2023 New Zealand National League

This article is about the men's season. For the women's season, see 2023 New Zealand Women's National League.

New Zealand National League
Season2023
Dates24 March – 26 November 2023
ChampionsWellington Olympic
OFC Champions LeagueAuckland City
Wellington Olympic
Matches played46
Goals scored189 (4.11 per match)
Top goalscorerGianni Bouzouzkis
Garbhan Coughlan
(11 goals each)
Biggest home winWellington Olympic 7–1 Napier City Rovers
(30 September 2023)
Biggest away winNapier City Rovers 0–5 Eastern Suburbs
(11 November 2023)
Highest scoringManurewa 4–6 Wellington Phoenix Reserves
(8 October 2023)
Longest winning run7 matches
Auckland City
Longest unbeaten run9 matches
Wellington Olympic
Longest winless run9 matches
Petone
Longest losing run6 matches
Petone
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 New Zealand Men's National League was the third season of the National League since its restructuring in 2021.[1] 32 clubs compete in the competition, with four qualifying from the Northern League, three qualifying from the Central League and two qualifying from the Southern League for the National Championship phase.[2][3] Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality.[4] Over the course of the season, each team must also ensure players aged 20 or under account for 10% of available playing minutes.[5]

Qualifying leagues

2023 Northern League

Northern League
Season2023
Dates24 March 2023 - 2 September 2023
ChampionsAuckland City
RelegatedTakapuna
Manukau United
Matches played132
Goals scored480 (3.64 per match)
Top goalscorerRyan de Vries
Derek Tieku
(19 goals each)
Biggest home winAuckland City 7–0 Manurewa
(28 June 2023)
Biggest away winManukau United 0–7 Birkenhead United
(1 April 2023)
Highest scoringBirkenhead United 4–4 Hamilton Wanderers
(2 September 2023)
← 2022
2024 →

Auckland City won the title for the third consecutive season on the final day beating Manukau United 6–1.[6] This was Auckland City's third season in the Northern League, winning the title each of those seasons. Both Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs completed the Northern League season undefeated.[6][7] This was the first season two clubs had gone undefeated in the Northern League. It was only the second time a team had gone undefeated since Eastern Suburbs did so in 1965, the first season of the NRFL Premier League.[8]

Heading into the final day of the season, no team had been mathematically relegated. The matchday started with Bay Olympic and Manukau United in the relegation zone with Takapuna three points ahead in the last safe spot. Bay Olympic bettered Takapuna's goal difference by three and Manukau's by ten.[9]

Manukau lost 6–1 away to Auckland City and were subsequently relegated. Takapuna, the only side to have their fate completely in their own hands, lost 3–2 at West Coast Rangers. Bay Olympic, hosting Manurewa equalized from the spot in the 84th minute and were looking like going down until, they found a winner in the first minute of stoppage time. This meant they relegated Takapuna on goal difference after finishing level on points.[6]

Northern League teams

Twelve teams are competing in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the 2022 NRFL Division 1. The promoted teams are West Coast Rangers and Manurewa.[10] It is Manurewa's first and West Coast Rangers second season (after relegation in 2021) in the National League. They replaced Waiheke United (relegated after their debut season on the Northern League) and North Shore United (relegated after a two-year Northern League spell).

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Auckland City Kiwitea Street Sandringham, Auckland 1st
Auckland United Keith Hay Park Mount Roskill, Auckland 3rd
Bay Olympic Olympic Park New Lynn, Auckland 8th
Birkenhead United Shepherds Park Beach Haven, Auckland 2nd
Eastern Suburbs Madills Farm Kohimarama, Auckland 10th
Hamilton Wanderers Porritt Stadium Chartwell, Hamilton 5th
Manukau United Centre Park Māngere East, Auckland 7th
Manurewa Jellicoe Park Manurewa, Auckland 2nd in Division 1 (promoted)
Melville United Gower Park Melville, Hamilton 4th
Takapuna Taharoto Park Takapuna, Auckland 9th
West Coast Rangers Fred Taylor Park Whenuapai, Auckland 1st in Division 1 (promoted)
Western Springs Seddon Fields Westmere, Auckland 6th

