Men's competitions
Southern League
The Southern League sits above the Canterbury Premiership and Nelson Bays Premiership from the Mainland Region and the Southern Premier League of the Southern Region. The league is run by New Zealand Football as part of the New Zealand National League, and is overseen by Mainland Football and Southern Football alongside New Zealand Football.
The 2025 Southern League is the fourth season of a full 10 team league, and the fifth season overall. Ten teams will compete in the league – nine teams from the previous season plus a promoted team. The promoted team from the previous season is Wanaka, who were the 2024 Southern Premier League runners-up.
Wanaka won the Southern League Playoff series 9–4 on aggregate over Waimakariri United. [1] 2025 is Wanaka's first season in the Southern League. [2] They replaced FC Twenty 11, who finished last in the previous season. FC Twenty 11 spent two seasons in the league, finishing tenth in both seasons.
Southern League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coastal Spirit | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 19 | +31 | 33 | Winner of Southern League and qualification to National League Championship |
| 2 | Christchurch United | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 52 | 8 | +44 | 32 | Qualification to National League Championship |
| 3 | Cashmere Technical | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 47 | 24 | +23 | 31 | |
| 4 | Ferrymead Bays | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 22 | |
| 5 | Nomads United | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 28 | +3 | 21 | |
| 6 | Nelson Suburbs | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 20 | |
| 7 | Dunedin City Royals | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 15 | |
| 8 | Wānaka | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 15 | |
| 9 | University of Canterbury | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 17 | 64 | −47 | 4 | |
| 10 | Selwyn United | 14 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 61 | −49 | 2 | Relegated to the Nelson Premiership/Canterbury Premiership/Southern Premiership |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss [3]
Southern League play-off series
The final of the Southern League play-off series will be a two-legged match that take place between the Mainland Football nominated club and Southern Football nominated club. This year, Mainland Football also have a two-legged play-off match between FC Nelson and Canterbury Premiership League winner. FC Nelson came first in the 2025 Nelson Bays Men's Premiership League. The winner of this play-off will face the Southern Football nominated club, Northern. Northern came first in the 2025 Southern Premiership League. None of the clubs in the play-off series have previously participated in the Southern League with FC Nelson the only to have reached the play-off stage, losing to University of Canterbury in the 2023 play-off series and Waimakariri United in the 2024 play-off series.
- Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland Football (C) | – | FC Nelson (N) | – | – |
| Mainland Football (C) | – | Northern (S) | – | – |
Hurley Shield
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 April - TBD |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 20 (4 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Christchurch United 10–0 University of Canterbury |
← 2024 2026 → | |
The Hurley Shield is a Challenge Shield, where only teams from Christchurch challenge for the shield. It is only up for challenge when the current holders plays a league home game, cups competitions are not challenge games. The challenging team need to win against the current holders in order for the shield to change hands; if the match is a draw, the current holders retain the shield.
The Hurley Shield current holders are Christchurch United, who defeated Coastal Spirit last season 0–1 in round 15 to claim the shield for the first time since July 2012. [4] They have defended the shield twice in 2024, once against Selwyn United and once against rivals Cashmere Technical. [5]
Christchurch United's next match is against Coastal Spirit at United Sports Centre on 22 August. They have had five successful defense this season against; University of Canterbury, [6] Cashmere Technical, [7] Nomads United, Ferrymead Bays and Selwyn United.
