 | |
| Founded | 2004 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2021 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Confederation | OFC |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | White Ribbon Cup |
| International cup(s) | OFC Champions League |
| Last champions | Team Wellington (3rd title) (2020–21) |
| Current premiers | Auckland City (12th title) |
| Most championships | Auckland City (8 titles) |
| Most premierships | Auckland City (12 titles) |
| Most appearances | Jake Butler (257 appearances) |
| Top goalscorer | Emiliano Tade (80 goals) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports |
| Website | www |
The New Zealand Football Championship (Māori: Te Whakataetae Whutupaoro a Aotearoa) was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in the country, including the National Soccer League, the National Summer Soccer League and the New Zealand Superclub League. The league was contested by ten teams in a franchise system. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as the ISPS Handa Men's Premiership. From the 2021 season, it was replaced by the New Zealand National League.[1]
The seasons used to run from October through to April, and consist of an eighteen-round regular season followed by a playoff series involving the four highest-placed teams, culminating in a Grand Final. Each season, two clubs would gain qualification to the OFC Champions League, the continental competition for the Oceania region. The league does not use a system of promotion and relegation.
Auckland City were the most successful side since the competition's inception, with twelve premierships and seven championship titles. A youth competition, called the National Youth League, ran parallel to the regular season from October to December – the final champions were also Auckland City, winning the final season of the competition in 2019.
- ^ "New National League competition details confirmed". New Zealand Football. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.