Northern League personnel

Team Manager Captain
Auckland City Spain Albert Riera[11] New Zealand Cam Howieson[12]
Auckland United England José Figueira[11] New Zealand Ross Haviland[13]
Bay Olympic Czech Republic Rudy Mozr[14] New Zealand Callum McNeill[15]
Birkenhead United England Paul Hobson[11] New Zealand Luke Jorgensen[16]
Eastern Suburbs New Zealand Kane Wintersgill[17] New Zealand Adam Thomas[18]
Hamilton Wanderers Wales Joseph Hinds[11] Ghana Derek Tieku[18]
Manukau United South Africa Tashreeq Davids[19] New Zealand Hayden Johns[20]
Manurewa New Zealand Paul Marshall[21]
Melville United New Zealand Jarrod Young[22] New Zealand Aaron Scott
Takapuna New Zealand Chris Milicich[23] New Zealand Connor Cahil-Fahey[24]
West Coast Rangers New Zealand Chad Coombes[25] Malaysia Dev Pokhrel[26]
Western Springs England Scott Hales[27] New Zealand Oscar Ramsay[24]

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Eastern Suburbs New Zealand Hoani Edwards End of contract Pre-season New Zealand Kane Wintersgill[17]
Western Springs New Zealand Chris Zoricich[28] Mutual consent 1 October 2022 England Scott Hales[27] 5 January 2023
Bay Olympic New Zealand Liam Mulrooney[29] Stepped down 26 October 2022 Czech Republic Rudy Mozr[30] 10 November 2022
Manukau United Czech Republic Rudy Mozr[14] Signed by Bay Olympic 10 November 2022 Spain Juan Roman[31] 14 December 2022
Manurewa New Zealand Rhys Ruka[32] Resigned[A] 19 March 2023[B] New Zealand Paul Marshall[21] 20 March 2023[B]
Manukau United Spain Juan Roman No reason given May 2023 11th South Africa Thabiso Tleane[19] May 2023
Manukau United South Africa Thabiso Tleane[19] No reason given 26 June 2023 12th South Africa Tashreeq Davids[19] 26 June 2023

Northern League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Auckland City (C) 22 19 3 0 64 9 +55 60 Winner of Northern League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Eastern Suburbs 22 17 5 0 51 17 +34 56 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Auckland United 22 13 4 5 50 24 +26 43
4 Manurewa 22 11 3 8 46 37 +9 36
5 Western Springs 22 10 3 9 39 35 +4 33
6 Hamilton Wanderers 22 8 6 8 39 49 −10 30
7 West Coast Rangers 22 8 2 12 33 49 −16 26
8 Birkenhead United 22 7 4 11 46 44 +2 25
9 Melville United 22 6 5 11 30 47 −17 23
10 Bay Olympic 22 4 3 15 33 55 −22 15
11 Takapuna (R) 22 4 3 15 23 50 −27 15 Relegation to NRFL Championship
12 Manukau United (R) 22 3 3 16 26 64 −38 12
Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Northern League results table

Home \ Away AC AU BO BU ES HW MAN MR MEL TP WC WS
Auckland City — 2–1 5–1 5–1 0–0 2–0 6–1 7–0 3–1 4–0 1–1 4–0
Auckland United 0–2 — 4–1 3–3 0–1 4–0 3–0 1–1 4–0 1–0 4–0 1–1
Bay Olympic 0–1 1–2 — 2–4 2–4 1–3 3–2 2–1 1–1 2–3 4–2 2–3
Birkenhead United 0–2 0–3 3–0 — 0–2 4–4 2–3 2–4 2–0 5–0 2–0 1–2
Eastern Suburbs 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 — 6–1 1–0 4–3 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–0
Hamilton Wanderers 0–2 0–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 — 2–1 3–3 1–1 1–0 3–2 3–2
Manukau United 0–5 1–4 3–3 0–7 0–6 2–2 — 0–1 2–1 0–2 3–4 1–2
Manurewa 0–2 0–2 1–0 1–3 0–3 4–1 3–0 — 5–0 0–0 5–1 1–0
Melville United 0–1 1–5 3–2 1–1 0–1 2–4 1–0 5–2 — 1–1 3–1 2–1
Takapuna 0–2 3–4 1–2 3–2 2–5 2–3 2–2 0–4 0–1 — 2–1 0–3
West Coast Rangers 0–3 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 3–1 1–3 0–4 5–2 3–2 — 1–1
Western Springs 1–3 4–1 3–1 3–1 0–1 3–1 3–2 1–3 3–3 3–0 0–1 —
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Northern League scoring

