kemeys   Ben Mata[51]
Wellington Phoenix Reserves   Chris Greenacre   Isaac Hughes
Western Suburbs   Alan Koch[52]   Malik Smith[52]
Whanganui Athletic   Matty Calvert  Ryan Holden

Central League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wellington Olympic (C) 18 15 1 2 79 29 +50 46 Winner of Central League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Wellington Phoenix Reserves[a] 18 12 1 5 47 29 +18 37 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Napier City Rovers 18 10 3 5 50 32 +18 33
4 Petone 18 10 2 6 45 33 +12 32
5 Western Suburbs 18 8 4 6 40 34 +6 28
6 Waterside Karori 18 7 3 8 44 40 +4 24
7 Miramar Rangers 18 8 0 10 37 43 −6 24
8 Stop Out 18 7 3 8 37 47 −10 24
9 North Wellington 18 2 1 15 21 63 −42 7
10 Whanganui Athletic (R) 18 1 2 15 19 69 −50 5 Relegation to Capital Premier/Central Federation League
Source: Capital Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves gain automatic entry into the National League Championship phase due to the A-League Men requirements.[2]

Central League results table

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Home \ Away MR NC NW PT SO WK WO WP WS WA
Miramar Rangers 1–3 3–0 2–3 3–0 3–4 0–7 0–4 1–0 5–1
Napier City Rovers 1–2 3–1 2–2 4–1 5–0 1–4 2–3 2–2 1–1
North Wellington 2–5 1–3 0–5 3–3 1–4 0–5 0–4 1–3 2–3
Petone 4–3 4–2 3–0 2–1 2–2 4–0 1–3 2–3 2–0
Stop Out 4–2 1–3 3–1 2–1 1–4 3–2 3–3 0–4 3–1
Waterside Karori 1–2 0–3 5–1 4–3 2–3 1–2 1–3 2–2 3–1
Wellington Olympic 3–1 6–3 7–0 4–2 6–3 2–2 3–2 8–3 6–1
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 3–1 1–4 2–3 3–1 2–0 3–2 1–2 0–1 4–1
Western Suburbs 3–1 1–3 2–0 0–1 3–3 2–1 2–5 1–2 7–1
Whanganui Athletic 0–2 1–5 0–5 2–3 1–3 1–6 0–7 3–4 1–1
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Central League scoring

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Central League top scorers
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Rank Player Club Goals[53][54]
1   Matthew Brazier Petone 18
2   Deri Corfe Napier City Rovers 15
3   Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic 14
4   Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves 13
  Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic
6   Tomas Alvarado Waterside Karori 11
  Kailan Gould Wellington Olympic
  Benjamin Mata Wellington Olympic
9   Kairo Coore Western Suburbs 10
  Ryan Feutz Western Suburbs
  Jonathan McNamara Napier City Rovers
Central League hat-tricks
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Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
2[55]   Joshua Tollervey[a] Wellington Phoenix Reserves Whanganui Athletic Away 3–4 2 April 2023
4[56]   Merlin Luke-Miny Wellington Olympic Whanganui Athletic Home 6–1 15 April 2023
5[57]   Josh Rudland Wellington Phoenix Reserves North Wellington Away 0–4 22 April 2023
5[58]   Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic Petone Home 4–2 22 April 2023
6[59]   Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic North Wellington Home 7–0 29 April 2023
7[60]   Matthew Brazier Petone North Wellington Away 0–5 6 May 2023
8[61]   Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic Napier City Rovers Home 6–3 20 May 2023
10[62]   Gianni Bouzoukis[a] Wellington Olympic Miramar Rangers Away 0–7 10 June 2023
  Hamish Watson
11[63]   Nathan Simes Miramar Rangers North Wellington Away 2–5 24 June 2023
12[64]   Jared Cunniff Stop Out Miramar Rangers Home 4–2 1 July 2023
14[65]   Jack O'Connor Petone Wellington Olympic Home 4–0 22 July 2023
18[66]   Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves Miramar Rangers Away 0–4 2 September 2023
18[67]   Gavin Hoy Wellington Olympic Western Suburbs Home 8–3 2 September 2023
18[67]   Muse Abrahaberhe Western Suburbs Wellington Olympic Away 8–3 2 September 2023
  1. ^ a b Player scored 4 goals

