New Zealand Football

Sports governing body for association football in New Zealand

New Zealand FootballOFC

Short name| NZF
Founded| 1891
Headquarters| Auckland
FIFA affiliation| 1948
OFC affiliation| 1966
President| Johanna Wood
Website| www.nzfootball.co.nz

New Zealand Football (Māori: Whutupaoro o Aotearoa) is the governing body for the sport of association football in New Zealand. It oversees the seven New Zealand Football federations, as well as the New Zealand men's national football team (nicknamed the "All Whites"), the national junior and women's teams (nicknamed the "Football Ferns"), the men's and women's national Leagues New Zealand National League, National Women's League, and a number of tournaments, including the Chatham Cup and Kate Sheppard Cup. Two New Zealand teams, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC, who play in the Australian's A-League Men and A-League Women, also come under New Zealand Football jurisdiction.

## History

[edit]

It was founded in 1891, as the New Zealand Football Association[1][2] and became officially affiliated with FIFA in 1948. In May 2007, the organisation was renamed New Zealand Football (NZF), replacing the word "soccer" with "football" in line with the common usage in other parts of the world. Although formal organisations for football have always referred to the sport as football, it has commonly been called soccer.[3]

New Zealand was admitted as a member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1964,[4] but it lost membership later. New Zealand with Australia eventually formed the Oceania Football Federation (now Oceania Football Confederation) in 1966.[5]

In September 2007, the New Zealand female football teams were re-branded. The women's national team changed its name from "SWANZ" to "Football Ferns", the female under-20 team to the "Junior Football Ferns" and the under-17 team became the "Young Football Ferns"[6]

In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, New Zealand achieved their best result in their team's history when they had a 1–1 draw with reigning World champions Italy. Shane Smeltz scored in the 7th minute marking the first time New Zealand had ever led a match at the World Cup.[7] They went on to become the only unbeaten team in the tournament.

### Moving to South American confederation

[edit]

In January 2013, members of the FIFA Executive Committee met in a private meeting convened by Joseph Blatter to discuss the possibilities of moving the New Zealand Football Federation to the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) in order to enhance the sport in the country. After the meeting, Blatter said the idea was "ratified" but needed some adjustments.[8][9] This fact provided the New Zealand success in the idea of movement, requiring only a formal request by the association. But in June, the chief executive of the New Zealand Federation, Andy Martin, said his administration has no plans to promote the New Zealand Football to high-level competitions for now, meaning that New Zealand should remain in the weak Oceania Football Confederation.[10]

### International stage

[edit]

In recent time, New Zealand Football has enjoyed good success on the international stage. The All Whites overcame Papua New Guinea in the OFC Nations Cup Final by winning 4–2 on penalties in the final. It was their fifth title in the OFC Nations Cup and it secured their place in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

In 2015, the Football Ferns reached their highest ever ranking (16), beating Brazil for the second time and qualifying for the Rio Olympics. The Men's U-20 and U-17 sides qualified out of their groups at their respective FIFA World Cup tournaments in 2015. New Zealand were one of only five countries in the same cycle to achieve this. The remaining four were Germany, Brazil, Mali and Nigeria

New Zealand co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup alongside Australia, becoming the first ever senior FIFA event in New Zealand, the first Women's World Cup to be hosted in multiple countries,[11] and only the second World Cup tournament to do so, following the 2002 Men's FIFA World Cup. It will also be the first FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere,[12] the first senior FIFA tournament to be held in the Oceania Confederation,[13] and the first FIFA tournament to be hosted across multiple confederations (with Australia in the AFC and New Zealand in the OFC).[13]

## Member federations

[edit]

* Northern Region Football – following the merger of Auckland Football Federation and Northern Football Federation in 2020.[14][15]
* WaiBOP Football
* Central Football
* Capital Football
* Mainland Football
* Southern Football

## Competitions

[edit]

* New Zealand National League (national men's league)
* National Women's League (national women's league)
* New Zealand Football Chatham Cup (national men's winter league's knockout competition)
* Kate Sheppard Cup (national women's winter league's knockout competition)
* Charity Cup (national league v chatham cup)
* Northern League (regional winter league)
* Central League (regional winter league)
* Southern League (regional winter league)