Northern League top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals[34][35]
1 Ghana Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers 19
New Zealand Ryan de Vries Auckland City
3 New Zealand Monty Patterson Manurewa 13
4 New Zealand Joshua Redfearn Auckland United 12
5 New Zealand Allan Pearce West Coast Rangers 11
6 Argentina Nicolas Bobadilla Manurewa 10
Uruguay Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs
Germany Ibrahim Nadir Bay Olympic
9 New Zealand Luke Jorgensen Birkenhead United 9
10 New Zealand Reid Drake Western Springs 8
New Zealand Liam Gillion Auckland City
New Zealand Jacob Mechell Eastern Suburbs
Northern League hat-tricks
Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
7[36] Argentina Nicolas Bobadilla Manurewa Hamilton Wanderers Away 3–3 29 April 2023
7[36] Ghana Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers Manurewa Home 3–3 29 April 2023
12[37] New Zealand Joshua Redfearn Auckland United Takapuna Away 3–4 3 June 2023
13[38] New Zealand Monty Patterson Manurewa West Coast Rangers Away 0–4 10 June 2023
11[39] New Zealand Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manukau United Away 0–5 14 June 2023
14[40] New Zealand Allan Pearce West Coast Rangers Manukau United Away 3–4 14 June 2023
10[41] New Zealand Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manurewa Home 7–0 28 June 2023
15[42] Uruguay Martín Bueno Eastern Suburbs Hamilton Wanderers Home 6–1 1 July 2023
22[43] New Zealand Ryan de Vries Auckland City Manukau United Home 6–1 2 September 2023

2023 Central League

Central League
Season2023
Dates25 March 2023 – 2 September 2023
ChampionsWellington Olympic
RelegatedWhanganui Athletic
Matches played90
Goals scored419 (4.66 per match)
Top goalscorerMatthew Brazier
(18 goals)
Biggest home winWellington Olympic 7–0 North Wellington
(29 April 2023)
Biggest away winMiramar Rangers 0–7 Wellington Olympic
(10 June 2023)
Whanganui Athletic 0–7 Wellington Olympic
(1 July 2023)
Highest scoringWellington Olympic 8–3 Western Suburbs
(2 September 2023)
← 2022
2024 →

Central League teams

Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the one team promoted from the 2022 play-off between the winners of the Central Federation League and the Capital Premier. The winner of the play-off was Stop Out. This is their first season in the Central League, since New Zealand football’s restructuring in 2021. They replaced Havelock North Wanderers (relegated to the Capital Premier League after one season in the Central League). Wellington United was entered as one of the originally 10 teams to play the 2023 season but withdrew in 2022.[44] They were replaced by Whanganui Athletic who had originally missed out on promotion to Stop Out.

