The 1980 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 11th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Mount Wellington became the first club to win back-to-back titles and also the first club to win the league four times, though their winning margin was significantly smaller than in 1979.
Promotion was automatic, with the three lowest placed sides in the 1979 league (Manawatu United, Courier Rangers, and Eastern Suburbs) replaced by the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (Hamilton, Gisborne City, and Rangers respectively). [1]
Mount Wellington's win may have been only bo four points (down from the 14 points in 1979), but it was still a heavy victory. No other team looked like serious contenders. The Mount set several league records, notably a 9–1 win over Stop Out in Lower Hutt which was the league's biggest winning margin to that time, and also an unbeaten run of 13 matches which beat the league's previous record. Gisborne City's first season in the top flight since 1976 was successful, and an undefeated season at home enabled them to finish second overall. Manurewa finished third, and could have finished higher if its home record had been as good as its form on the road. Wellington Diamond United improved from a poor start to the season which saw them briefly at the foot of the table, and they managed to pull themselves up to fourth. [2]
Hanimex North Shore United and the newly promoted Dunedin City rounded out the top half of the table. A poor start to the season by Shore and a mid-season slump from the southerners hindered the two sides from finishing higher up the table. Christchurch United had a poor season by their high standards, finishing in seventh. Their season started strongly with five wins on the trot, but their luck changed dramatically and they only won one of their last 14 games. Hamilton's second spell as a national league side started with them finishing in a comfortable if not brilliant position in eighth. Their home form was good, but they were let down by their away record, and the defence which had only let in four goals in their 1979 regional season found the national league an entirely different proposition. [3]
Rangers' debut season was forgettable, though they did finish above the drop zone. They never fully recovered from losing five of their first seven games, and it was only a good spell in the middle of the season which enabled them to retain their league status. The three teams which did go down included two founding members of the league, Stop Out and Blockhouse Bay. Stop Out's season was poor but they did have one thing for which it was memorable — the debut of a young Wynton Rufer, later to make his mark both in New Zealand and overseas. Blockhouse Bay had been inaugural champions of the league in 1970, but a decade on their team was not of the same standard, and they never recovered from 10 defeats in their first 12 matches. Last-placed Nelson United also had a horror start to the season, though a mid-season revival did raise supporters' hopes of survival. It was not to be, however, and the Nelson side slumped to four losses in their last four games. [3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Wellington (C) | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 19 | +34 | 35 |
| 2 | Gisborne City | 22 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 31 |
| 3 | Manurewa | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 26 |
| 4 | Wellington United | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 26 |
| 5 | North Shore United | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 24 |
| 6 | Dunedin City | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 32 | +5 | 20 |
| 7 | Christchurch United | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 34 | 33 | +1 | 20 |
| 8 | Melville United | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 36 | −10 | 19 |
| 9 | Rangers | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 17 |
| 10 | Stop Out (R) | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 17 |
| 11 | Bay Olympic (R) | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 30 | 43 | −13 | 15 |
| 12 | Nelson United (R) | 22 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 14 |
The 1970 New Zealand National Soccer League was the inaugural season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. The league's initial sponsors were Rothmans (NZ) Ltd, and the league was thus commonly known as the Rothmans National League. Rothmans retained naming sponsorship rights until 1987 when Air New Zealand took over as principal sponsor.
The 1971 New Zealand National Soccer League was the second season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. The league was expanded at the end of the inaugural season, so there was no relegation from the 1970 league season. Hungaria, who had competed in the inaugural season, combined with Miramar Rangers to form a new composite league team, Wellington City. Though Miramar withdrew from the team after the 1971 season, the team continued to use the new name.
The 1972 New Zealand National Soccer League was the third season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.
The 1973 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fourth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.
The 1974 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fifth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.
The 1975 New Zealand National Soccer League was the sixth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.
The 1976 New Zealand National Soccer League was the seventh season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football.
The 1977 New Zealand National Soccer League was the eighth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. An expansion by two teams meant that it was the first year in which twelve teams took part. Prize money was significantly increased for the top three clubs, and the number of teams relegated increased from one to three, these being automatically replaced by the winners of the three regional leagues.
The 1978 New Zealand National Soccer League was the ninth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. A change was made from previous years, with the replacement of goal average by goal difference as a means for ranking teams equal on points.
The 1979 New Zealand National Soccer League was the tenth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. It produced the biggest winning margin in the league's history, with Mount Wellington never being in serious danger of finishing anywhere but first.
The 1981 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 12th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Wellington Diamond United won the league for a second time, having previously been champions in 1976. The league was the closest until this point, with only four points separating the top five teams.
The 1982 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 13th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Mount Wellington comfortably won the league for a fifth time, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United. This was the last season in which a win scored two points; from 1983 wins were worth three points.
The 1983 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 14th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Manurewa comfortably won the league for the first time, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United. This was the first season in which a win scored three points; prior to this they were worth only two.
The 1984 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 15th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Gisborne City finally wrestled the trophy away from the major centres, taking it to a provincial city for the first time.
The 1985 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 16th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Wellington Diamond United finished as champions, three points clear of 1984 title-holders Gisborne City.
The 1986 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 17th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Mount Wellington finished as champions, one point ahead of Miramar Rangers.
The 1987 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 18th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. It was the first season in which 14 teams competed in the league, up from 12 in the previous season, and was also the first season with new sponsors Air New Zealand, leading to it being called the Air New Zealand Soccer League. Christchurch United finished as champions, seven points clear of Gisborne City.
The 1988 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 19th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Christchurch United finished as champions for the second season running, three points clear of traditional rivals Mount Wellington.
The 1989 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 20th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Napier City Rovers had their debut championship win over Mount Maunganui, in doing so taking the title away from the main centres for only the second time.
The 1990 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 21st season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Waitakere City won the league for the first time, by two points over Auckland neighbours Mount Wellington.