New Zealand Football Championship
| 300px | |
| Country |  New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | White Ribbon Cup |
| International cup(s) | OFC Champions League |
| Current champions | Auckland City FC (6th title) (2014–15) |
| Current premiers | Auckland City FC (6th title) |
| Most championships | Auckland City FC (6 titles) |
| Most premierships | Auckland City FC (6 titles) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports |
| Website | Official page |
 2015–16 ASB Premiership |
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The New Zealand Football Championship (NZFC, known as the ASB Premiership from 2011 for sponsorship reasons) is the national association football league in New Zealand. It is a professional league that is operated by New Zealand Football. The league is run separately from various Winter regional club competitions, and many of the teams competing are franchises jointly run by Winter clubs. It is currently sponsored by ASB Bank.
Contents
Competition format
There are two stages to the competition; "The League" (commonly referred to as "regular season") and "The Championship" (commonly referred to as "the playoffs").[1]
The two teams that win the league phase (the "Minor Premier") and the Grand Final (the "champion") qualify for the OFC Champions League. Should the same team win both the Minor Premiership and the Championship, the second Champions League spot is granted to the league runner-up. This has occurred on numerous occasions; the first instance being in 2006 when Auckland City (premiers and champions) and YoungHeart Manawatu qualified despite Canterbury United contesting the Grand Final.
There are no lower divisions in the Premiership, thus no promotion and relegation exists, similar to leagues in Australia and in the United States.
The League
At the regular season stage, there are currently nine teams, with each club playing the others twice. Due to the uneven number of clubs, each team has two byes in the season.[citation needed] At the end of the regular season, the top four teams progress to The playoffs. For the first four seasons, regular season had the teams play each other three times, however, this was changed to the present 14-match system in 2008, due to financial difficulties affecting some of the clubs.
The Championship
The playoffs are run as a home-and-away semi-finals series, with the winners progressing to a one-match Grand Final.
The playoff phase in the inaugural season was contested by the top three clubs, whereby the Minor Premier (winner of league phase) received a bye and hosting rights for the grand final, with second and third placed teams playing off in a one-game preliminary final. The NZFC experimented with a five team playoff in the 2005–06 season, however, this was discontinued and the league reverted to the three-team playoff system for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.
History
Establishment in 2004 to present
The New Zealand Football Championship was created as a replacement to the former New Zealand National Soccer League, a tournament involving clubs from the regional governing bodies of New Zealand Football. The NZFC was to be run as a summer league involving new clubs created solely for the new competition, with these new clubs being run jointly by existing winter clubs. The only exception to this was Napier City Rovers, whose summer club would be rebranded Hawke's Bay United during the second season, to be operated jointly by other clubs in the Hawke's Bay region.
Eleven groups bid for franchises, with the successful bids being announced on 7 April 2004 as Auckland City FC, Canterbury United, Napier City Rovers, Otago United, Team Wellington, Waikato FC, Waitakere United and YoungHeart Manawatu, with Olé Madrids, East Auckland and Team Bay of Plenty being excluded. Unhappy at their exclusion, the Olé Madrids bid team took New Zealand Soccer to court, suing for damages and demanding inclusion in the competition, claiming that, whilst they met NZ Soccer's criteria for inclusion, other successful bids did not. The case was dropped by the Madrids team eight days before the commencement of the first NZFC season.[2] Western Suburbs, the club associated with the Olé Academy, is now a principal member of the Team Wellington franchise.[3] East Auckland also considered legal action, however this was not pursued.[4]
The first match of the competition was on 15 October 2004, with Auckland City defeating Napier City Rovers 3–1 at Park Island, Napier. Auckland City were also crowned the inaugural NZFC champions after defeating Waitakere United 3–2 in the final.
The second season saw Napier City Rovers rebrand and re-organize their NZFC team as Hawke's Bay United, forming an amalgamated franchise with other local clubs. It also saw the first instance of a NZFC team winning the O-League, with Auckland City FC defeating French Polynesian team AS Pirae 3–1.