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Miramar Rangers David Farrington Park Miramar, Wellington 2nd
Napier City Rovers Bluewater Stadium Napier 4th
North Wellington Alex Moore Park Johnsonville, Wellington 7th
Petone Memorial Park Petone, Lower Hutt 6th
Stop Out Hutt Park Lower Hutt 1st in Capital Premier (promoted via play-offs)
Waterside Karori Karori Park Karori, Wellington 5th
Wellington Olympic Wakefield Park Wellington 1st
Wellington Phoenix Reserves Fraser Park Lower Hutt 3rd
Western Suburbs Endeavour Park Porirua 9th
Whanganui Athletic Wembley Park Whanganui East, Whanganui Replaced Wellington United after they withdrew

Central League personnel

Team Manager[45] Captain
Miramar Rangers New Zealand Kale Herbert[46] England Sam Mason-Smith
Napier City Rovers England Bill Robertson England Jim Hoyle[47]
North Wellington Croatia Davor Tavich Canada Gavin Hoy[48]
Petone New Zealand Ryan Edwards[49] New ZealandHami Paranihi-Nuku
Stop Out ItalyAston Hughes PolandMaxim Johnson
Waterside Karori New Zealand Sam Morrissey[50] England Harry Fautley
Wellington Olympic New Zealand Rupert Kemeys Cook Islands Ben Mata[51]
Wellington Phoenix Reserves England Chris Greenacre New Zealand Isaac Hughes
Western Suburbs South Africa Alan Koch[52] Canada Malik Smith[52]
Whanganui Athletic England Matty Calvert EnglandRyan Holden

Central League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wellington Olympic (C) 18 15 1 2 79 29 +50 46 Winner of Central League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Wellington Phoenix Reserves[a] 18 12 1 5 47 29 +18 37 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Napier City Rovers 18 10 3 5 50 32 +18 33
4 Petone 18 10 2 6 45 33 +12 32
5 Western Suburbs 18 8 4 6 40 34 +6 28
6 Waterside Karori 18 7 3 8 44 40 +4 24
7 Miramar Rangers 18 8 0 10 37 43 −6 24
8 Stop Out 18 7 3 8 37 47 −10 24
9 North Wellington 18 2 1 15 21 63 −42 7
10 Whanganui Athletic (R) 18 1 2 15 19 69 −50 5 Relegation to Capital Premier/Central Federation League
Source: Capital Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves gain automatic entry into the National League Championship phase due to the A-League Men requirements.[2]

Central League results table

Home \ Away MR NC NW PT SO WK WO WP WS WA
Miramar Rangers — 1–3 3–0 2–3 3–0 3–4 0–7 0–4 1–0 5–1
Napier City Rovers 1–2 — 3–1 2–2 4–1 5–0 1–4 2–3 2–2 1–1
North Wellington 2–5 1–3 — 0–5 3–3 1–4 0–5 0–4 1–3 2–3
Petone 4–3 4–2 3–0 — 2–1 2–2 4–0 1–3 2–3 2–0
Stop Out 4–2 1–3 3–1 2–1 — 1–4 3–2 3–3 0–4 3–1
Waterside Karori 1–2 0–3 5–1 4–3 2–3 — 1–2 1–3 2–2 3–1
Wellington Olympic 3–1 6–3 7–0 4–2 6–3 2–2 — 3–2 8–3 6–1
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 3–1 1–4 2–3 3–1 2–0 3–2 1–2 — 0–1 4–1
Western Suburbs 3–1 1–3 2–0 0–1 3–3 2–1 2–5 1–2 — 7–1
Whanganui Athletic 0–2 1–5 0–5 2–3 1–3 1–6 0–7 3–4 1–1 —
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Central League scoring