Hurley Shield Matches
- Match 1
| 24 AprilRound 5 | Christchurch United | 10–0 | University of Canterbury | Spreydon |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium: United Sports Centre Referee: Michael Love |
- Match 2
| 16 MayRound 7 | Christchurch United | 2–0 | Cashmere Technical | Spreydon |
| 19:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium: United Sports Centre Referee: Ben O'Connell |
- Match 3
| 20 JuneRound 10 | Christchurch United | 1–1 | Nomads United | Spreydon |
| 19:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium: United Sports Centre Referee: Ralph Clink |
- Match 4
| 11 JulyRound 12 | Christchurch United | 1–0 | Ferrymead Bays | Spreydon |
| 19:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium: United Sports Centre Referee: Ralph Clink |
- Match 5
| 18 JulyRound 13 | Christchurch United | 4–1 | Selwyn United | Spreydon |
| 19:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium: United Sports Centre Referee: Caleb Downes |
- Match 6
| 22 AugustRound 17 | Christchurch United | v | Coastal Spirit | Spreydon |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium: United Sports Centre |
Canterbury Men's Premiership League
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 28 March - 6 September |
| Matches played | 88 |
| Goals scored | 387 (4.4 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jakaya Anink (11 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Nomads United U20 10–1 University Of Canterbury U20 (5 July) Christchurch United U20 9–0 FC Twenty 11 (5 April) Western 9–0 FC Twenty 11 (18 April) |
| Biggest away win | Western 1–8 Christchurch United U20 (17 May) |
← 2024 2026 → All statistics correct as of 9 August. | |
The 2025 Canterbury Men's Premiership League is the 4th season of premiership football, since the restructure of the leagues. The League started on 28 March and finishes on 6 September, with the competition being a double round robin. Each team can field a maximum of five foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. Temporary Dismissals will be in use for when a player commits a cautionable offence that is relevant to dissent and the length of the dismissal is 10 minutes starting from when play restarts. [8]
At the end of season, the highest ranked first team will be nominated to play in a Mainland Football Federation Playoff, two-leg home and away series, against the highest ranked nominated first team from Nelson Bays Men's Premiership. [9] This is to get the team that will compete against the highest ranked nominated first team from Southern Premiership League in the Southern League Playoff, two-leg home and away series. [10] The winner of Southern League Playoff Series will be promoted to Southern League, assuming they will have the correct club licensing before the season starts. [10] [11] [12]
Men's Premiership teams and personnel
Eleven teams are competing in the league – nine teams from the previous season, one team promoted from the Canterbury Men's Championship League and one team relegated from the Southern League. The promoted team is University of Canterbury U20 Reserves, this is their first season in the league. The relegated team is FC Twenty 11, this is their second season in the league after winning the league in 2022.
| Team | Home ground | Location | Manager | Captain | 2024 season [13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burwood AFC | Clare Park | Burwood | Darren Clements [14] | Elijah Austen | 2nd |
| Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | Garrick Memorial Park | Woolston | Jay Blake | Ewan Hyndman | 3rd |
| Christchurch United U20 Reserves | United Sports Centre | Spreydon |  Paul Holocher [15] | Harry Huxford | 7th |
| FC Twenty 11 | Avonhead Park | Avonhead |  Simon Darby (joint) [16] Marius Moeser (joint) [16] | Mustafa Rafyee | 10th in Southern League (relegated) |
| Ferrymead Bays U20 Reserves | Ferrymead Park | Ferrymead | Robert Barraclough [17] | Oliver McCosh | 8th |
| Halswell United | Halswell Domain | Halswell | Ollie Hawkins [18] | Conor Clarke | 4th |
| Nomads United Reserves | Tulett Park | Casebrook | Atticus Jones [19] | Hamish Gillett | 5th |
| Selwyn United U20 Reserves | Foster Park | Rolleston | John Morgan [20] | Josiah Clark | 6th |
| University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | English Park | St Albans | Joshua Dray | Stuart Campbell | 1st in Championship (promoted) |
| Waimakariri United | Kendal Park | Kaiapoi |  Jae Youn Lee [21] | Bailey McCleary | 1st |
| Western AFC | Walter Park | Mairehau | James Small [22] | Chris Boomer | 9th |
Men's Premiership Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves |  Adam Keizer | Mutual Consent | 31 August 2024 | Pre-season | Jay Blake | 29 March 2025 |
| FC Twenty 11 |  Ricardo Felitti | Signed by University of Canterbury | 1 September 2024 | Simon Darby (joint) [16] Marius Moeser (joint) [16] | 6 December 2024 | |
| Waimakariri United | Harry Trethowan [23] | Stepped down | 19 February 2025 | Jae Youn Lee [21] | 27 February 2025 | |
| University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | Ben Ellis [24] | Stepped Down | Before 29 March 2025 | Joshua Dray | 29 March 2025 |
Men's Premiership table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch United U20 Reserves [A] | 16 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 61 | 19 | +42 | 35 | Winners of Canterbury Premiership |
| 2 | Halswell United | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 42 | 23 | +19 | 33 | Possible qualification to Southern League play-offs [B] |
