The original Southern League
The first Southern League was established in 1968, prior to the launch of a National Soccer League, and at the time represented the highest level of competitive football for clubs in the South Island. The league provided a structured competition for southern clubs and helped standardize the level of play, offering a pathway for clubs aiming to compete nationally.
When the National Soccer League was created in 1970, the Southern League became one of its feeder competitions, supplying promoted clubs to the national level and receiving relegated clubs from the national league. This feeder system continued for nearly three decades, until the league folded in 1999. During its existence, the league helped foster rivalries among South Island clubs and contributed significantly to the development of regional football, producing players who went on to represent both provincial teams and the New Zealand national side.
Initially, the league was organized into Division 1 and Division 2 for the first four seasons, reflecting differences in club strength and infrastructure. After this period, the competition commonly operated with a split structure, either as Division 1 North/South or as Divisions 1 and 2 North/South. This approach was largely adopted to reduce travel costs across the South Island, allowing clubs to compete against geographically proximate teams while still maintaining a pathway to national competition.
In 2008, following several years without a regional championship, the Mainland and FootballSouth federations reintroduced the Southern League concept under the name of the South Island Football Championship. The competition was designed to crown a South Island champion at the end of each season and provide a higher-level contest for clubs from both federations. The championship ran annually from 2008 to 2017, with a one-off return in 2020.
The original format featured both the champions and runners-up from the Mainland Premier League and FootballSouth Premier League, resulting in a small knockout-style tournament or a mini-league, depending on the year. After a break in 2010, the format was revised to a single-match playoff between the champions of each federation’s premier league, with hosting duties alternating between Mainland and FootballSouth each year. This streamlined format highlighted the top club from each region in a decisive final.
Revival of the Southern League
In March 2021, New Zealand Football announced a restructure of the premiership and top regional leagues. The four existing regional leagues (NRFL Premier, Central Premier League, Mainland Premier League, and FootballSouth Premier League) were reorganised into the Northern League, Central League, and Southern League.
These leagues became the qualifying pathway for the newly named National League Championship. The top four teams from the Northern League, top three from the Central League, and top two from the Southern League would join the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in a single round-robin competition held from September to December. [1]
For the Southern League, teams first played their regular Mainland Premier League and FootballSouth Premier League seasons, with five clubs from Mainland and three from FootballSouth qualifying for the new competition. [2] The inaugural season began on 17 July 2021. [2]
Cashmere Technical were the inaugural Southern League winners, also claiming the Chatham Cup and English Cup, with Selwyn United finishing runners-up. Both sides were set to compete in the new National League, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic New Zealand Football altered the 2021 Championship phase format. [3] The league was split into an Auckland Hub and a South Hub, with both teams placed in the South Hub alongside Central League qualifiers. [3] On 2 November, after confirmation that Auckland and Waikato teams could not compete further due to alert levels, New Zealand Football cancelled the remainder of the National League. Instead, they introduced a one-off interregional tournament, the National League: South Central Series. [4] Cashmere finished third, one point short of the grand final, while Selwyn placed sixth with one point. Cashmere’s Garbhan Coughlan was the region’s top scorer, winning the golden boot with three goals in the National League and seven in the Southern League, tied with Christchurch United’s Edward Wilkinson.
The next two seasons were won by Christchurch United, with Cashmere Technical finishing runners-up both times. Cashmere placed higher than Christchurch in the 2022 National League, while Christchurch finished 3rd in 2023. Christchurch returned to the National League in 2022 after a 30-year absence, and in 2023 completed a treble by winning the Chatham Cup and English Cup, 32 years after their previous treble. Garbhan Coughlan was the region’s top scorer in the National League, sharing the golden boot with nine and eleven goals in those seasons.
In 2024, Cashmere Technical won the league, with Coastal Spirit finishing runners-up — their best result after placing 3rd the year before. Coastal also finished above Cashmere in their debut National League season, where Garbhan Coughlan shared the golden boot with eight goals. Their season improved further as they reached the Chatham Cup quarter- and semi-finals for the first time, before winning the English Cup by beating Cashmere 4–0 in the final.
In 2025, Coastal Spirit won their first league title since forming in 2008. The last time one of their founding clubs won the Southern League was New Brighton in 1994 (Division One North), while Rangers claimed the full Southern League in 1979. Christchurch United returned to the National League after Coastal’s debut the previous season, replacing Cashmere Technical, who missed out on National League football for the first time.
New Zealand 
