The New Zealand Men's National League is a men's football league at the top of the New Zealand football league system. Founded in 2021, the New Zealand National League is the successor to the New Zealand Football Championship. The league is contested by ten teams, with teams qualifying from their regional leagues. Four teams qualify from the Northern League, three qualify from the Central League, two qualify from the newly formed Southern League and the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are automatically given a spot each year.[1][2][3]
 | |
| Founded | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Confederation | OFC |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Chatham Cup Charity Cup |
| International cup(s) | OFC Champions League |
| Current champions | Wellington Olympic (1st title) (2023) |
| Most championships | Auckland City Wellington Olympic (1 title each) |
| Top goalscorer | Gianni Bouzouzkis Garbhan Coughlan (20) |
| TV partners | FIFA+ |
| Website | nzfootball.co.nz/nzfnl |
| Current: 2024 National League | |
The regional leagues runs from March through to September, with each league having a varying number of games. The Championship phase runs after the completion of the regional phase with each team playing each other once, followed by a grand final. Each season, two clubs gain qualification to the OFC Champions League, the continental competition for the Oceania region.
The New Zealand National League was Oceania's strongest national league for four consecutive years in 2023 according to IFFHS.[4]
Competition format
edit
There are two stages to the competition: the regional phase, in which each team plays each other twice in their respective regions; and the championship phase, in which the top teams in each region play a single round-robin competition, followed by a grand final in order to determine the champion.[3] Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality.[5] Originally each team had to also start at least two players aged 20 or under in every game.[6] Before the 2023 season this was changed so that players aged 20 or under must account for 10% of available playing minutes throughout the season.[7]
Qualification to OFC Champions League
editTwo teams from the National League qualify for the OFC Champions League each season: those two teams being the two finalists of the championship phase.[3]
History
editIn March 2021, New Zealand Football announced a change to the structure of both the premiership and the top regional leagues around the country. The four top regional leagues (NRFL Premier, Central Premier League, Mainland Premier League and the FootballSouth Premier League) would be formed into the Northern League, Central League, and the Southern League. These leagues would allow local clubs to qualify for the premiership season (now known as the National League Championship), with the top 4 teams from the Northern League, the top 3 teams from the Central League, and the top 2 teams from the Southern League making up the competition, alongside the Wellington Phoenix Reserve side. All teams that qualify plus the Phoenix Reserves, would then play a single round-robin competition between October and December. The top two placed teams will then progress to the Grand Final.[1]
In November 2021, during the first edition of the National League, New Zealand Football announced the National League had been cancelled for that season due to COVID-19.[8] Qualified teams from Auckland and Waikato were unable to participate due to their alert levels. New Zealand Football replaced this with a one-off competition, the South Central Series, for teams qualifying from the Central League and Southern League. Miramar Rangers were both the premiers and champions for this stand alone competition.[9]
The 2022 New Zealand National League Championship phase will kick off on 1 October 2022.[10]
Current clubs
edit.svg)
These are the current clubs for the 2024 season:
| Team | Location | Stadium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland City | Sandringham, Auckland | Kiwitea Street | Northern League champion |
| Birkenhead United | Beach Haven, Auckland | Shepherds Park | Northern League 4th place |
| Cashmere Technical | Woolston, Christchurch | Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub[a] | Southern League champion |
| Coastal Spirit | Linwood, Christchurch | Linfield Park | Southern League runner-up |
| Eastern Suburbs | Kohimarama, Auckland | Madills Farm | Northern League 3rd place |
| Napier City Rovers | Napier | Bluewater Stadium | Central League 3rd place |
| Wellington Olympic | Wellington | Wakefield Park[b] | Central League champion |
| Wellington Phoenix Reserves | Lower Hutt | Fraser Park | Automatic qualification |
| Western Springs | Westmere, Auckland | Seddon Fields | Northern League runner-up |
| Western Suburbs | Porirua | Endeavour Park | Central League runner-up |
- ^ Playing two matches at English Park
- ^ Playing all matches at Martin Luckie Park
Media coverage
editSky Sport had the broadcasting rights for the first two seasons (including the South Central Series). One game a week was live on television with the remaining four games free to air on either the Sky Sport Next or New Zealand Football YouTube channels.[11][12]
In September 2023, New Zealand signed a deal to have all National League games streamed for free on FIFA+ worldwide. This includes select games of the qualifying league games as well.[13][14] On 8 May 2024, New Zealand Football announced they had partnered with Sportway to continue broadcasting on FIFA+. 4K Sportway cameras have begun to be installed at grounds as of May 2024 with plans to broadcast over 200 games for the 2024 season.[15]
Past winners
editQualifying leagues
edit| Season | Northern League | Central League | Southern League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | Cashmere Technical |
| 2022 | Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | Christchurch United |
| 2023 | Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | Christchurch United |
| 2024 | Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | Cashmere Technical |
Championship
edit| Season | Grand Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | |
| 2021[a] | Miramar Rangers | 7–2 | Wellington Olympic |
| 2022 | Auckland City | 3–2 | Wellington Olympic |
| 2023 | Wellington Olympic | 2–0 | Auckland City |
- ^ 2021 National League season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Northern regions;.[8] Championship played as South Central Series, with the northern clubs missing in the first edition.