### Defunct competitions

[edit]

* ISPS Handa Premiership (national men's league) (2004–2021)
* National Soccer League (national club competition) (1970–1992 and 2000–2003)
* Air NZ Pre-Season Cup (pre-season competition) (1974–1985)[16]
* NZFA Challenge Trophy (NSL vs Chatham Cup play-off) (1978–1987)
* Superclub League (regional/national superclub competition) (1993–1995)
* National Summer League (first national summer competition) (1996–1998)
* New Zealand Island League (north and south island competition with a play-off) (1999)
* National Youth League (youth league) (2003–2019)
* White Ribbon Cup (competition played by national league teams not at OFC competition) (2011)
* Charity Cup (national league vs New Zealand OFC representative play-off) (2011–2018)
* Winfield Challenge Shield

### Current title holders

[edit]

Competition  | Year  | Champions  | Runners-up  | Next edition

|
|
|
|

Senior (Men's)
New Zealand National League | 2024 | Auckland City | Birkenhead United | 2025
Chatham Cup | 2024 | Wellington Olympic | Auckland City | 2025
Charity Cup | 2024 | Wellington Olympic | Christchurch United | 2025
Senior (Women's)
National Women's League | 2024 | Auckland United | CF Waterside Karori | 2025
Kate Sheppard Cup | 2024 | Auckland United | Western Springs | 2025

## Controversies

[edit]

In November 2008, Glen Moss was handed a 4-match World Cup ban after swearing at referee Lencie Fred in a dead-rubber 2010 World Cup qualification match against Fiji.[17] New Zealand Football failed to lodge an appeal to FIFA in time after they received notification of the sentence on 23 December and were closing for the Christmas period.[18] Moss was subsequently suspended for the two 2010 FIFA World Cup inter-confederation play off matches against Bahrain and the first two 2010 FIFA World Cup matches against Slovakia and Italy.

In July 2015, New Zealand was ruled to have forfeited its place in the 2016 Olympic tournament after fielding an ineligible player in its men's Under-23 team; NZF decided not to appeal the decision. It was subsequently reported that up to 16 ineligible players had been fielded in the men's Under-23, Under-20 and Under-17 teams between 2011 and 2015.[19]

In January 2016, Wellington Phoenix signed Alex Jones on loan to the end of the 2015–16 season.[20] The move fell through when New Zealand Football failed to forward the completed paperwork to FIFA before the transfer deadline despite having received it from the Phoenix three days previously.[21] An appeal to the world governing body was unsuccessful, as FIFA "ruled to protect the integrity of their global deadlines for the transfer of players".[22]

On 19 June 2018, a letter of complaint about current New Zealand women's national football team and New Zealand Football technical director Andreas Heraf signed by at least 10 players was sent to New Zealand football collated by the New Zealand Professional Footballers Association (NZPFA).[23] Later that day it was also announced that New Zealand Football were deliberately flouting a FIFA directive that Heraf shouldn't be in charge of both roles at the same organisation.[24]

The next day it emerge that the Players Union had sent a strongly worded letter to New Zealand Football, instructing them to discontinue all communications with players after Heraf and other New Zealand Football staff members were contacting players and strongly encouraging them not to write letters or issue any formal complaints.[25]

That afternoon it was announced that Heraf would be place on special leave while an independent investigation was conducted into the allegations around bullying, intimidation and a culture of fear.[23][26]

## See also

[edit]

* New Zealand portal
* Soccer portal

Men's

* List of New Zealand international footballers
* New Zealand men's national football team
* New Zealand national football B team
* New Zealand national under-23 football team
* New Zealand national under-20 football team
* New Zealand national under-19 schoolboys football team
* New Zealand national under-17 football team

Women's

* List of New Zealand women's international footballers
* New Zealand women's national football team
* New Zealand women's national under-20 football team
* New Zealand women's national under-17 football team

