New Zealand National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League refers to a series of soccer competitions in New Zealand that were held between 1970 and 2003 and the winner of which was the New Zealand soccer champions. In 2004 the National Soccer League was replaced by the New Zealand Football Championship , but its status is controversial, as it does not offer traditional teams the opportunity to participate, as it is a pure franchise league.
1970 to 1992
New Zealand's first sports league was the National Soccer League in 1970. Its sequence was based on the European professional leagues, with each team playing twice against every other team in the league. A win meant two points, a draw one point. The championship leader at the end of the season was the New Zealand champions. There was also a round of relegation and promotion, so the league was theoretically accessible for every club in New Zealand.
Eight teams took part in the first season in 1970. Three clubs came from northern and three from central New Zealand. The four eligible clubs of South New Zealand (Christchurch City, Rangers, Shamrock and Technical) merged to form Christchurch United . The last starting place was played off by two playoffs between the fourth placed in the Northern League ( North Shore United ) and the fourth placed in the Central League (Hungaria). In the end, Hungaria prevailed.
The final table of the New Zealand Premier League was as follows:
| society | Sp | G | U | V | Gates | Diff. | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Blockhouse Bay | 14th | 10 | 2 | 2 | 40:16 | +24 | 22nd |
| 2. | Eastern suburbs | 14th | 10 | 2 | 2 | 33:17 | +16 | 22nd |
| 3. | Christchurch United | 14th | 9 | 2 | 3 | 40:26 | +14 | 20th |
| 4th | Mt Wellington | 14th | 7th | 3 | 4th | 35:33 | +2 | 17th |
| 5. | Stop out | 14th | 4th | 2 | 8th | 25:38 | −13 | 10 |
| 6th | Gisborne City | 14th | 3 | 3 | 8th | 22:31 | −9 | 9 |
| 7th | Hungaria | 14th | 3 | 3 | 8th | 24:36 | −12 | 9 |
| 8th. | Western suburbs | 14th | 1 | 1 | 12 | 18:40 | −22 | 3 |
Since the league was expanded to ten clubs in the following year, Western Suburbs avoided relegation. New Zealand's first champion was Blockhouse Bay. The National Soccer League existed in this form until 1992:
| year | societies | master | Second | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8th | Blockhouse Bay | Eastern suburbs | First season |
| 1971 | 10 | Eastern suburbs | Mt Wellington | Hungaria and Miramar Rangers merged to form Wellington City , Caversham, Maori Hill and Dunedin Technical to form Dunedin Suburbs . |
| 1972 | 10 | Mt Wellington | Blockhouse Bay | Mt Albert-Ponsonby partnered with Eden and changed their name to Auckland City FC |
| 1973 | 10 | Christchurch United | Mt Wellington | |
| 1974 | 10 | Mt Wellington | Christchurch United | |
| 1975 | 10 | Christchurch United | North Shore United | |
| 1976 | 10 | Wellington Diamond United | Mt Wellington | |
| 1977 | 12 | North Shore United | Stop out | Christchurch United changed their name to Trans Tours United |
| 1978 | 12 | Christchurch United | Mt Wellington | Trans Tours United changed their name back to Christchurch United |
| 1979 | 12 | Mt Wellington | Christchurch United | |
| 1980 | 12 | Mt Wellington | Gisborne City | |
| 1981 | 12 | Wellington Diamond United | Dunedin City | |
| 1982 | 12 | Mt Wellington | North Shore United | |
| 1983 | 12 | Manurewa | North Shore United | From 1983 onwards there were three points for a victory |
| 1984 | 12 | Gisborne City | Papatoetoe | |
| 1985 | 12 | Wellington United | Gisborne City | Wellington Diamond United merged with Wellington City and played under the name Wellington City Diamond United, but shortened it to Wellington United |
| 1986 | 12 | Mt Wellington | Miramar | |
| 1987 | 14th | Christchurch United | Gisborne City | |
| 1988 | 14th | Christchurch United | Mt Wellington | |
| 1989 | 14th | Napier City Rovers | Mt Maunganui | |
| 1990 | 14th | Waitakere City FC | Mt Wellington | |
| 1991 | 14th | Christchurch United | Miramar | |
| 1992 | 14th | Waitakere City FC | Waikato United | Last season |
1993 to 1995
The successor to the National Soccer League was the Superclub competition . 30 clubs took part, which were divided into three regions. This preliminary round was followed by a final round in which the best eight teams competed against each other once. The winners of these years were:
- Napier City Rovers (1993)
- North Shore United (1994)
- Waitakere City (1995)
After only three years, however, this mode was abolished because it could not guarantee the clubs financial security.
1996 to 1998
The new league was called the National Summer Soccer League and took place mainly during the summer months. The participating clubs were invited. a. the financial position of the association and the situation within New Zealand. At the end of the season, the playoffs took place, through which the New Zealand champions were determined. The winner of a game received four points if this victory could be achieved within regular time. In the event of a win on penalties, the winning team received two points and the losing team one point. The masters of those years were:
- Waitakere City (1996 and 1997)
- Napier City Rovers (1998)
1999
In 1999 the New Zealand champions were played in a final game. The Northern Island Soccer League (NISL) and the Southern Island Soccer League (SISL) were founded for this purpose. The winners of these two leagues played out the champions. In this case it was Central United (NISL) and Dunedin Technical (SISL). The end result was 3-1 for Central United after extra time.
2000 to 2003
In 2000, the old mode from 1970 to 1992 was reintroduced. As an addition, the season ended with playoff games, and a team received an additional point in the first season if it scored more than four goals. However, this rule was abolished after one season.
| year | societies | master | Second |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10 | Napier City Rovers | Caversham |
| 2001 | 10 | Central United | ? |
| 2002 | 10 | Miramar Rangers | ? |
| 2003 | 10 | Miramar Rangers |
2004
In 2004 no champions were played. The year was considered a transition year for the newly established New Zealand Football Championship .
statistics
- Clubs by title wins (from 1970 to 2003)
| title | society | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 6th | Mt Wellington Christchurch United |
1972, 74, 79, 80, 82, 86 1973, 75, 78, 87, 88, 91 |
| 5 | Waitakere City | 1990, 92, 95, 96, 97 |
| 4th | Napier City Rovers | 1989, 93, 98, 2000 |
| 3 | Wellington United | 1976, 81, 85 |
| 2 | North Shore United Central United Miramar Rangers |
1977, 94 1999, 2001 2002, 03 |
| 1 | Blockhouse Bay Eastern Suburbs Manurewa Gisborne City |
1970 1971 1983 1984 |
-
Highest number of wins per season: 20
- Mt Wellington (1979 in 22 games)
- Christchurch United (1988 in 26 games)
- Waitakere City (1990 in 26 games)
-
Lowest number of wins per season: 0
- Rangers (1981 in 22 games)