By region
edit| Region | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 1 | Auckland City (1) |
| Wellington | 1 | Wellington Olympic (1) |
By city/town
edit| City / Town | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 1 | Auckland City (1) |
 Wellington
|
1 | Wellington Olympic (1) |
Top scorers
edit| Season | Top scorer(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | National League season cancelled | ||
| 2022 |  Gianni Bouzoukis Garbhan Coughlan
|
Wellington Olympic Cashmere Technical |
9 |
| 2023 | Gianni Bouzoukis Garbhan Coughlan
|
Wellington Olympic Cashmere Technical |
11 |
Records
editThe records are up to date as of the end of the 2023 season. As the 2021 season was cancelled, the 2021 South Central Series was not officially part of the National League.[8]
- Biggest home win:
- Wellington Olympic 7–1 Christchurch United (19 November 2022)
- Wellington Olympic 7–1 Napier City Rovers (30 September 2023)
- Biggest away win: – Napier City Rovers 0–5 Eastern Suburbs (11 November 2023)
- Highest scoring match:
- Manurewa 4–6 Wellington Phoenix Reserves (8 October 2023)
- Most goals scored in a season: 34 – Wellington Olympic (2023)
- Most goals scored in a season (including final): 36 – Wellington Olympic (2023)
- Fewest goals conceded in a season: 8 – Wellington Olympic (2022)
- Highest points in a season: 23 – Wellington Olympic (2023)
MVP winners
edit| Season | Winner(s) | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022[16] |  Silvio Rodić
|
Birkenhead United |
| 2023[17] | Garbhan Coughlan
|
Cashmere Technical |
Steve Sumner Trophy
edit| Season | Winner(s) | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023[18] | Joel Stevens
|
Wellington Olympic |
Related competitions
editOFC Champions League
editThe OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier football competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. It has been organised since 2007 under the current format, following its successor, the Oceania Club Championship. Two teams from the New Zealand National League participate annually. Four O-League titles have been won by teams from New Zealand.
Charity Cup
editThe Charity Cup was introduced in 2011 and is contested between the winner of the National League Grand Final and the winner of the Chatham Cup.[19] Although it was planned to start in 2022 after the inaugural season of the National League, the Charity Cup only restarted in 2024.[20][21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "New National League competition details confirmed". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "New National League competition". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "New National League system". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "IFFHS MEN'S STRONGEST NATIONAL LEAGUE IN THE WORLD - THE TOP 100". IFFHS. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Two National League clubs found to have breached foreign player regulations". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Youth leads the way in new National League". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "National League regulations for U-20 players revised". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "National League Championship cancelled, new interregional competition announced and Chatham Cup moved to 2022". New Zealand Football.
- ^ "Goal-filled final weekend in the South Central Series as Miramar Rangers (men) and Southern United (women) crowned winners". NZFootball.co.nz. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "National League Championship 2022 fixtures launched". New Zealand Football. 14 September 2022.
- ^ "Updated broadcast schedule released for National League Championship with 85 games free to air". New Zealand Football. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Fixture List 2022". New Zealand Football. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand Football signs long-term partnership with FIFA+ to make international friendlies and domestic competitions free to watch". New Zealand Football. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "How to watch New Zealand football live on FIFA+". FIFA. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand Football partner with Sportway to broadcast over 200 live domestic games in 2024". New Zealand Football. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Birkenhead 'keeper Silvio Rodic named MVP for Men's National League". friendsoffootballnz.com. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Announced at today's #NZNationalLeague Championship Grand Final were the winners of the men's and women's MVP and Golden Boot awards". New Zealand Football Twitter. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Olympic's Joel Stevens wins Steve Sumner Trophy for Grand Final performance". New Zealand Football Instagram. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "National League Regulations 2021". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "NZF Charity Cup returns to kick off the 2024 domestic football season". New Zealand Football. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "Wellington Olympic to face Christchurch United in season-opening Charity Cup". friendsoffootballnz.com. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.