2023 Southern League

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Southern League
Season2023
Dates24 March 2023 - 3 September 2023
ChampionsChristchurch United
RelegatedGreen Island
Matches played90
Goals scored392 (4.36 per match)
Top goalscorerSamuel Phillips (29)
Biggest home winNelson Suburbs 7–1 Selwyn United
(11 June 2023)
Christchurch United 6–0 Selwyn United
(14 July 2023)
Biggest away winGreen Island 3–15 Christchurch United
(27 August 2023)
Highest scoringGreen Island 3–15 Christchurch United
(27 August 2023)
Longest winning run8 matches Christchurch United
Longest unbeaten run17 matches Christchurch United
Longest winless run11 matches Selwyn United
Longest losing run9 matches Selwyn United
2022
2024

Southern League teams

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Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the winner of the Southern League play-offs. The promoted team is FC Twenty 11. This is their first season in the Southern League. They replaced Mosgiel (relegated after their debut season in the Southern League).

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Cashmere Technical Garrick Memorial Park Woolston, Christchurch 2nd
Christchurch United United Sports Centre Yaldhurst, Christchurch 1st
Coastal Spirit Linfield Park Linwood, Christchurch 6th
Dunedin City Royals Football Turf Dunedin North 4th
FC Twenty 11 Avonhead Park Avonhead, Christchurch 1st in Mainland Premier League (promoted via play-offs)
Ferrymead Bays Ferrymead Park Ferrymead, Christchurch 5th
Green Island Sunnyvale Park Green Island, Dunedin 8th
Nelson Suburbs Saxton Field Nelson 3rd
Nomads United Tulett Park Casebrook, Christchurch 7th
Selwyn United Foster Park Rolleston 9th

Southern League personnel

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Team Manager Captain
Cashmere Technical   Dan Schwarz[68]   Andrew Storer
Christchurch United   Paul Ifill[69]   Matt Tod-Smith
Coastal Spirit   Robbie Stanton[70]   Dominic McGarr
Dunedin City Royals   Richard Murray   Jared Grove
FC Twenty 11   Cvetan Ivanov[71]   Harrison Rowe
Ferrymead Bays   Alan Walker[72]   James Deehan
Green Island   Jamie Whitmarsh[73]   Thomas Milton
Nelson Suburbs   Ryan Stewart   Alex Ridsdale[74]
Nomads United   Matthew Jansen[75]   Jacob Anderson
Selwyn United   Lee Padmore   Jack Allatt

Southern League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Christchurch United (C) 18 16 1 1 72 12 +60 49 Winner of Southern League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Cashmere Technical 18 13 3 2 66 27 +39 42 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Coastal Spirit 18 10 1 7 30 36 −6 31
4 Dunedin City Royals 18 8 5 5 44 29 +15 29
5 Ferrymead Bays 18 9 2 7 35 36 −1 29
6 Nelson Suburbs 18 7 4 7 48 46 +2 25
7 Nomads United 18 7 2 9 32 35 −3 23
8 Green Island (R) 18 5 1 12 33 58 −25 16 Relegated to the FootballSouth Premier League/Mainland Premier League[a]
9 Selwyn United 18 3 1 14 21 53 −32 10
10 FC Twenty 11 18 2 0 16 11 60 −49 6
Source: Mainland Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
  1. ^ Green Island were relegated due to withdrawing from the 2024 Southern League.

Southern League results table

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Home \ Away CT CU CS DC FT FB GI NS NU SU
Cashmere Technical 1–1 2–3 2–3 6–1 2–2 2–1 5–4 7–3 3–1
Christchurch United 1–3 2–0 5–2 1–0 3–0 3–0 4–0 1–0 6–0
Coastal Spirit 1–1 0–4 1–0 2–0 1–3 3–2 2–3 2–1 3–1
Dunedin City Royals 1–4 1–3 5–0 3–0 2–1 4–2 3–3 3–0 1–1
FC Twenty 11 0–6 0–5 1–4 0–7 3–0 0–3 0–6 0–2 0–1
Ferrymead Bays 2–6 0–6 3–0 4–1 6–1 2–1 1–1 0–2 1–0
Green Island 0–7 3–15 0–1 1–1 2–0 1–2 3–4 1–2 4–1
Nelson Suburbs 1–4 1–6 5–0 1–1 3–1 2–1 4–5 1–1 7–1
Nomads United 1–3 1–4 1–4 1–1 0–2 1–2 6–2 4–1 3–1
Selwyn United 1–2 0–2 2–3 0–5 3–2 3–5 1–2 4–1 0–3
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Southern League scoring

