Association football in New Zealand

Football is a popular sport in New Zealand. 106,600 men (8 percent) and 36,100 women (3 percent) regularly play football in the five - to 17 -year-olds, it is the second most popular physical activity after Rugby Union (Boys) and Netball ( girls). All football competitions in New Zealand under the supervision of the National Association, the New Zealand Football, which was known under the name of New Zealand Soccer to 1997.

Association

New Zealand Football ( NZF ) was founded in 1891 under the name New Zealand Soccer. In 1948, he joined the football world governing body FIFA, 1966, he was a founding member of the Oceanic Football Association, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC ). Below the NZF exist following seven regional associations:

• United Soccer 1 (Association 1) - represents Northland, as well as Western and Nordauckland
• Auckland Football Federation (Association 2) - representing Central, East and West Auckland
• Force 3 (Association 3) - represents the regions of Waikato and Bay of Plenty
• Central Football ( association 4) - represents Gisborne, Hawke 's Bay, Taranaki Manawatu -Wanganui Region and
• Central Football ( association 5) - represents the Wellington region
• Mainland Football ( association 6) - represents the regions Tasman, Marlborough, Nelson, West Coast, and North and Zentralcanterbury
• South Soccer (Association of 7) - represented South Canterbury, and the regions of Otago and Southland

Club football

Professional football in New Zealand

Professional football began in New Zealand in 1999 with the founding of the Association Football Kingz FC in Auckland, which competed in the Australian National Soccer League ( NSL ), the only professional league Oceania. 2004, the club was renamed with the introduction of the Australian A-League in New Zealand Knights. 2007 withdrew from the Australian Association of the club the license due to financial problems, but the New Zealand Association guaranteed a starting spot in the A-League. 2007 was finally established Wellington Phoenix, to fill the place in the Australian Football League.

New Zealand Football Championship

The New Zealand Football Championship ( NFZC ) is the highest division of the New Zealand Association. It has the status of a semi -professional league franchise and consists of eight teams that play three times each against each other. At the end of the season the top three teams participate in the playoffs, in which the third party against the Second compete. The winner of this match plays against the first of the regular season for the title. The competition has been held since 2004, sparking the National Soccer League from, but is not considered by many New Zealanders as the legitimate successor of the National Soccer League, as it offers the traditional teams have no opportunity to participate. Participating clubs are since the introduction Auckland City FC, Canterbury United ( Christchurch ), Hawke's Bay United (Napier ), Otago United ( Dunedin ), Team Wellington, Waikato FC ( Hamilton), Waitakere United and Young Heart Manawatu ( Palmerston North ). Record title holder is Auckland City with four titles, the reigning champions Waitakere United has won two titles.

Cup competitions

The New Zealand Cup competition is the Catham Cup. It was founded in 1923 and has since been held annually. Current title holder is Miramar Rangers from Wellington. The most successful teams in Cup history with seven Mount Wellington, North Shore United and Christ Church United with six and Eastern Suburbs with five titles. As part of the cup finals also will be awarded to the best player of the finals with the Jack Batty Memorial Cup. 2010, this was the goalkeeper Phil Imray Miramar Rangers.

Regional competitions

The regional competitions are summarized under the term Premier winter club competition. This consists of the following four leagues:

• Central League: Consists of two teams in the Central Football Associations
• Mainland Premier League: Team of the Association consists of Mainland Football
• Northern League: Consists of teams in the Auckland Football Federation and Force 3
• South Soccer Premier League: Consists of the Soccer Teams South

United Soccer 1 moved in 2008 from the Northern League back with the aim to start their own league.

Past Competitions

By 2004, the National Soccer League was the highest football league in New Zealand. It was founded in 1970 and consisted of various teams of the regional associations. In the inaugural season in 1970 was attended by eight teams, first master was Blockhouse Bay. Subsequently, the league was expanded to ten clubs, 1977, a further expansion to twelve teams in 1987 played 14 teams against each other. In 1993, the League was disbanded due to financial problems. In the same year a new competition was launched, the so-called Super Club. 30 teams were divided into three regions and played the champions. 1996 this competition was replaced by the National Summer Soccer League, which was, however, also been dissolved in 1998 again. 1999 played the clubs in New Zealand's North Iceland Soccer League ( NISL ) and in the South Iceland Soccer League ( SISL ) against each other, the winners of these two leagues eventually played in a final of the New Zealand champion. In this case, Central United Dunedin Technical defeated 3-1 after extra time. In 2000, the National Soccer League was again called back to life, consisting of seven teams in the NISL and three of the SISL. This league lasted until 2003, 2004 was the transition year between the National Soccer League and the New Zealand Football Championship.

Women's Soccer

The top division in women's football in New Zealand is not under the supervision of the New Zealand Football. It consists of seven representatives of the seven regional associations, each one against each other.

National

See main articles New Zealand national football team New Zealand national football team and the women

The New Zealand national football team, also known by her nickname All- Whites is, after the departure of Australia from the oceanic continental federation, the strongest team in the OFC, has already won four times the Ozeanienmeisterschaft and qualify in 1982 and 2010 for the World Cup. At the World Championships in Spain in 1982, the team retired after three defeats in the first final round as Table Group 6 behind Brazil, Russia and Scotland from. Also at the 2010 World Cup had to go home after the group stage, but failed to reach the final round with three draws and only just retired as the only undefeated team in the tournament prematurely. In the final table, group F finished in third place behind Paraguay and Slovakia, but ahead of the reigning world champions Italy.

The New Zealand U-23 national team failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, finished there, however, the last place in the standings behind China, Brazil and Belgium. The team is nicknamed Oly - Whites

The New Zealand women's national team, which already could also win four times the Ozeanienmeisterschaft, participated in the 2008 Olympics and also at the World Championships in 1991 and 2007, both of which were played in China. 1991 and 2007 New Zealand took each point without winning the last place in the standings behind China, Norway and Denmark ( 1991) or behind Brazil, China and Denmark ( 2007). For the 2011 World Cup in Germany you could again qualify and played in Group B against England, Mexico and Japan. After two narrow defeats against Japan and England could win with a draw against Mexico the first point at a World Cup in the final game, but had to after the group stage still to return home as Table.