The New Zealand National League is the name given to the current New Zealand top football competition. Originally set up as the New Zealand National Soccer League there has been many versions of the competition as well as many different names. The most common format saw club teams play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis. At the completion of those games, the best-performing team was declared as the New Zealand champion. The latest version has the clubs play in their regional leagues with the top teams qualifying for the Championship phase to then play each other for the champion.
The national competition has had many different formats:[1]
| Structure | Format | Participation | Season | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provincial Champions 1892–1968 | Provincial | Club | Winter | Promotion/Relegation |
| Regional Leagues 1966–1969 | Regional | Club | Winter | Promotion/Relegation |
| National Soccer League 1970–1992 | National | Club | Winter | Promotion/Relegation |
| Superclub League 1993–1995 | Regional leading to National finals | Super Club | Winter | Promotion/Relegation |
| National Summer League 1996–1998 | National | Club | Summer | Participation criteria |
| New Zealand Island Leagues 1999 | North Island/South Island leagues North Island v South Island play-off | Club | Winter | Participation criteria |
| National Soccer League 2000–2003 | Regional leading to National finals | Club | Winter | Promotion/Relegation |
| New Zealand Football Championship 2004–2021 | National with playoff series | Franchise | Summer | Participation criteria |
| New Zealand National League 2021– | Regional leading to National finals | Club | Summer | Participation criteria |
Canterbury
| 1905 Christchurch Celtic | 1906 Christchurch Club | 1907 Burnham IS & Christchurch Celtic [shared] | 1908 Christchurch Club | 1909 Burnham IS | 1910 Burnham IS | |
| 1911 Burnham IS | 1912 Christchurch Nomads | 1913 Sydenham Christchurch | 1914 Sydenham Christchurch | 1915 Christchurch Club | 1916 Christchurch Rangers | |
| 1917 Linwood Christchurch | 1918 Excelsior Christchurch | 1919 Linwood Christchurch & Excelsior Christchurch [shared] | 1920 Nomads Christchurch | 1921 Corinthians | 1922 Rangers | |
| 1923 Sunnyside | 1924 Sunnyside | 1925 Sunnyside | 1926 Sunnyside | 1927 Nomads | 1928 Western | |
| 1929 Thistle | 1930 Thistle | 1931 Rangers & Nomads [shared] | 1932 Thistle | 1933 Thistle | 1934 Thistle | |
| 1935 Western | 1936 Western | 1937 Technical OB & Western [shared] | 1938 Nomads | 1939 Western | 1940 Western | |
| 1941 Western | 1942 Western | 1943 Western | 1944 Thistle | 1945 Western | 1946 Western | |
| 1947 Western | 1948 Western | 1949 Technical OB | 1950 Technical OB | 1951 Technical OB | 1952 Technical OB | |
| 1953 Western | 1954 Western | 1955 Western | 1956 Western | 1957 Western | 1958 Western | |
| 1959 Western | 1960 Western | 1961 Technical OB | 1962 Western | 1963 Nomads | 1964 Christchurch City | |
| 1965 Christchurch City | 1966 Christchurch City | 1967 Christchurch City |
Northern League
1965 Eastern Suburbs
1966 Eastern Suburbs
1967 Ponsonby AFC (Auckland)
1968 Mount Wellington
1969 Mount Wellington
Central League
1966 Kiwi United (Western League)
1967 Eastern Union (Central Districts League)
1968 Western Suburbs
1969 Western Suburbs
Southern League
1968 Christchurch City
1969 Christchurch Technical
When the National Soccer League was launched in 1970, it became the first national league for any sport in New Zealand. It involved clubs playing each other two times, on a home and away basis. Two points were awarded for a win, and one point was awarded for a draw. The club with the greatest number of points was declared the champion. The league was open and clubs could be relegated from it and promoted to it.