| 3 | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves [A] | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 39 | 24 | +15 | 30 | |
| 4 | Ferrymead Bays U20 Reserves [A] | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 39 | 27 | +12 | 30 | |
| 5 | Waimakariri United | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 27 | |
| 6 | Nomads United U20 Reserves [A] | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 42 | 31 | +11 | 20 | |
| 7 | Western | 17 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 20 | |
| 8 | Burwood | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 36 | −14 | 18 | |
| 9 | Selwyn United U20 Reserves [A] | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 16 | Possible relegation to Canterbury Men's Championship League |
| 10 | University of Canterbury U20 Reserves [A] | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 17 | 47 | −30 | 12 | Relegation to Canterbury Men's Championship League |
| 11 | FC Twenty 11 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 56 | −37 | 9 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss [25]
Men's Premiership results table
Men's Premiership scoring
- As of 9 August
Men's Premiership top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals [26] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jakaya Anink | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | 11 |
| 2 | Conor Clarke | Halswell United | 10 |
| Daniel Ede | Halswell United | ||
| Luka Fields | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | ||
| Danny Loney | Waimakariri United | ||
| Tinashe Masiuakurima | Christchurch United U20 Reserves | ||
| 6 | Connor Brandon | Western | 9 |
| 8 | Wyatt Borella | Christchurch United U20 Reserves | 8 |
| Jamie Jeffrey-Dally | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | ||
| 10 | Zack Killick | Nomads United U20 Reserves | 7 |
| 11 | 6 players | 6 | |
Men's Premiership hat-tricks
| Round | Player | For | Against | Home/Away | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 [27] | Conor Clarke | Halswell United | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | Away | 4–4 | 5 April 2025 |
| 3 [28] | Selwyn United U20 Reserves | Home | 3–1 | 12 April 2025 | ||
| 4 [29] | Daniel Steffert | Western | FC Twenty 11 | Home | 9–0 | 18 April 2025 |
| 6 [30] | Jakaya Anink | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | FC Twenty 11 | Home | 5–0 | 17 May 2025 |
| 13 [31] [32] | Danny Loney | Waimakariri United | Western | Home | 5–2 | 4 July 2025 |
| Benjamin Worrall | Nomads United U20 Reserves | University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | Home | 10–1 | 5 July 2025 | |
| 14 [33] | Daniel Ede | Halswell United | Selwyn United U20 Reserves | Away | 3–4 | 12 July 2025 |
| 17 [34] | George Suter | Waimakariri United | Burwood | Home | 5–2 | 2 August 2025 |
| 18 [35] | Parker Bradford | Western | University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | Home | 4–1 | 9 August 2025 |
Men's Premiership own goals
| Round | Player | Club | H/A | Time | Goal | Result | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 [36] | Matheus Freure de Andrade | Nomads United U20 Reserves | Home | 20' | 1–1 | 4–3 | Western | 12 April 2025 |
| 4 [37] | Callum Moores | Ferrymead Bays U20 Reserves | Away | 16' | 1–0 | 1–1 | University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | 18 April 2025 |
| 6 [38] | Rico Pradhan | Christchurch United U20 Reserves | Away | 12' | 1–1 | 3–2 | Ferrymead Bays U20 Reserves | 14 May 2025 |
| 11 [39] | Adam Harrison | Waimakariri United | Away | 21' | 1–1 | 2–1 | Christchurch United U20 Reserves | 20 June 2025 |
Canterbury Men's Championship League
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 April - 13 September |
| Matches played | 59 |
| Goals scored | 284 (4.81 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads 15–1 FC Twenty 11 Reserves (17 May) |
| Biggest away win | FC Twenty 11 Reserves 1–8 Coastal Spirit U20 (28 June) |
| Highest scoring | Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads 15–1 FC Twenty 11 Reserves (17 May) |
← 2024 2026 → All statistics correct as of 2 August. | |
The 2025 Canterbury Men's Championship League is the 9th season of championship football, 3rd since the restructure of the leagues. The League started on 5 April and finishes on 13 September, with league format being a double round robin. [40] Each team has two byes, one in each round.
Temporary Dismissals will be in use, when an official referee has been appointed, for when a player commits a cautionable offence that is relevant to dissent and the length of the dismissal is 10 minutes starting from when play restarts. For when an official referee hasn't been appointed, they will be known as Sin Bins. A sin bin is the same as a temporary dismissals, but another player is allowed to be subbed on to bring the team back to 11 players. After 10 minutes, the player is allowed to be used again. [41] [42]
The competition allows for each team to have a match day squad of 18 players, 11 starting and 7 substitutes. It also allows for each team to make unlimited substitutions from the 7 substitutes. [41] [42]
Men's Championship teams and personnel
Ten teams are competing in the league – eight teams from the previous season, one promoted team and one relegated team. The team promoted is from Canterbury Division 1 and is Oxford, this its their first season in the league. The team relegated is from the Premiership League is Parklands United, this is their first season in the league since the restructure.
