The National League (previously known as the National Women's League) is the top-level women's football league in New Zealand. The teams were run by regional federations until 2021, when New Zealand Football started to move to club-based football.[1][2]
 | |
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Confederation | OFC |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Kate Sheppard Cup |
| International cup(s) | OFC Women's Champions League |
| Current champions | Auckland United (1st title) (2023) |
| Most championships | Auckland Football (7 titles) |
| TV partners | FIFA+ |
| Website | Official website |
| Current: 2024 season | |
History
The league was founded in 2002 and ran until the league went on hiatus at the end of 2007. The league resumed in 2009 with five federations participating, as well as the national women's under-19 team development squad. The league currently contains seven teams, one run by each federation.
The league ran in a pure round-robin format in 2002 and 2003. Playoffs started in 2004, with the second and third-placed teams competing in a one-legged semi-final. The winner of that and the first-place team then played in the Grand Final to decide the champion.
Following a hiatus in 2009, the league was divided into two divisions—a Northern Conference and a Southern Conference, each comprising four teams. At the end of the season, semi-finals were held, where the winner of each division played against the runner-up of the other division. The victorious teams then competed in the Grand Final. However, in 2013, the league reverted to its previous format.
From 2010 to 2014, the league was held in the summer, in contrast to previous seasons, which were held in the winter. During this period, the league was restricted to players under the age of 20, making it a national women's youth league. The restrictions were lifted in 2015, and since then, the league has been an unrestricted women's league.
New Zealand Football looked to move the National Women's League to a club-based competition (similar to the men's competition) by 2020. The governing body also hoped to expand the number of games each federation plays in 2018. [3]
Participants
Current
- 4 teams from the Northern Regional League
- Central Football (as "Central Soccer" until 2007) (2002–2007, 2010–
- Capital Football (as "Capital Soccer" until 2006) (2002–
- Canterbury United Pride (as "Mainland Soccer" (2002–2005), "Mainland Pride" (2006–2007, 2010–), and "Mainland Football" (2009)) (2002–
- Southern United (as "Soccersouth" until 2007) (2002–
- Wellington Phoenix Reserves
Former
- Auckland Under-20 Development (2010–2011)
- Auckland Football (2002–2020)
- New Zealand Football Development (2005–2006, 2009, 2014–2016)
- This comprised the national under-19 team (2005), national under-18 team (2006, 2014–2016), and national under-17 team (2009). Although New Zealand Development competed from 2005, they were ineligible to take part in the semifinals and final until the 2009 season.
- Northern Lights (as "North Harbour" until 2007 and then Northern Football until 2010) (2002–2007, 2010–2020)
- Northern Region Development (2011–2013)
- WaiBOP United (2002–2020)
- Young Ferns (2013–2014)
List of champions
The list of champions:[4]
| Year | Champion [note 1] | Runner up | Score | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002[5] | Auckland (1) | Mainland Soccer | Season decided on league standings | ||
| 2003[6] | Auckland (2) | Capital Soccer | |||
| 2004[7] | Capital Soccer (1) | Auckland* | 2–1 | Unknown | |
| 2005[8] | Auckland (3) | Capital Soccer* | 4–2 | Newtown Park, Wellington | |
| 2006[9] | Auckland* (4) | Capital Soccer | 3–1 | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | |
| 2007[10] | Auckland* (5) | Capital Football [note 2] | 3–1 | Newtown Park, Wellington | |
| 2008 | No competition | ||||
| 2009[11][12] | Auckland* (6) | Capital Football | 5–1 | Bayer Growers Stadium, Pukekohe | |
| 2010–11[13][14] | Capital Football* (2) | Waikato-Bay of Plenty | 2–1 | Memorial Park, Lower Hutt | |
| 2011–12[15][16] | Northern Football* (1) | Waikato-Bay of Plenty | 3–0 | Parrs Park, Auckland | |
| 2012–13[17][18] | Northern Football* (2) | Auckland Football [note 3] | 2–0 | Fred Taylor Park, Auckland | |
| 2013[19][20] | Mainland Pride (1) [note 4] | Northern Football* | 4–2 | North Harbour Stadium, North Shore | |
| 2014[21][22] | Mainland Pride* (2) | New Zealand U-18 Development | 3–1 | ASB Football Park, Christchurch | |
| 2015[23][24] | Northern Football | Mainland Pride* | 4–3 | ASB Football Park, Christchurch | |
| 2016[25][26] | Canterbury United Pride* (3) [note 5] | Capital Football | 2–0 | English Park, Christchurch | |
| 2017[27][28] | Auckland Football (7) | Canterbury United Pride* | 3–2 | English Park, Christchurch | |
| 2018[29][30] | Canterbury United Pride* (4) | Northern Lights [note 6] | 3–2 | English Park, Christchurch | |
| 2019[31][32] | Canterbury United Pride* (5) | Northern Lights | 1–1 (4–3 pen.) | English Park, Christchurch | |
| 2020[33] | Canterbury United Pride* (6) | Capital Football | 4–0 | English Park, Christchurch | |
| 2021 | National League season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic;[34] South Central Series won by Southern United | ||||
| 2022 | Eastern Suburbs | Western Springs | 4–0 | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | |
| 2023 | Auckland United | Southern United | 2–0 | Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland | |
*Home team for final
Media coverage
Sky 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.[35][36]
In September 2023, New Zealand signed a deal to have all National League games streamed for free on FIFA+ worldwide.[37][38]