At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, New Zealand Football granted three-season license extensions to seven of the eight franchises – all but YoungHeart Manawatu, who had to re-apply due to concerns over the club's financial and organisational situation. However, YoungHeart eventually earned reinstatement after beating out four rival bids – one based in Gisborne, one from North Shore City, and two from Manukau. Olé Madrids also applied for the license, however they withdrew early.[5]
On 2 September 2010, New Zealand Football announced a five-year sponsorship agreement with ASB Bank resulting in the rebranding of the New Zealand Football Championship to the ASB Premiership.[6]
In 2013, after a review of the competition by the ASB Premiership review committee, YoungHeart Manawatu was dropped from the competition after finishing last in the previous three seasons. New Zealand Football also confirmed that a team composed of New Zealand players born on or after 1 January, 1995 would take Manawatu's place in the Premiership for at least two seasons. The addition of the team – to be known as Wanderers SC – was to provide adequate preparation for New Zealand's U-20 players for the upcoming 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be hosted by New Zealand.[7] Much confusion surrounded the initials "SC" in the Wanderers' name, as no official explanation was given as to what they stood for. It wasn't until after their first match that coach Darren Bazeley finally revealed that "SC" stood for "Special Club", saying "it acknowledges this team has arisen out of a special situation and was specially formed for the purpose."[8]
The 2014–15 season saw the Premiership expand to nine teams for the first time in its history. Wellington Phoenix Reserves was added to the competition to provide game time for the members of the Phoenix squad who are not playing frequently for the first team in the A-League. Restrictions were also put in place for all clubs requiring that at least 50% of match day squads are players who are eligible to play for the All Whites.[9]
After 11 full seasons, only Auckland City FC and Waitakere United have been crowned Premiers or Champions, with Auckland City adding their sixth premiership and sixth title in the 2014–15 season.
2016 Expansion
In December 2015 it was announced that the league would be expanding to 10 teams for the 2016–17 season with Eastern Suburbs from Auckland, Hamilton Wanderers from Hamilton, and Tasman United from Nelson joining the league, while WaiBop United will exit the competition.[10]
Clubs
There are currently eight clubs from New Zealand playing in the 2015–16 ASB Premiership. Unlike most European leagues, there is no system for promotion and relegation. This system is similar to leagues in Australia and in the United States.
Current clubs
| Team | City, Region | Stadium | Joined | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Auckland City FC |
Auckland, Auckland | Kiwitea Street | 2004 |  Ramon Tribulietx |
 Canterbury United |
Christchurch, Canterbury | ASB Football Park | 2004 | Willy Gerdsen |
 Hawke's Bay United |
Napier, Hawke's Bay | Bluewater Stadium | 2004 |  Brett Angell[11] |
 Southern United |
Dunedin, Otago | Forsyth Barr Stadium | 2004 |  Mike Fridge[12] |
 Team Wellington |
Wellington, Wellington | David Farrington Park | 2004 | Matt Calcott |
 WaiBOP United |
Cambridge, Waikato | John Kerkhof Park | 2004 | Peter Smith |
 Waitakere United |
Whenuapai, Auckland | Fred Taylor Park | 2004 |  Brian Shelley |
 Wellington Phoenix Reserves |
Wellington, Wellington | Newtown Park | 2014 | Andy Hedge[13] |
Future clubs (Joining 2016–17 season)
| Team | City, Region | Stadium | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Suburbs | Auckland, Auckland | Ngahue Reserve | 2016 |
| Hamilton Wanderers | Hamilton, Waikato | Porritt Stadium/Waikato Stadium | 2016 |
| Tasman United | Nelson, Nelson | Trafalgar Park | 2016 |
Former clubs
| Team | City, Region | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
 YoungHeart Manawatu |
Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui | 2004 | 2013 |
 Wanderers SC |
North Harbour, Auckland Region | 2013 | 2015 |
Name changes
Champions and premiers
The teams that win the league phase (the "premier") and the Grand Final (the "champion") qualify for the OFC Champions League. Should the same team win both the Premiership and the Championship, the second O-League spot will be granted to league runner-up.
