New Zealand Football have today confirmed the path forward to play the National League, Chatham Cup and Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup competitions following numerous delays to the season due to the current COVID-19 lockdown. 

The plan is designed to maximise the chance of playing and completing competitions without having to exclude teams from the Auckland region. Following a period of feedback, the chosen model was overwhelmingly supported by the clubs and federations involved. 

For the National League Championship, both the women’s and men’s leagues will be split into two hubs: one featuring Auckland teams (the Auckland Hub) and one featuring teams from the rest of the country (the South Hub). Teams will then compete within their hub in a single round robin competition before the top sides from each meet at the end of the season. In both women’s and men’s competitions, the South Hub is currently set to start the weekend of 6-7 November, with the Auckland Hub beginning 20-21 November. 

In the women’s competition, the Auckland Hub will feature three teams (Eastern Suburbs, Western Springs and Northern Rovers), with the South Hub featuring the remaining five sides from the league (Hamilton Wanderers, Central Football, Capital Football, Canterbury United Pride and Southern United). The winner of the South Hub will qualify for the Grand Final. The winner of the Auckland Hub will host a preliminary final against the runner-up in the South Hub for a place in the Grand Final. 

In the men’s competition, the Auckland Hub will feature four teams (Auckland City, Auckland United, Eastern Suburbs and Birkenhead United), with the South Hub featuring the remaining six from the league (Wellington Olympic, Miramar Rangers, Wellington Phoenix Reserves, Western Suburbs, Cashmere Technical and Selwyn United). The winner of each respective hub will host a semi-final against the runner-up in the opposite hub with the two winning teams progressing to the Grand Final. 

For both National League Championship competitions to take place the Auckland region must have returned to an Alert Level where full contact training is possible by 3 November. 

For the cup competitions, due to the few games left, New Zealand Football will look to be flexible with scheduling once play is possible. 

For the Chatham Cup, with Cashmere Technical already qualified for the final, the remaining semi-final, Miramar Rangers v North Shore United, will be scheduled once travel outside of the Auckland region is possible and a sufficient return to play period for North Shore United has been undertaken. 

For the Kate Sheppard Cup, due to players and clubs competing in cup and league competitions, both remaining semi-finals must be played before 31 October. New Zealand Football is actively working with Hamilton Wanderers ahead of their semi-final against Coastal Spirit to see if it is possible to play weekend of 16-17 October pending the Alert Level in the Waikato. 

Potential dates for the finals of both cup competitions will be scheduled once the viability of semi-finals is confirmed. Should it not be possible to complete the competitions by the end of the year, New Zealand Football will look to see if they can be completed in early 2022. 

Daniel Farrow, New Zealand Football General Manager, Football wanted to thank the football community for their help and flexibility in a challenging situation:

“We know the last few months have been hugely difficult for our football clubs, especially in the Auckland region. 

“With this plan we feel we have put forward a solution that allows competitions to continue but also crucially buys us time when Auckland teams may not be able to leave the region. 

“We know this is an evolving situation but I want to thank the football community for their help and input into this plan as well as their ability to work in an ever-changing landscape, as we have over the last few months.”

Article added: Friday 08 October 2021