Central League top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals[53][54]
1 New Zealand Matthew Brazier Petone 18
2 England Deri Corfe Napier City Rovers 15
3 New Zealand Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic 14
4 New Zealand Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves 13
New Zealand Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic
6 New Zealand Tomas Alvarado Waterside Karori 11
England Kailan Gould Wellington Olympic
Cook Islands Benjamin Mata Wellington Olympic
9 Canada Kairo Coore Western Suburbs 10
New Zealand Ryan Feutz Western Suburbs
England Jonathan McNamara Napier City Rovers
Central League hat-tricks
Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
2[55] New Zealand Joshua Tollervey[a] Wellington Phoenix Reserves Whanganui Athletic Away 3–4 2 April 2023
4[56] New Zealand Merlin Luke-Miny Wellington Olympic Whanganui Athletic Home 6–1 15 April 2023
5[57] New Zealand Josh Rudland Wellington Phoenix Reserves North Wellington Away 0–4 22 April 2023
5[58] New Zealand Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic Petone Home 4–2 22 April 2023
6[59] New Zealand Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic North Wellington Home 7–0 29 April 2023
7[60] New Zealand Matthew Brazier Petone North Wellington Away 0–5 6 May 2023
8[61] New Zealand Hamish Watson Wellington Olympic Napier City Rovers Home 6–3 20 May 2023
10[62] New Zealand Gianni Bouzoukis[a] Wellington Olympic Miramar Rangers Away 0–7 10 June 2023
New Zealand Hamish Watson
11[63] New Zealand Nathan Simes Miramar Rangers North Wellington Away 2–5 24 June 2023
12[64] England Jared Cunniff Stop Out Miramar Rangers Home 4–2 1 July 2023
14[65] New Zealand Jack O'Connor Petone Wellington Olympic Home 4–0 22 July 2023
18[66] New Zealand Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves Miramar Rangers Away 0–4 2 September 2023
18[67] Canada Gavin Hoy Wellington Olympic Western Suburbs Home 8–3 2 September 2023
18[67] Ethiopia Muse Abrahaberhe Western Suburbs Wellington Olympic Away 8–3 2 September 2023
  1. ^ a b Player scored 4 goals

2023 Southern League

Southern League
Season2023
Dates24 March 2023 - 3 September 2023
ChampionsChristchurch United
RelegatedGreen Island
Matches played90
Goals scored392 (4.36 per match)
Top goalscorerSamuel Phillips (29)
Biggest home winNelson Suburbs 7–1 Selwyn United
(11 June 2023)
Christchurch United 6–0 Selwyn United
(14 July 2023)
Biggest away winGreen Island 3–15 Christchurch United
(27 August 2023)
Highest scoringGreen Island 3–15 Christchurch United
(27 August 2023)
Longest winning run8 matches Christchurch United
Longest unbeaten run17 matches Christchurch United
Longest winless run11 matches Selwyn United
Longest losing run9 matches Selwyn United
← 2022
2024 →

Southern League teams

Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the winner of the Southern League play-offs. The promoted team is FC Twenty 11. This is their first season in the Southern League. They replaced Mosgiel (relegated after their debut season in the Southern League).

Team Home ground Location 2022 season
Cashmere Technical Garrick Memorial Park Woolston, Christchurch 2nd
Christchurch United United Sports Centre Yaldhurst, Christchurch 1st
Coastal Spirit Linfield Park Linwood, Christchurch 6th
Dunedin City Royals Football Turf Dunedin North 4th
FC Twenty 11 Avonhead Park Avonhead, Christchurch 1st in Mainland Premier League (promoted via play-offs)
Ferrymead Bays Ferrymead Park Ferrymead, Christchurch 5th
Green Island Sunnyvale Park Green Island, Dunedin 8th
Nelson Suburbs Saxton Field Nelson 3rd
Nomads United Tulett Park Casebrook, Christchurch 7th
Selwyn United Foster Park Rolleston 9th

Southern League personnel

Team Manager Captain
Cashmere Technical England Dan Schwarz[68] New Zealand Andrew Storer
Christchurch United Barbados Paul Ifill[69] New Zealand Matt Tod-Smith
Coastal Spirit New Zealand Robbie Stanton[70] New Zealand Dominic McGarr
Dunedin City Royals New Zealand Richard Murray New Zealand Jared Grove
FC Twenty 11 Bulgaria Cvetan Ivanov[71] New Zealand Harrison Rowe
Ferrymead Bays New Zealand Alan Walker[72] Republic of Ireland James Deehan
Green Island New Zealand Jamie Whitmarsh[73] New Zealand Thomas Milton
Nelson Suburbs Northern Ireland Ryan Stewart New Zealand Alex Ridsdale[74]
Nomads United New Zealand Matthew Jansen[75] New Zealand Jacob Anderson
Selwyn United New Zealand Lee Padmore New Zealand Jack Allatt

