The original Southern League
The first Southern League was formed in 1968, before the launch of a National Soccer League, the Southern League was the highest level competition available to the clubs in the South Island. When the National Soccer League was created in 1970, the Southern League became one of its feeder leagues and continued to be a feeder league until it folded in 1999.
After the first four seasons as Div 1 and Div 2, the competition consistently featured two structures as either Div 1 North/South or Div 1 and Div 2 North/South, for cost reasons.
In 2008, the Mainland and FootballSouth federations reintroduced the Southern League concept through the South Island Football Championship, to ensure that at the end of each season, there would be a champion club in the South Island. This compitition would run from 2008 to 2017, with an unexpected return in 2020.
Initially, the competition featured the champions and runners-up from the respective Premier League competitions. However, following a hiatus in 2010, the format was revised to a single-match fixture between the champions of the Mainland Premier League and FootballSouth Premier League, with the hosting venue alternating between the two federations each year. Cashmere Technical was the most successful team in the Championship winning it 4 times.
In 2018, both Mainland Football and FootballSouth reintroduced the concept Southern League as a league instead of a final. The Mainland Premier League played a double round robbin, while the FootballSouth Premier League played a single round robbin. The top 5 teams of Mainland and top 3 teams of FootballSouth Premier League advanced onto the Southern Football League where they played a single round robbin, where Cashmere Technical won the title.
The same happened in 2019, with the top 5 teams of Mainland and top 3 teams of FootballSouth Premier League advanced onto the Southern Football League where they played a single round robbin, with Nelson Suburbs winning the league on the final day.
Revival of the Southern League
In March 2021, New Zealand Football announced a change to the structure of both the premiership and the top regional leagues around the country. The four top regional leagues (NRFL Premier, Central Premier League, Mainland Premier League and the FootballSouth Premier League) would be formed into the Northern League, Central League, and the Southern League. These leagues would allow local clubs to qualify for the premiership season (now known as the National League Championship), with the top 4 teams from the Northern League, the top 3 teams from the Central League, and the top 2 teams from the Southern League making up the competition, alongside the Wellington Phoenix Reserve side. All teams that qualify plus the Phoenix Reserves, would then play a single round-robin competition between September and December. [1] For the Southern League, the two existing competitions run in the South Island (Mainland Premier League and FootballSouth Premier League) play their original league seasons for the teams to then qualify for a place in the newly formed competition. [2] Five teams from Mainland Premiership, which covers the top of the South Island to Christchurch and three teams from FootballSouth Premier League, covering from below Christchurch to the bottom of the South Island, will qualify. [2] The competition will start on the 17 July 2021. [2]
Cashmere Technical were the inaugural Southern League winners whilst winning the Chatham Cup and the English Cup, with Selwyn United being the runners up. Both teams were set to take park of the new National League competition, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic New Zealand Football announced a change in plans to the Championship phase of the 2021 competition due to COVID-19 alert levels. [3] The Championship phase was to be split up into two 'Hubs', the Auckland Hub and the South Hub, with both team to play in the South Hub against the Central League qualifications. [3] Later on the 2 November, after confirmation that the alert levels would not change to allow the Auckland and Waikato teams to play any further part in the National Competition, New Zealand Football announced that they were cancelling the reminder of the National League. In its place, they instead decided on a one-off interregional competition, the National League: South Central Series. [4] Cashmere went on to finish third, one point off the grand final, and Selwyn finished sixth on one point. Cashmere's Garbhan Coughlan was the regions 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 season were won by Christchurch United with Cashmere Technical being the runners up on both occasions. Cashmere finished higher than Christchurch United in the 2022 National League, with Christchurch United finishing 3rd in the 2023 season. Christchurch United competed again in the National League after 30 years, then in 2023 they completed the treble winning the Chatham Cup and the English Cup 32 years after winning their last treble. Garbhan Coughlan was the regions top scorer winning the golden boot again with nine and eleven goals respectively. In 2022, Cashmere won the English Cup against Ferrymead Bays.
In the most recent season, Cashmere Technical won the league, with Coastal Spirit finishing runners up. This was Coastal's best finish in the league after finishing 3rd in the previous year. Coastal finished higher than Cashmere in their debut season in the National League. With always, Garbhan Coughlan won the golden boot with scoring eight goals. Coastal's season got better as they reached the quarter and semi finals of the Chatham Cup for the very first time, then they won the English Cup beating Cashmere 4–0 in the final.
New Zealand 