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As of 3 September 2023
Southern League top scorers
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Rank Player Club Goals[76][77]
1   Sam Philip Christchurch United 29
2   Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical 28
3   Eoghan Stokes Christchurch United 15
4   Connor Neil Dunedin City Royals 12
5   Benjamin Stanley Dunedin City Royals 11
6   Stefan Milidrag Green Island 9
7   Aidan Barbour-Ryan Cashmere Technical 8
  Omar Cameron Coastal Spirit
  Liam Cotter
  Daniel MacLennan Christchurch United
  Ben Polak Nelson Suburbs
  Alex Ridsdale
Southern League hat-tricks
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Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
1[78]   Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical FC Twenty 11 Away 0–6 25 March 2023
2[79]   Sam Philip Christchurch United Coastal Spirit Away 0–4 2 April 2023
3[80]   Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical Nomads United Home 7–3 7 April 2023
6[81]   Sam Philip Christchurch United Ferrymead Bays Away 0–6 29 April 2023
  Eoghan Stokes
9[82]   Connor Gillespie[a] Nelson Suburbs FC Twenty 11 Away 0-6 28 May 2023
10[83][84]   Aidan Barbour-Ryan Cashmere Technical FC Twenty 11 Home 6-1 10 June 2023
  Connor Gillespie Nelson Suburbs Selwyn United Home 7-1 11 June 2023
11[85]   Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical Nelson Suburbs Home 5–4 24 June 2023
12[86] Green Island Away 0–7 1 July 2023
13[87]   Stefan Milidrag Green Island Nelson Suburbs Away 4–5 15 July 2023
15[88]   Daniel MacLennan Christchurch United Ferrymead Bays Home 3–0 6 August 2023
16[89]   Sam Philip Nelson Suburbs Away 1–6 13 August 2023
  Eoghan Stokes
17[90]   Sam Philip[b] Green Island 3–15 27 August 2023
  Eoghan Stokes
  1. ^ a b c d Player scored 4 goals
  2. ^ Player scored 8 goals
Own goals
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Round Player Club Against
2[91]   Jacob Anderson Nomads United Ferrymead Bays
15[92] Green Island
16[93]   Cameron Brewitt Green Island Selwyn United
17[94]   Alex Ridsdale Nelson Suburbs Nomads United
18[95]   Jack Allatt Selwyn United Nomads United

Qualified clubs

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There are 10 men’s National League Championship qualifying spots (4 for the Northern League, 3 plus Wellington Phoenix Reserves for the Central League and 2 for the Southern League).[2]

Location of clubs in New Zealand for the 2023 National League season
Location of clubs in Auckland Region for the 2023 National League season
Location of clubs in Wellington Region for the 2023 National League season
Association Team Position in Regional League App (last) Previous best (last)
Northern League (4 berths) Auckland City 1st 2nd (2022) 1st (2022)
Eastern Suburbs 2nd 1st[a] Debut[b]
Auckland United 3rd 2nd (2022) 3rd (2022)
Manurewa 4th 1st Debut
Central League (3 berths) Wellington Olympic 1st 2nd (2022) 2nd (2022)
Napier City Rovers 3rd 2nd (2022) 8th (2022)
Petone 4th[c] 1st Debut
Southern League (2 berths) Christchurch United 1st 2nd (2022) 9th[d] (2022)
Cashmere Technical 2nd 2nd (2022) 7th (2022)
Wellington Phoenix (automatic berth) Wellington Phoenix Reserves Automatic qualification 2nd (2022) 6th (2022)
  1. ^ Debut under the new competition, but played the National League before as part of the New Zealand National Soccer League
  2. ^ Previously won the National League when playing in the New Zealand Football Championship
  3. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves finished second but have automatic qualification.
  4. ^ Previously won the National League when playing in the New Zealand National Soccer League