Southern League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Christchurch United (C) 18 16 1 1 72 12 +60 49 Winner of Southern League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Cashmere Technical 18 13 3 2 66 27 +39 42 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Coastal Spirit 18 10 1 7 30 36 −6 31
4 Dunedin City Royals 18 8 5 5 44 29 +15 29
5 Ferrymead Bays 18 9 2 7 35 36 −1 29
6 Nelson Suburbs 18 7 4 7 48 46 +2 25
7 Nomads United 18 7 2 9 32 35 −3 23
8 Green Island (R) 18 5 1 12 33 58 −25 16 Relegated to the FootballSouth Premier League/Mainland Premier League[a]
9 Selwyn United 18 3 1 14 21 53 −32 10
10 FC Twenty 11 18 2 0 16 11 60 −49 6
Source: Mainland Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[33]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
  1. ^ Green Island were relegated due to withdrawing from the 2024 Southern League.

Southern League results table

Home \ Away CT CU CS DC FT FB GI NS NU SU
Cashmere Technical — 1–1 2–3 2–3 6–1 2–2 2–1 5–4 7–3 3–1
Christchurch United 1–3 — 2–0 5–2 1–0 3–0 3–0 4–0 1–0 6–0
Coastal Spirit 1–1 0–4 — 1–0 2–0 1–3 3–2 2–3 2–1 3–1
Dunedin City Royals 1–4 1–3 5–0 — 3–0 2–1 4–2 3–3 3–0 1–1
FC Twenty 11 0–6 0–5 1–4 0–7 — 3–0 0–3 0–6 0–2 0–1
Ferrymead Bays 2–6 0–6 3–0 4–1 6–1 — 2–1 1–1 0–2 1–0
Green Island 0–7 3–15 0–1 1–1 2–0 1–2 — 3–4 1–2 4–1
Nelson Suburbs 1–4 1–6 5–0 1–1 3–1 2–1 4–5 — 1–1 7–1
Nomads United 1–3 1–4 1–4 1–1 0–2 1–2 6–2 4–1 — 3–1
Selwyn United 1–2 0–2 2–3 0–5 3–2 3–5 1–2 4–1 0–3 —
Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Southern League scoring

As of 3 September 2023
Southern League top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals[76][77]
1 New Zealand Sam Philip Christchurch United 29
2 Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical 28
3 Republic of Ireland Eoghan Stokes Christchurch United 15
4 New Zealand Connor Neil Dunedin City Royals 12
5 New Zealand Benjamin Stanley Dunedin City Royals 11
6 Canada Stefan Milidrag Green Island 9
7 New Zealand Aidan Barbour-Ryan Cashmere Technical 8
New Zealand Omar Cameron Coastal Spirit
New Zealand Liam Cotter
Australia Daniel MacLennan Christchurch United
New Zealand Ben Polak Nelson Suburbs
New Zealand Alex Ridsdale
Southern League hat-tricks
Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
1[78] Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical FC Twenty 11 Away 0–6 25 March 2023
2[79] New Zealand Sam Philip Christchurch United Coastal Spirit Away 0–4 2 April 2023
3[80] Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical Nomads United Home 7–3 7 April 2023
6[81] New Zealand Sam Philip Christchurch United Ferrymead Bays Away 0–6 29 April 2023
Republic of Ireland Eoghan Stokes
9[82] Scotland Connor Gillespie[a] Nelson Suburbs FC Twenty 11 Away 0-6 28 May 2023
10[83][84] New Zealand Aidan Barbour-Ryan Cashmere Technical FC Twenty 11 Home 6-1 10 June 2023
Scotland Connor Gillespie Nelson Suburbs Selwyn United Home 7-1 11 June 2023
11[85] Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan[a] Cashmere Technical Nelson Suburbs Home 5–4 24 June 2023
12[86] Green Island Away 0–7 1 July 2023
13[87] Canada Stefan Milidrag Green Island Nelson Suburbs Away 4–5 15 July 2023
15[88] Australia Daniel MacLennan Christchurch United Ferrymead Bays Home 3–0 6 August 2023
16[89] New Zealand Sam Philip Nelson Suburbs Away 1–6 13 August 2023
Republic of Ireland Eoghan Stokes
17[90] New Zealand Sam Philip[b] Green Island 3–15 27 August 2023
Republic of Ireland Eoghan Stokes
  1. ^ a b c d Player scored 4 goals
  2. ^ Player scored 8 goals
Own goals
Round Player Club Against
2[91] New Zealand Jacob Anderson Nomads United Ferrymead Bays
15[92] Green Island
16[93] New Zealand Cameron Brewitt Green Island Selwyn United
17[94] New Zealand Alex Ridsdale Nelson Suburbs Nomads United
18[95] New Zealand Jack Allatt Selwyn United Nomads United