The National Soccer League continued until 1992 when the League was disbanded due to financial reasons.[2]
Following the dissolution of the league a new competition, called Superclub Championship, was launched to decide the top club in the country.[2] The top 10 clubs in each three regional groups (Northern, Central, Southern) would play each other home and away with $10,000 going to the team that finished first in their region, $7,000 for second and $5,000 for third. Then the country's top eight teams, being three teams from northern, and central regions, and two from the south, combine to play each other once. After that the top four teams then play each other once before culminating in a grand final between the top two from that round. For the team that finished first, they were paid $30,000, $15,000 went to the runner-up with $5,000 to third and fourth.[2]
The winners in those years were as follows:
| Year | Regional League sizes (N, C, S) | Regional matches per team (N, C, S) | National League size | Matches per team | Winners | Runners-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993[26] | 10, 10, 10 | 18, 18, 18 | 8 | 7 | Napier City Rovers | Waitakere City | |
| 1994[27] | 10, 10, 10 | 18, 18, 18 | 8 | 7 | North Shore United | Napier City Rovers | |
| 1995[28] | 10, 11, 10 | 18, 20, 18 | 8 | 7 | Waitakere City | Waikato United |
The increase in the number of teams participating for the championship, as well as lack of a true national league system, caused a strong drop in playing standards. It was clear that New Zealand not only needed a national league, but also one which was financially stable.[2]
In 1996 a National League was launched for the second time in the history of New Zealand soccer. This time however, the league was (mostly) played during the summer months and did not feature relegation and promotion. Teams were invited to participate and the selection criteria involved the financial strength of the club and its location. The league also featured a championship play-off session at the end of the seasons, involving teams finishing high in the table.
To further upset the traditionalists, penalties followed matches which ended in a draw. The winners of the penalty shoot-out were awarded two points, the losers one point while winners in the regular 90 minutes were awarded four points (although this system as dropped in the last year of the National Summer Soccer League). The winners in those years were:
| Year | League size | Matches per team | Winners | Runners-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 10 | 18 | Waitakere City | Miramar Rangers | |
| 1997 | 10 | 18 | Waitakere City | Napier City Rovers | |
| 1998 | 11 | 20 | Napier City Rovers | Central United |
In 1999, the National Soccer League again took a break. The competition for determining the New Zealand champion was moved back to (mostly) winter months. Two leagues were created, the North Island Soccer League (NISL) and the South Island Soccer League (SISL). The winner of the NISL, Central United, defeated the winner of the SISL, Dunedin Technical, 3–1, in extra time, in the championship final.
The National Soccer League was launched for the third time in 2000 as the National Club Championship. Like the original in 1970, it was played during (mostly) winter months and a promotion and relegation system was used. In the first season, a bonus point was awarded for scoring four or more goals in one match but that system was dropped in subsequent seasons. The championship play-offs system at the end of the league was the major difference when compared with the competition launched in 1970.
Seven teams, participating in the first edition, came from the NISL (Central United, Waitakere City, Napier City Rovers, Mt Wellington, Miramar Rangers, Metro and Manawatu AFC) and three came from the SISL (Dunedin Technical, Nelson Suburbs, Woolston WMC).
| Year | League size | Matches per team | Winner | Relegated | Promoted | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10 | 18 | Napier City Rovers | Nelson Suburbs | Tauranga City United | Nelson Suburbs, who finished 7th, withdrew due to financial reasons. Metro, who finished 10th, retained their place following play-offs. Controversially, Tauranga City United, who finished third in the play-offs, were awarded Nelson's spot in the league, ahead of Caversham, who finished second. | |
| 2001 | 10 | 18 | Central United | Metro | North Shore United | ||
| 2002 | 10 | 18 | Miramar Rangers | Waitakere City | Caversham | ||
| 2003 | 10 | 18 | Miramar Rangers | - | - |
2004 was the transition year between the National Soccer League and the New Zealand Football championship. Regional competitions were played but no New Zealand champion was determined.
On 15 October 2004 the New Zealand Football Championship was launched (NZFC). It marked a turning point in the history of the game in New Zealand, as for the first time traditional clubs were not eligible to participate in the top league. They were replaced by eight franchise style entities.
In 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.[29]
| Year | League size | Matches per team | Winners | Runners-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 | 5 | Miramar Rangers | Wellington Olympic | |
| 2022 | 10 | 9 | Auckland City | Wellington Olympic | |
| 2023 | 10 | 9 | Wellington Olympic | Auckland City |
| Club | Wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland City | 9 | 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2022 |
| University-Mount Wellington | 6 | 1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986 |
| Christchurch United | 1973, 1975, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1991 | |
| Waitakere City | 5 | 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1996–97 |
| Waitakere United† | 2007–08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 | |
| Napier City Rovers | 4 | 1989, 1993, 1998, 2000 |
| Wellington United | 3 | 1976, 1981, 1985 |
| Team Wellington† | 2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21 | |
| Miramar Rangers | 2002, 2003, 2021* | |
| North Shore United | 2 | 1977, 1994 |
| Central United | 1999, 2001 | |
| Eastern Suburbs | 1971, 2018–19 | |
| Blockhouse Bay | 1 | 1970 |
| Manurewa AFC | 1983 | |
| Gisborne City† | 1984 | |
| Wellington Olympic | 2023 |