| Team | Home ground | Location | Manager | Captain | 2024 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves | Garrick Memorial Park | Woolston | Liam Collins | Fergus West | 5th |
| Coastal Spirit U20 Reserves | Linfield Park | Bromley | Lee Robinson [43] | Lincoln Huddy | 9th |
| FC Twenty 11 Reserves | Avonhead Park | Avonhead | Boyd Kedzlie | Omar Ghoudan | 8th |
| Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads | Ferrymead Park | Ferrymead | Antony Lawson [17] | Ben Loader | 3rd |
| Halswell United Reserves | Halswell Domain | Halswell | Patrick Rouss [44] | Joseph Barrett | 6th |
| Oxford | Persons Park | Oxford | Jeroen Dunnink [45] | Sergio Cuevas | 1st in Division 1 (Promoted) |
| Parklands United | Parklands Reserve | Parklands | Hamish Parker | Lewis Miller | 10th in Premiership (Relegated) |
| Selwyn United Turkeys | Foster Park | Rolleston | Michael Hadfield (joint) Lee Hinton (joint) | Sam Bourke | 2nd |
| University of Canterbury 3rd XI | Ilam Field | Ilam | Patrick Morris [24] | Liam Sluiter | 4th |
| Waimakariri United Reserves | Kendal Park | Kaiapoi | Matt McDowell [46] | Zachary de Bono | 7th |
Men's Championship Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Spirit U20 Reserves | John Reynolds | Stepped down | 17 August 2024 | Pre-season | Lee Robinson [43] | 23 December 2024 |
| Waimakariri United Reserves | Mark Reid | Stepped down | 17 August 2024 | Matt McDowell [46] | Before 19 March 2025 | |
| FC Twenty 11 Reserves | Joshua Dray | Signed by University of Canterbury U20 Reserves | Before 29 March 2025 | Boyd Kedzlie | 5 April 2025 |
Men's Championship table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads [C] | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 10 | +28 | 30 | Winners of Canterbury Championship and possible promotion to Canterbury Premiership League |
| 2 | Selwyn United Turkeys [C] | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 30 | |
| 3 | Coastal Spirit U20 Reserves | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 24 | |
| 4 | Parklands United | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 21 | |
| 5 | University of Canterbury 3rd XI [C] | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 19 | |
| 6 | Halswell United Reserves [C] | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 13 | |
| 7 | Oxford | 12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 12 | |
| 8 | Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves [C] | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 11 | |
| 9 | FC Twenty 11 Reserves [C] | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 67 | −39 | 9 | |
| 10 | Waimakariri United Reserves [C] | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 40 | −26 | 3 | Relegation to Canterbury Division 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; All teams declared winners [25] [40]
Men's Championship results table
Nelson Bays Men's Premiership League
| Season | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 April - 2 August |
| Champions | FC Nelson |
| Matches played | 42 |
| Goals scored | 217 (5.17 per match) |
| Biggest home win | FC Nelson 13–0 Nelson Suburbs U18 (10 June) |
| Biggest away win | Nelson Suburbs U18 0–7 FC Nelson (14 June) |
← 2024 2026 → | |
The Leagues started on 12 April and finished on 2 August, with the competition being a double round robin.
At the end of season, the highest ranked nominated first team will be nominated to play in a Mainland Football Federation Playoff, two-leg home and away series, against the highest ranked first team from Canterbury Men's Premiership. [9] This is to get the team that will compete against the highest ranked nominated team from Southern Premiership League in the Southern League Playoff, two-leg home and away series. [10] The winner of Southern League Playoff Series will be promoted to Southern League, assuming they will have the correct club licensing before the season starts. [10] [11] [12]
Nelson Men's Premiership teams and personnel
Seven teams are competing in the league – six teams from the previous season plus one new entry. The new entry team is Nelson Suburbs U18. They replace Golden Bay and Motueka.
| Team | Location | Home ground | 2024 season [13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Nelson | The Wood | Guppy Park | 3rd |
| FC Nelson Karenni | Nelson South | Victory Square | 4th |
| Nelson Suburbs Reserves | Stoke | Saxton Fields | 3th |
| Nelson Suburbs U18 | New entry | ||
| Rangers | Redwoodtown | A & P Park | 1st |
| Richmond Athletic | Richmond | Jubilee Park | 6th |
| Tahuna | Tāhunanui | Tāhunanui | 7th |
Nelson Men's Premiership table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Nelson (C) | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 11 | +38 | 31 | Qualification to Southern League play-offs |
| 2 | Rangers | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 12 | +42 | 30 | |
| 3 | Tahuna | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 21 | |
| 4 | Nelson Suburbs Reserves [E] | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 14 | |
| 5 | FC Nelson Karenni | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 13 | |
| 6 | Richmond Athletic | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 36 | −14 | 11 | |
| 7 | Nelson Suburbs U18 [E] | 12 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 16 | 64 | −48 | 1 | Relegation to Nelson Bays Men's Division 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; All teams declared winners [48]
(C) Champions