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "N.Z. FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION". Thames Advertiser. No. 7042\. 9 October 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
2. ^ "Commemorations & anniversaries". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
3. ^ "Soccer". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966.
4. ^ "AFC Tells Indonesia: Pay or be Sacked". The Straits Times. 28 August 1964. "New Zealand, who failed last year, were today admitted together with Lebanon and Kuwait as members of the AFC"
5. ^ "History". oceaniafootball.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
6. ^ NEW LOOK FOR ‘FOOTBALL FERNS' Archived 19 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, 4 September 2007.
7. ^ "World Cup Match Results: Italy vs New Zealand – FIFA World Cup 2010 – ESPN Soccernet". ESPN. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
8. ^ "Nova zelândia na CONMEBOL: Os prós e contras da proposta, Revista Placar, January 08, 2013.
9. ^ "Plumb: NZ Football rolls the dice on new coach". Stuff. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
10. ^ "La isla y el fútbol de siglo 21, Diário OLÉ, 8 May 2013.
11. ^ Straus, Brian (25 June 2020). "The Reasoning Behind FIFA's 2023 Women's World Cup Vote". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
12. ^ Meade, Sam (25 June 2020). "FIFA confirm Australia and New Zealand will host 2023 Women's World Cup". mirror.
13. ^ a b "What you need to know about Australia-New Zealand's winning women's World Cup bid". www.abc.net.au. 24 June 2020.
14. ^ "Joint Statement On AFF & NFF Proposed Alignment". www.sporty.co.nz. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
15. ^ "Northern Region Football – About". www.northernregionfootball.org.nz. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
16. ^ "Air NZ Pre-Season Cup". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
17. ^ Grantley Bernard (5 November 2009). "Moss Sees Red". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
18. ^ Woodcock, Fred (5 November 2009). "Banned Moss: NZF let me down". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
19. ^ Holloway, Steven (9 October 2010). "New complaint casts doubt over NZ footballers". Stuff.
20. ^ Gray, Russell (31 January 2016). "Phoenix sign striker on loan deal". wellingtonphoenix.com. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
21. ^ Pine, Jason (11 February 2016). "Football: Paperwork blunder puts English striker Alex Jones' Phoenix career in doubt". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
22. ^ Hyslop, Liam & Wilson, Clay (16 February 2016). "Alex Jones' stint with the Phoenix ends without a game as NZ Football blames lack of internet access for bungle". Stuff. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
23. ^ a b Burgess, Michael (19 June 2018). "Football Ferns bombshell: Coach Andreas Heraf set for suspension, inquiry to look into bullying allegations". The New Zealand Herald.
24. ^ Steve Kilgallon, Dana Johnnsen (19 June 2018). "Under-fire Andreas Heraf's double New Zealand Football role breaks Fifa coaching directive". Stuff.
25. ^ Burgess, Michael (20 June 2018). "Ferns scandal: New Zealand Football told to stop contacting Football Ferns players, with immediate effect". The New Zealand Herald.
26. ^ "Andreas Heraf placed on 'special leave' as NZF announces Football Ferns review". Newshub. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* New Zealand Football (NZF) – official website
* New Zealand at FIFA site
* New Zealand at OFC site

* v
* t
* e

Association football in New Zealand

New Zealand Football

National teams|

| Men|

* National team (All Whites)
* B
* Olympic (U-23)
* U-20
* U-17

|

Women|

* National team (Football Ferns)
* U-20
* U-17

League system|

| Men (level 1)|

* New Zealand National League
* New Zealand Football Championship (defunct)
* National Soccer League (defunct)

|

Men (level 2)|

* Central League
* Northern League
* Southern League

Men (level 3)|

* Canterbury Premiership
* Central League 2
* NRFL Championship
* Southern Premier

Men (level 4)|

* Canterbury Championship
* Capital Premier
* Central Federation League (defunct)
* Western Premiership
* Eastern Premiership
* Donald Gray Memorial Cup
* Fletcher Cup
* Nelson Bays Premiership Division 1
* NRFL Conference
* Northern
* Southern
* South Canterbury Division 1
* Marlborough Division 1

Men (level 5)|

* NRF League One
* Southland Division 1
* WaiBOP League One
* Capital Division 1
* Horizons Premiership
* Pacific Premiership
* Taranaki Premiership
* Eastern League 1
* Nelson Bays Division 2
* Marlborough Division 2
* Mainland Division 1
* South Canterbury Division 2
* Otago Division 2