Premiership Winners
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland City FC |
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2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15 |
| Waitakere United |
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2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13 |
| YoungHeart Manawatu |
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| Team Wellington |
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| Canterbury United |
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Championship Winners
| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland City FC |
|
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2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2014–15 |
| Waitakere United |
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2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13 |
| Team Wellington |
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| Canterbury United |
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| Hawke's Bay United |
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Awards
Golden Boot
The Golden Boot is presented to the player who scores the most goals during the season.
| Year | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Graham Little |
Team Wellington |
12 |
| 2008–09 |  Luis Corrales |
Team Wellington |
12 |
| 2009–10 |  Seule Soromon |
YoungHeart Manawatu |
9 |
| 2010–11 | Allan Pearce |
Waitakere United |
13 |
| 2011–12 |  George Slefendorfas |
Canterbury United |
12 |
| 2012–13 |  Roy Krishna |
Waitakere United |
12 |
| 2013–14 |  Emiliano Tade |
Auckland City FC |
12 |
Records and statistics
All-time NZFC ladders
regular season matches
As of end of Round 2, 2014–15 season
| Club | SP | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Avg. | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland City FC |
11 | 171 | 118 | 29 | 24 | 433 | 181 | +252 | 383 | 2.240 | 5 | 4 | 1 | - |
| Canterbury United |
11 | 170 | 70 | 29 | 71 | 272 | 253 | +19 | 239 | 1.406 | - | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Hawke's Bay United¹ |
11 | 170 | 57 | 31 | 82 | 264 | 348 | −84 | 202 | 1.188 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Southern United² |
11 | 170 | 36 | 32 | 102 | 181 | 379 | −198 | 140 | 0.824 | - | - | - | - |
| Team Wellington |
11 | 170 | 80 | 29 | 61 | 345 | 290 | +55 | 269 | 1.582 | - | - | 3 | 5 |
| WaiBOP United³ |
11 | 169 | 45 | 28 | 96 | 219 | 356 | −137 | 163 | 0.964 | - | - | 1 | - |
| Waitakere United |
11 | 170 | 109 | 21 | 40 | 400 | 194 | +206 | 348 | 2.047 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - |
| Wanderers SC |
2 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 45 | −24 | 5 | 0.313 | - | - | - | - |
| Wellington Phoenix |
1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | 1.500 | - | - | - | - |
| YoungHeart Manawatu |
9 | 154 | 51 | 25 | 78 | 253 | 344 | −91 | 178 | 1.156 | - | 2 | 1 | - |
- ¹ Includes record as Napier City Rovers
- ² Includes record as Otago United
- ³ Includes record as Waikato FC
Finals matches
As of the conclusion of the 2013–14 season
| Club | SP | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Avg. | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland City FC |
10 | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 53 | 35 | +18 | 43 | 1.955 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Waitakere United |
9 | 21 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 39 | 1.857 | 5 | 3 | - |
| Team Wellington |
7 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 23 | 35 | −12 | 22 | 1.294 | - | 3 | 2 |
| Canterbury United |
5 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 14 | 1.077 | - | 2 | 3 |
| Southern United² |
1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | - | - | - |
| YoungHeart Manawatu |
3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 4 | 0.800 | - | - | 2 |
| WaiBOP United³ |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | 0.000 | - | - | 1 |
| Hawke's Bay United¹ |
2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 0 | 0.000 | - | - | 1 |
- ¹ Includes record as Napier City Rovers
- ² Includes record as Otago United
- ³ Includes record as Waikato FC
Largest victories
| Season | Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Southern United |
0 – 10 | Auckland City FC |
16 February 2013 |
| 2006–07 | Waitakere United |
8 – 0 | Southern United |
8 March 2007 |
| 2007–08 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
0 – 8 | Team Wellington |
6 January 2008 |
| 2007–08 | Canterbury United |
1 – 9 | Waitakere United |
20 January 2008 |
| 2011–12 | Canterbury United |
9 – 1 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
22 January 2012 |
| 2012–13 | Waikato FC  |
1 – 9 | Waitakere United |
20 January 2013 |
| 2005–06 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
