New Zealand football league system
![]() A detailed layout of the league system, as of 2022. | |
Country | New Zealand |
---|---|
Sport | Association football |
Promotion and relegation | Yes |
National system | |
Federation | New Zealand Football |
Confederation | OFC |
Top division |
|
Second division | |
Cup competition |
|
Association football in New Zealand |
The New Zealand league system is the structure of leagues nationally and regionally, newly updated for the 2021 season.[1] The system previously had a path from grassroots to the top flight but that stopped in 2004 with the New Zealand Football Championship being created as a replacement to the former New Zealand National Soccer League.
The current top flight of New Zealand Football is the National League, entering its inaugural season in 2021.[2]
The top 4 Divisions of the Northern Region Football leagues for both men and women (Tiers 2–5) will be restructured for the 2023 season.[3]
Cups
[edit]The premier cup competition in New Zealand is the Chatham Cup which dates back to 1923.
Regional cup competitions are also run within federations, allowing multiple teams from the same club to enter.
Men's structure
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/2022_New_Zealand_Football_League_System.png/220px-2022_New_Zealand_Football_League_System.png)
Clubs at the top of the pyramid are only permitted to enter a single team in their confederation's higher levels. Other teams from the same club are permitted to enter teams below this threshold, but have restrictions on promotion.[4][5] Clevedon FC and Banks Peninsula AFC are currently the lowest ranked 1st team in the country, playing in NRF South Division 9 and Mainland Division 10 (Tier 14) respectively.[6]
Level |
League(s)/division(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
New Zealand National League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 |
Northern League |
Central League |
Southern League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 |
NRFL Championship |
Central Federation League |
Capital Premier |
Mainland Premier League |
Southern Premiership | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 |
NRFL Northern Conference |
Horizons Premiership – 8 clubs |
Capital 1 |
Mainland Championship |
South Canterbury Division 1 – 6 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 |
NRF League One |
WaiBOP League One
10 clubs – 1 promotion |
Horizons Championship – 8 clubs |
Capital 2 |
Mainland Division 1 – 10 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 |
NRF Northland Division 1 – 8 clubs NRF Division 1 – 10 clubs |
Waikato Division 1 – 8 clubs |
Manawatu Division 1 – 9 clubs |
Capital 3 |
Mainland Division 2 – 10 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 |
NRF Northland Division 2 – 6 clubs |
Manawatu Division 2 – 10 clubs |
Capital 4 |
Mainland Division 3 – 8 clubs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 |
NRF Northland Division 3 – 8 clubs |
Manawatu Division 2 – 12 clubs |
Mainland Division 4 – 8 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 |
NRF Northland Division 4 – 9 clubs |
Wellington 2 – 10 clubs |
Mainland Division 5 – 8 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 |
NRF Division 5 – 12 clubs |
Wellington 3 – 10 clubs |
Mainland Division 6 – 8 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 |
NRF Harbour Division 6 – 10 clubs |
Wellington 4 – 10 clubs |
Mainland Division 7 – 7 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 |
NRF Harbour Division 7 – 9 clubs |
Wellington 5 – 16 clubs |
Mainland Division 8 – 7 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 |
NRF Harbour Division 8 – 10 clubs |
— |
Mainland Division 9 – 7 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 |
NRF Harbour Division 9 – 10 clubs |
— |
Mainland Division 10 – 7 clubs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 |
NRF Harbour Division 10 – 9 clubs |
— |
— |
Notes
[edit]Women's structure
[edit]Sources[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
||||||
2 |
NRFL Women's Premiership |
Capital W-League |
Mainland Women's Premier League |
Women's Southern Premier League | ||
3 |
NRFL Women's Championship |
Central Women's Federation League |
Women's Capital Premier |
Canterbury Women's Championship League 1 – 11 clubs | ||
4 |
NRF Women's Conference |
WaiBOP W-League |
Manawatu Premiership – 6 clubs |
Capital Women's 1 – 10 clubs |
Canterbury Championship League 2 – 6 clubs | |
5 |
NRF Women's Northland Division 1 – 5 clubs |
Manawatu Women's Championship – 6 clubs Hawkes Bay Women's Division 2 – 7 clubs |
Capital Women's 2 – 10 clubs |
— | ||
6 |
NRF Northland Women's Division 2 – 6 clubs |
— |
Capital Women's 3 – 11 clubs |
— | ||
7 |
NRF Harbour Division 3 – 7 clubs |
— |
Wairarapa League – 4 clubs |
— | ||
8 |
NRF Harbour Division 4 – 10 clubs |
— |
— |
— | ||
8 |
NRF Central Division 5 – 7 clubs |
— |
— |
— |
References
[edit]- ^ "The National League System". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ a b "New National League competition details confirmed". New Zealand Football. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ "2021 NRFL Review". Northern Region Football.
- ^ a b "Waikato Bay of Plenty Football, Regulations 2021". WaiBOP Football Federation. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Northern Region Football Playing Regulations". Northern Region Football. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Community Senior Men". Northern Region Football.
- ^ "Capital Football Federation Football Playing Regulations". Capital Football. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "Capital Football Federation Football Playing Regulations". Capital Football. 2021.
- ^ "Northern Regional Football League Regulations". Northern Region Football. 2021.
- ^ "Football South - Fixtures & Results". Football South. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
- ^ "Southland Football - Senior Fixtures/Results/Table". Football South. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "WaiBOP Football Federation - Fixtures & Results". WaiBOP Football Federation. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "Mainland Football - Football Fixtures & Results". Mainland Football. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "Football Fixtures - Home". Central Football. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "NO. 4 DISTRICT FEDERATION OF NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL SENIOR COMPETITION REGULATIONS". Central Football.