Wellington Olympic sealed their fifth consecutive Dettol Central League title with a commanding 5–0 win away to Island Bay United, wrapping things up with a round still to play.

The Greeks have once again dominated the regional competition from start to finish. Out of 17 matches, they’ve won 13, drawn three and lost only once (away to Miramar Rangers).

As in previous seasons, Olympic have impressed on the attack, scoring 56 goals so far.

That allows Paul Ifill and Ekow Quainoo’s side to rest players in the final round and fully focus on the Delivereasy Chatham Cup final at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday 7 September, where they’ll take on Auckland United.

The four teams representing the Central region at the Dettol National League Championship are now confirmed: champions Wellington Olympic, Wellington Phoenix Reserves, Miramar Rangers and Western Suburbs.

In the Dettol Southern League, Coastal Spirit and Cashmere Technical will confirm their places in the Championship phase if they win their matches next weekend.

The Dettol Northern League, meanwhile, is wide open. Western Springs and Birkenhead United are the only clubs still in the hunt for the title going into the last round, while Auckland United, Auckland City FC, Eastern Suburbs and East Coast Bays are fighting for the final two Dettol National League Championship spots.

With just one round to go, the top six all face each other in what promises to be a dramatic final round:

Western Springs v Auckland United

Birkenhead United v Eastern Suburbs

Auckland City FC v East Coast Bays

On the other hand, West Coast Rangers and Manurewa AFC both failed to win at the weekend, confirming their relegation in the Dettol Northern League.

In the central region, three clubs will be battling to avoid the drop on the final day: Upper Hutt City Football (13 points) take on North Wellington (bottom with 11 points), while Island Bay United (12 points) visit Western Suburbs.

Down South, the battle for survival involves just two clubs. Universities of Canterbury (5 points) will face Coastal Spirit, while Selwyn United, with only three points all season, will close out their campaign at home against Nelson Suburbs.

It all sets up a huge weekend of football, and you can watch most of the matches live and free on FIFA+.

Article added: Sunday 24 August 2025