Country | New Zealand |
---|---|
Confederation | OFC (Oceania) |
Number of teams | 8 |
Level on pyramid | 5 |
Promotion to | NRFL Division 2 |
Relegation to | NRF Championship Division 1 |
Current champions | Central United (2022) |
Website | Northern Region Football |
Current: NRF Men's Championship |
The NRF Championship is a New Zealand amateur football league. The league is run by Northern Region Football, an amalgamation of the Auckland Football Federation and Northern Football Federation, and includes football clubs located in Northland and Auckland. It comprises half of the fifth tier of football in the northern North Island, alongside the WaiBOP Premiership.
The fixtures are played generally from April to September. The league winners are promoted to the NRFL Division 2; the second-place team enters a two-game playoff series with the champions of the WaiBOP Premiership, with the winner being promoted. [1]
Teams can be relegated from this division, however only one team representing each club can progress into this division and beyond. If teams do not meet the criteria to gain promotion to the NRF Championship, no teams are relegated from this division. [1]
The current champions of the 2022 season are Central United, who as a result will be promoted to the 2023 NRFL Division 2. Papatoetoe will play off against the WaiBOP Premiership champions, Waikato Unicol for the other promotion spot. [2]
As of 2022 season. [3]
Team | Location | Stadium |
---|---|---|
Central United | Sandringham, Auckland | Kiwitea Street |
Lynn-Avon United | New Lynn, Auckland | Ken Maunder Park |
Papakura City | Papakura, Auckland | McLennan Park |
Papatoetoe | Papatoetoe, Auckland | Murdoch Park |
Ranui Swanson | Ranui, Auckland | Starling Park |
South Auckland Rangers | Flat Bush, Auckland | Rongomai Park |
Te Atatu | Te Atatū, Auckland | Te Atatū Peninsula Park |
Uni-Mount Bohemian | Mount Wellington, Auckland | Bill McKinlay Park |
The Northern League is a semi-professional New Zealand association football competition. It is a top-tier competition during the winter season, and sits at step two overall.
Central United Football Club is an amateur association football (soccer) club based in Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand who complete in the NRF Championship.
North Shore United Association Football Club is an amateur football club based in the North Shore, Auckland. They compete in the Northern League, where they last won the competition in 2019.
The New Zealand Football Championship was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in the country, including the National Soccer League, the National Summer Soccer League and the New Zealand Superclub League. The league was contested by ten teams in a franchise system. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as the ISPS Handa Men's Premiership. From the 2021-22 season, it was replaced by the New Zealand National League.
Ellerslie AFC is an association football club based in Ellerslie, New Zealand. The senior team currently competes in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.
Onehunga Sports Football Club is a youth football club based in Onehunga, New Zealand. A senior side formerly competed in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Premier, last appearing in the competition in 2019.
Metro F.C. is a New Zealand association football club, based in Auckland, that will compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1 for the 2020 season, after winning promotion from Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2 during the 2019 season.
Ngaruawahia United AFC is an association football club based in Ngāruawāhia, New Zealand. They compete in the NRFL Division 2, following promotion from the WaiBOP Premiership in 2021. Ngaruawahia United AFC play their home matches at Centennial Park, Ngāruawāhia.
Cambridge F.C. is a football club based in Cambridge, New Zealand. It currently plays in the NRFL Division 2.
Ngongotaha AFC (nɔːŋgoʊtɑːhɑː), also known as the Villagers, is an association football club based in Rotorua, New Zealand. They play their home matches at Stembridge Road.
Mario Bilen is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for NRFL Division 2 club Ngaruawahia United.
The Northern Regional Football League Division 2, currently known as Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2 for sponsorship reasons, is a New Zealand amateur football league. The league is run by the Auckland Football Federation and includes football clubs located in the northern part of the North Island, New Zealand. It is open to clubs from the Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty provinces.
The Northern Regional Football League Division One, currently known as Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1 for sponsorship reasons, is a semi-professional New Zealand association football league competition.
Matamata Swifts AFC is a semi-professional association football club in Matamata, New Zealand.
John Kerkhof Park is a venue for football (soccer) matches in Cambridge, New Zealand. It is the all-year home of Cambridge FC who compete in the Northern League.
The New Zealand league system is the structure of leagues nationally and regionally, newly updated for the 2021 season. The system previously had a path from grassroots to the top flight but that stopped in 2004 with the New Zealand Football Championship being created as a replacement to the former New Zealand National Soccer League.
The 2020 Women's Premiership was the eighteenth season of the league, New Zealand's top level women's football league since its establishment in 2002. Seven teams again were involved in the season representing the different regions in New Zealand. The league after consultation and feedback from stakeholders, was reverted to a single round-robin format, with the two highest-placed sides progressing to a one-off grand final. Canterbury United Pride was again the team to beat, as they were looking at a threepeat, having played in every final since 2013, won five our of seven of those finals, including the last two years.
The New Zealand Men's National League is a men's football league at the top of the New Zealand football league system. Founded in 2021, the New Zealand National League is the successor to the New Zealand Football Championship. The league will be contested by ten teams, with teams qualifying from their regional leagues. Four teams qualify from the Northern League, three qualify from the Central League, two qualify from the newly formed Southern League and the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are automatically given a spot each year.
The 2022 New Zealand Men's National League is the second scheduled season of the National League since its restructuring in 2021; the 2021 National League was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in northern regions. 32 clubs compete in the competition, with four qualifying from the Northern League, three qualifying from the Central League and two qualifying from the Southern League for the National Championship phase. Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. Each team must also have at least two players aged 20 or under in the starting eleven.
The 2023 New Zealand Men's National League is the third scheduled season of the National League since its restructuring in 2021; the 2021 National League was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in northern regions. 32 clubs compete in the competition, with four qualifying from the Northern League, three qualifying from the Central League and two qualifying from the Southern League for the National Championship phase. Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. Each team must also have at least two players aged 20 or under in the starting eleven.