Canterbury Championship League

Last updated

Canterbury Championship League
Organising body Mainland Football
Founded2016
Country New Zealand
Confederation OFC (Oceania)
Number of clubs10
Level on pyramid 4
Promotion to Canterbury Premiership League
Relegation toCanterbury Senior Men's Division 1
Domestic cup(s) Chatham Cup
League cup(s) English Cup
Whero Cup
Current champions University of Canterbury 2nd XI (1st title)
(2024)
Most championships Western (2 titles)
Website Mainland Football
Current: 2024 Canterbury Championship League

The Canterbury Championship League, also known as New World Canterbury Championship League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition run by Mainland Football for association football clubs located in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is at the fourth tier of New Zealand Football, below the Canterbury Premiership League and above the Canterbury Senior Men's Division 1.

Contents

The competition currently runs between March and August each year, and consists of ten team based in Christchurch. There are 18 round where the teams play each other twice. The winner of the league is promoted to the Canterbury Premiership League and last place is relegated to Canterbury Senior Men's Division 1.

History

In March 2021, after New Zealand Football announced the changes to the structure of both the premiership and the top regional leagues around the country, Mainland Football changed the Canterbury Championship League for the 2022 season. The change was, 3 pools of six team, consisting of six Canterbury Southern League U20 Reserve teams, five Canterbury Premiership Reserve teams, six Division 1 teams, and one first team. The winners of; pool A were Selwyn United U20 Reserves, [1] pool B were Christchurch United U20 Academy, [2] and pool C were Coastal Spirit U20 Reserves. [3] The top 3 teams from each pool plus Halswell United Reserves, played a 9 game Senior Men's Division 1 Championship with Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves winning. [4]

In 2023, 2022 Senior Men's Division 1 Championship winners Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves and runners-up Nomads United U20 Reserves were both promoted to the Canterbury Premiership League. Seven of the ten teams were promoted to Canterbury Championship, followed by the addiction of Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads, University of Canterbury 3rd XI and Waimakariri United Reserves. Christchurch United U20 Academy won the 2023 league thus being promoted to the Premiership, followed by Ferrymead Bays U20 Reserves and Selwyn United U20 Reserves for the following season.

In 2024, Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves and Nomads United U20 Reserves both returned to the league following the success of having a reserve team in the Premiership, they were invited to add a team to the Championship. They also welcomed Selwyn United Turkeys with the success of winning Senior Men's Division 1 and 2 in the last two years. On 2 May, 4 matches into the season, Nomads United U20 Reserves were withdrawn from the competition after failing to field a team three games in a row, with one game being a postponement against University of Canterbury 3rd XI and the other two games being defaults against Selwyn United Turkeys and Coastal Spirit U20 Reserves. All wins and game results against Nomads United U20 Reserves have been voided, even Nomads only game against Cashmere Technical U20 Reserves, 0–8 win for Cashmere Technical.

Canterbury Championship League teams

As of 2025 season. [5]

TeamHome GroundLocation2024 season
Cashmere Technical (U)Garrick Memorial Park Woolston 5th
Coastal Spirit (U)Linfield Park Bromley 9th
FC Twenty 11 (U)Avonhead Park Avonhead 8th
Ferrymead Bays Keen Lads Ferrymead Park Ferrymead 3rd
Halswell United (R)Halswell Domain Halswell 6th
Oxford Pearsons Park Oxford 1st in Division 1 (promoted)
Parklands United Parklands Reserve Parklands 10th in Premiership (relegated)
Selwyn United Turkeys Foster Park Rolleston 2nd
University of Canterbury (T)Ilam Field Ilam 4th
Waimakariri United (R)Kendal Park Kaiapoi 7th
(R) — Denotes club's Reserve team
(T) — Denotes club's Third team
(U) — Denotes club's Under 20 Reserve team

    Winners

    Canterbury Champions League:

    2016–21
    ClubNumber of TitlesYear(s) Won
    Western 22018, 2021
    Nomads United 12016
    Selwyn United 12017
    Christchurch United 12019
    Halswell United 12020
    2023–
    ClubNumber of TitlesYear(s) Won
    Christchurch United U20 12023
    University of Canterbury 2nd 1 2024

    Whero Cup

    The Whero Cup, is an annual Mainland Football knockout football competition for Canterbury Championship League, Senior Men's Division 1 and Canterbury Premiership League's Reserve teams. First played during the 2023 season. It is currently known as City Mission Whero Cup after its charity, Christchurch City Mission, this is the first season of City Mission being the charity. The cup has been previously known as the Ronald McDonald House Whero Cup after its charity Ronald McDonald House South Island for the 2023 to 2024 season. There are three other men's cups that run at the same time for the lower Senior Men's Divisions.

    Whero Cup Winners-
    ClubNumber of TitlesYear(s) Won
    Christchurch United U20 12023
    University of Canterbury 3rd 1 2024

    References

    1. ↑ "Senior Mens Division 1/2 (Pool A)". Fiji Football Association . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    2. ↑ "Senior Mens Division 1/2 (Pool B)". Fiji Football Association . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    3. ↑ "Senior Mens Division 1/2 (Pool C)". Fiji Football Association . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    4. ↑ "Senior Men's Division 1 Championship". Fiji Football Association . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    5. ↑ "New World Championship".
    6. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2016" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    7. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2017" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    8. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2018" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    9. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2019" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    10. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2020" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
    11. ↑ "ANNUAL REPORT 2021" . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
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