Championship phase

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League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wellington Olympic (C) 9 7 2 0 34 15 +19 23 Qualification to Grand Final and Champions League National play-offs
2 Auckland City 9 7 0 2 19 12 +7 21
3 Christchurch United 9 5 1 3 18 16 +2 16
4 Eastern Suburbs 9 4 3 2 23 11 +12 15
5 Cashmere Technical 9 4 1 4 24 24 0 13
6 Manurewa 9 4 1 4 16 20 −4 13
7 Auckland United 9 2 4 3 15 17 −2 10
8 Wellington Phoenix Reserves[a] 9 3 0 6 19 24 −5 9
9 Napier City Rovers 9 2 1 6 13 26 −13 7
10 Petone 9 0 1 8 6 22 −16 1
Source: New Zealand Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record[33]
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves can not qualify for the Grand Final.[96]

Results table

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Home \ Away AC AU CT CU ES MU NC PT WO WP
Auckland City 3–2 3–1 2–3 1–0 1–3
Auckland United 2–2 1–1 3–3 1–3 3–4
Cashmere Technical 1–2 4–2 3–3 2–1
Christchurch United 2–4 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–0
Eastern Suburbs 1–2 5–1 0–1 3–0 1–1
Manurewa 0–0 5–3 2–5 4–6
Napier City Rovers 2–4 0–5 0–1 3–0
Petone 0–2 0–1 1–5 1–2
Wellington Olympic 5–2 2–2 7–1 2–1 4–2
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 0–1 3–5 0–1 3–2
Source: New Zealand Football
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

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The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 3, but then postponed and played between rounds 6 and 7, it is added to the standings for round 6.

Team ╲ Round123456789
Wellington Olympic112222221
Auckland City431111112
Christchurch United423433343
Eastern Suburbs778787554
Cashmere Technical655656435
Manurewa9910964666
Auckland United344345777
Wellington Phoenix Reserves786899888
Napier City Rovers267578999
Petone10109101010101010
Leader and Grand Final
Grand Final

Grand Final

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Wellington Olympic2–0Auckland City
Report
Referee: Nick Waldron[97]

Statistics

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As of 19 November 2023

Top scorers

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Rank Player Club Goals[98][99]
1   Gianni Bouzouzkis Wellington Olympic 11
  Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical
3   Angus Kilkolly Auckland City 7
4   Deri Corfe Napier City Rovers 6
  Luis Toomey Eastern Suburbs
6   Kingsley Sinclair Eastern Suburbs 5
7   Gavin Hoy Wellington Olympic 4
  Dylan Manickum Auckland City
  Lyle Matthysen Cashmere Technical
  Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic
  Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves
  Nicolas Zombrano Auckland United

Hat-tricks

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Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
2[100]   Gianni Bouzoukis Wellington Olympic Napier City Rovers Home 7–1 29 September 2023
  Jack-Henry Sinclair
7[101]   Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical Napier City Rovers Home 4–2 5 November 2023
8[102] Christchurch United Away 2–4 10 November 2023

Discipline

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Player

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  • Most yellow cards: 5[99]
    •   James Hoyle (Napier City Rovers)
  • Most red cards: 1[99]
    • 10 players

Club

edit

Awards

edit

Goal of the Week

edit

The goal of the week for the 2023 season included goals from the 2023 New Zealand Women's National League.

Annual awards

edit
League MVP[112] Club Top scorer Club
Northern League   Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers   Ryan de Vries
  Derek Tieku
Auckland City
Hamilton Wanderers
Central League   Matthew Brazier Petone   Matthew Brazier Petone
Southern League   Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical   Sam Philip Christchurch United
National League   Garbhan Coughlan[113] Cashmere Technical   Gianni Bouzoukis[114]
  Garbhan Coughlan[115]
Wellington Olympic
Cashmere Technical
Award Winner Club
Goal of the Season[116]   Oliver Pickering Petone
Team of the season[117]
Goalkeeper   Scott Basalaj (Wellington Olympic)
Defenders   Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic)   Adam Thomas (Eastern Suburbs)   Ben Mata (Wellington Olympic)   Francis de Vries (Eastern Suburbs)
Midfielders   Luis Toomey (Eastern Suburbs)   Hideto Takahashi (Auckland United)   Cameron Howieson (Auckland City)
Forwards   Gianni Bouzoukis (Wellington Olympic)   Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Technical)   Deri Corfe (Napier City Rovers)

Notes

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  1. ^ Official reasoning by Manurewa AFC.
  2. ^ a b Officially announced on 29 March 2023.

References

edit
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