Men (level 6)|

* Northland Division 1
* NRF Championship Division 1
* WaiBop Championship
* Capital Division 2
* Taranaki Championship
* Manawatu Championship
* Whanganui Roly Taylor Championship
* Hawkes Bay Division 2
* Mainland Division 2
* Otago Division 3
* Southland Division 2
* Unaffiliated West Coast Senior Football

Women|

* National Women's League
* Capital Football W-League
* NRFL Women's Premiership
* Women's South Island League
* NRFL Women's Championship

Youth|

* Youth National League

Domestic cups|

| Men|

* Chatham Cup
* Charity Cup
* White Ribbon Cup

|

Women|

* Kate Sheppard Cup

Awards|

* Jack Batty Memorial Cup
* Maia Jackman Trophy
* New Zealand Footballer of the Year
* New Zealand Football Golden Boot (2007–2021) New Zealand Football Golden Boot (2021–)

Lists|

* All-time Table
* Champions
* Clubs
* International footballers
* Foreign players
* Venues
* Women's association football in New Zealand

* League system
* Men's clubs
* Women's clubs
* Men's players
* Women's players
* Expatriate players
* Managers
* Referees
* Venues
* Seasons
* Records

* v
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* e

Sports governing bodies in New Zealand (NZL)

Summer Olympic sports|

* Archery
* Athletics
* Badminton
* Basketball
* Beach volleyball
* Boxing
* Canoeing
* Cycling
* Diving
* Equestrian
* Fencing
* Field hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Gymnastics
* Handball
* Judo
* Modern pentathlon
* Rugby 7s
* Rowing
* Sailing
* Shooting
* Swimming
* Synchronized swimming
* Table tennis
* Taekwondo
* Tennis
* Triathlon
* Volleyball
* Water polo
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling

Winter Olympic sports|

* Biathlon
* Bobsleigh
* Curling
* Skating (figure, speed & short track)
* Ice hockey
* Luge
* Skeleton
* Skiing
* Alpine
* Cross country
* Nordic combined
* Freestyle
* Jumping
* Snowboarding

Other IOC recognised sports|

* Air sports
* Auto racing
* Bandy
* Baseball
* Billiard sports
* Boules
* Bowling
* Bridge
* Chess
* Cricket
* Dance sport
* Floorball
* Gliding
* Karate
* Korfball
* Lifesaving
* Motorcycle racing
* Mountaineering and climbing
* Netball
* Orienteering
* Pelota vasca
* Polo
* Powerboating
* Racquetball
* Roller sports
* Rugby union
* Softball
* Sport climbing
* Squash
* Sumo
* Surfing
* Tug of war
* Underwater sports
* Water ski
* Wushu

Paralympics and disabled sports|

* Deaf Sports New Zealand

Other sports|

* Australian League Football
* American football
* Backgammon
* Bowls
* Caving
* Fullbore rifle
* Gaelic Games
* Go
* Rugby league
* Rugby union
* Pro Box NZ
* New Zealand Professional Boxing Association
* Professional boxing in New Zealand
* Fish & Game New Zealand

* Sport New Zealand
* New Zealand Olympic Committee
* Paralympics New Zealand
* Sports Tribunal of New Zealand

* v
* t
* e

National football associations of Oceania (OFC)

* American Samoa (FFAS)
* Cook Islands (CIFA)
* Fiji (FFA)
* Kiribati (KIFF)†
* New Caledonia (FCF)
* New Zealand (NZF)
* Papua New Guinea (PNGFA)
* Samoa (SFF)
* Solomon Islands (SIFF)
* Tahiti (FTF)
* Tonga (TFA)
* Tuvalu (TIFA)†
* Vanuatu (VFF)

† Associate member - Not a member of FIFA

* v
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* e

International association football

FIFA
Federations
Teams
Competitions
World Rankings
The Best FIFA Football Awards
Timeline
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World|

| FIFA|

FIFA World Cup

U-20
U-17
Olympic Games
Youth

Defunct

FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Gold Cup

|

Africa|

| CAF|

CAF Africa Cup of Nations

U-23
U-20
U-17
CAF African Nations Championship
African Games

|

Regional|

CECAFA
COSAFA
WAFU

Defunct

CEMAC
Central African Games

Asia|

| AFC|

AFC Asian Cup

U-23
U-20
U-17
Asian Games

Defunct

AFC Challenge Cup
AFC Solidarity Cup

|

Regional|

ASEAN
CAFA
EAFF
SAFF
WAFF
Arabian Gulf Cup
East Asian Games
South Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
West Asian Games