8 – 1 | Hawke's Bay United |
18 February 2006 |
| 2006–07 | Team Wellington |
7 – 0 | Hawke's Bay United |
26 January 2007 |
| 2011–12 | Canterbury United |
7 – 0 | Hawke's Bay United |
4 February 2012 |
Highest scoring matches
| Season | Home team | Result | Away team | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Team Wellington |
4 – 6 | Auckland City FC |
7 January 2006 |
| 2007–08 | Canterbury United |
1 – 9 | Waitakere United |
20 January 2008 |
| 2011–12 | Canterbury United |
9 – 1 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
22 January 2012 |
| 2012–13 | Waikato FC |
1 – 9 | Waitakere United |
20 January 2013 |
| 2012–13 | Waitakere United |
6 – 4 | Hawke's Bay United |
9 March 2013 |
| 2013–14 | Southern United |
0 – 10 | Auckland City FC |
16 February 2013 |
| 2005–06 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
8 – 1 | Hawke's Bay United |
18 February 2006 |
| 2007–08 | Waikato FC |
4 – 5 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
30 March 2008 |
| 2011–12 | YoungHeart Manawatu |
2 – 7 | Waitakere United |
15 January 2012 |
Related competitions
ASB Phoenix Challenge
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The 2010–11 season saw the introduction of the ASB Challenge Series. This was an individual friendly competition in which the eight Premiership teams competed against a reserve team attached to Wellington Phoenix FC, a New Zealand based team playing in the Australian A-League. The ASB Phoenix Challenge was discontinued after the 2010–11 season but reinstated for 2012–2013.
ASB National Youth League
New Zealand Football also runs the Under-20 ASB National Youth League. The 2011/12 season consists of two four-team conferences (North and South) that play against each conference opponent twice (home and away), for six regular season games. At the conclusion of the youth league regular season, the top ranked Northern team hosts the second ranked Southern team, and the top ranked Southern team hosts the second ranked Northern team for the semi finals. The winners of these matches will face each other in the grand final. The current Youth League champion is Canterbury United, having defeated Waitakere United 2 – 1 after extra time at Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland[14] For the 2012–13 season the competition was expanded to 10 teams with the Nelson Falcons competing in the southern conference and Northern U17's connected to the New Zealand national team in the Northern conference.
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Waitakere United | 6 – 3 (AET) | Canterbury United |
| 2008–09 | Auckland City | 6 – 4 (AET) | Waitakere United |
| 2009–10 | Canterbury United | 6–0 | Waitakere United |
| 2010–11 | Waitakere United | 2–0 | Canterbury United |
| 2011–12 | Canterbury United | 2 – 1 (AET) | Waitakere United |
| 2012–13 | Auckland City | 3–0 | Southern United |
OFC Champions League
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The OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier football competition in Oceania. It is organized by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. It has been organized since 2007 under the current format, following its successor, the Oceania Club Championship. Two teams from the ASB Championship participate annually. Four O-League titles have been won by teams from New Zealand.
White Ribbon Cup
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The White Ribbon Cup, is a knockout cup competition run by New Zealand Football. The 2011–12 season will be the inaugural season of the NZF Cup.
It was established in 2011 to provide regular football for the six clubs not participating in the Oceania Champions League and runs in conjunction with the ASB Premiership regular season.[15]
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Team Wellington | 6–1 | Waikato FC |
Referees
Referees are selected from around New Zealand and occasionally include guest referees from other nations, most notably Australia. Whilst the match referees may travel to games outside their home federation, assistant referees and fourth officials are from generally within the hosting federation.
Logos
-
NewZealandFootballChampionship.jpg
2004–10
New Zealand Football Championship -
2010–current
ASB Premiership
See also
- Auckland Derby
- New Zealand Champions (Soccer)
- New Zealand Football Championship Records
- New Zealand National Soccer League
References
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External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Use dmy dates from September 2011
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015
- Articles with hatnote templates targeting a nonexistent page
- Top level football leagues in Oceania
- New Zealand Football Championship
- Association football leagues in New Zealand
- Summer association football leagues
