Association football in New Zealand

Association football in New Zealand
Country	New Zealand
Governing body	Football
National team(s)	New Zealand
Clubs	500[citation needed]
National competitions
New Zealand National League National Women's League Chatham Cup Kate Sheppard Cup
Club competitions
Northern League Central League Southern League Mainland Premier League Footballsouth Premier League Capital Football W-League
International competitions
OFC Champions League FIFA Club World Cup
Audience records
Single match	43,217 – (2023) 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup - 3 matches (international) 37,034 – (2017) All Whites vs Peru (national team record)[1] 32,792 – (2010) Wellington Phoenix FC vs Newcastle Jets (club – competitive) 31,853 – (2007) Wellington Phoenix FC vs Los Angeles Galaxy (club – exhibition)
Season	11,683 – (2007–08) Wellington Phoenix FC (average) 173,614 – (2009–10) Wellington Phoenix FC (cumulative)

Association football, also known as football (or sometimes as soccer), is a popular recreation sport in New Zealand. The sport is administered in New Zealand by the governing body New Zealand Football (NZF). It is the third-most popular men's team sport after rugby union and cricket.

Among New Zealand adults in 2000, it was the 12th most participated in sport, at seven percent.^[2] Among boys ages 5–17, it was the most participated in sport, with a 17 percent participation rate; among girls, it ranks fifth in popularity at six percent, behind swimming, netball, horse riding, and tennis.^[2]