Defunct

Far Eastern Games

Europe|

| UEFA|

UEFA European Championship

U-21
U-19
U-17
UEFA Nations League

|

Regional|

Baltic Cup

Defunct

Central European Cup
Balkan Cup
British Home Championship
Nordic Championship

North,
Central America
& the Caribbean|

| CONCACAF|

CONCACAF Gold Cup

U-23
U-20
U-17
U-15
CONCACAF Nations League

Defunct

CONCACAF Championship
CONCACAF Cup
NAFC Championship
CCCF Championship

|

Regional|

LIFA Cup
WIFA Cup
Central America and Caribbean Games
Central America Games

Defunct

North American Nations Cup
Copa Centroamericana
CFU Championship
Caribbean Cup

Oceania|

| OFC|

OFC Nations Cup

U-23
U-19
U-16
Pacific Games

Mini

|

Regional|

Melanesia Cup
Micronesian Games

Defunct

Polynesia Cup

South America|

| CONMEBOL|

CONMEBOL Copa América

U-23
U-20
U-17
U-15
South American Games

|

Regional|

Bolivarian Games

Intercontinental|

| Africa & Asia|

Indian Ocean Island Games

Defunct

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations
Afro-Asian Games

|

Africa & Ocenia|

Defunct

AFC–OFC Challenge Cup

Arab/Islamic|

FIFA Arab Cup
Arab Games
Islamic Solidarity Games

Defunct

Islamic Games
Palestine Cup
Kuneitra Cup

Europe &
South America|

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions

Francophone|

Francophone Games

Defunct

Overseas Cup

Lusophone|

Defunct

Lusofonia Games

Mediterranean|

Mediterranean Games

Defunct

Mediterranean Cup

Pan American|

Pan American Games

Defunct

Panamerican Championship

Other|

Goodwill Games

Defunct

GANEFO

Non-FIFA|

| CONIFA|

World Football Cup
African Football Cup
Asian Football Cup
European Football Cup
South American Football Cup

|

UIAFA|

Defunct

UIAFA Great European Tournament

Other|

Island Games
Universiade

Defunct

FIFI Wild Cup
WUFA World Series

See also
Geography
Codes
Player/Club of the Century
Women's football

* v
* t
* e

League systems in sport

* League system
* Sports league
* Professional sports league organization
* Division (sport)
* Promotion and relegation
* Closed league
* Semi-closed league

American football|

* Germany

Association
football|

| AFC|

* Afghanistan
* Australia
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* China
* East Timor
* Guam
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Japan
* Jordan
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Pakistan
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Vietnam

|

CAF|

* Algeria
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Comoros
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Ghana
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Madagascar
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Nigeria
* Réunion
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Seychelles
* Somalia
* South Africa
* Tunisia

CONCACAF|

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Aruba
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* British Virgin Islands
* Canada
* Cayman Islands
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
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* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* French Guiana
* Guadeloupe
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Martinique
* Mexico
* Montserrat
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Martin
* Sint Maarten
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United States
* United States Virgin Islands

CONMEBOL|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

OFC|

* French Polynesia
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tuvalu

UEFA|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* England (women's)
* Estonia
* Faroe Islands
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany (women's)
* Gibraltar
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Northern Ireland
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Scotland
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey (women's)
* Ukraine
* Wales

Basketball|

| Continental|

* Europe
* South America

|

National|

* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Italy
* Japan
* Poland
* Russia
* Serbia
* Spain
* Turkey

Handball|

* Denmark
* Hungary

Ice hockey|

* United States

Rugby league|

* Great Britain
* France

Rugby union|

* England
* France
* Ireland
* New Zealand
* Scotland
* Wales

Shinty|

* Scotland

Sumo|

* Japan

Tennis|

* Davis Cup
* Billie Jean King Cup

Water polo|

* Hungary

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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