Qualified clubs

There are 10 men’s National League Championship qualifying spots (4 for the Northern League, 3 plus Wellington Phoenix Reserves for the Central League and 2 for the Southern League).[2]

class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs in New Zealand for the 2023 National League season
class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs in Auckland Region for the 2023 National League season
class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs in Wellington Region for the 2023 National League season
Association Team Position in Regional League App (last) Previous best (last)
Northern League (4 berths) Auckland City 1st 2nd (2022) 1st (2022)
Eastern Suburbs 2nd 1st[a] Debut[b]
Auckland United 3rd 2nd (2022) 3rd (2022)
Manurewa 4th 1st Debut
Central League (3 berths) Wellington Olympic 1st 2nd (2022) 2nd (2022)
Napier City Rovers 3rd 2nd (2022) 8th (2022)
Petone 4th[c] 1st Debut
Southern League (2 berths) Christchurch United 1st 2nd (2022) 9th[d] (2022)
Cashmere Technical 2nd 2nd (2022) 7th (2022)
Wellington Phoenix (automatic berth) Wellington Phoenix Reserves Automatic qualification 2nd (2022) 6th (2022)
  1. ^ Debut under the new competition, but played the National League before as part of the New Zealand National Soccer League
  2. ^ Previously won the National League when playing in the New Zealand Football Championship
  3. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves finished second but have automatic qualification.
  4. ^ Previously won the National League when playing in the New Zealand National Soccer League

Championship phase

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wellington Olympic (C) 9 7 2 0 34 15 +19 23 Qualification to Grand Final and Champions League National play-offs
2 Auckland City 9 7 0 2 19 12 +7 21
3 Christchurch United 9 5 1 3 18 16 +2 16
4 Eastern Suburbs 9 4 3 2 23 11 +12 15
5 Cashmere Technical 9 4 1 4 24 24 0 13
6 Manurewa 9 4 1 4 16 20 −4 13
7 Auckland United 9 2 4 3 15 17 −2 10
8 Wellington Phoenix Reserves[a] 9 3 0 6 19 24 −5 9
9 Napier City Rovers 9 2 1 6 13 26 −13 7
10 Petone 9 0 1 8 6 22 −16 1
Source: New Zealand Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record[33]
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ Wellington Phoenix Reserves can not qualify for the Grand Final.[96]

Results table

Home \ Away AC AU CT CU ES MU NC PT WO WP
Auckland City 3–2 3–1 2–3 1–0 1–3
Auckland United 2–2 1–1 3–3 1–3 3–4
Cashmere Technical 1–2 4–2 3–3 2–1
Christchurch United 2–4 1–2 2–1 3–0 2–0
Eastern Suburbs 1–2 5–1 0–1 3–0 1–1
Manurewa 0–0 5–3 2–5 4–6
Napier City Rovers 2–4 0–5 0–1 3–0
Petone 0–2 0–1 1–5 1–2
Wellington Olympic 5–2 2–2 7–1 2–1 4–2
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 0–1 3–5 0–1 3–2
Source: New Zealand Football
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 3, but then postponed and played between rounds 6 and 7, it is added to the standings for round 6.

Team ╲ Round123456789
Wellington Olympic112222221
Auckland City431111112
Christchurch United423433343
Eastern Suburbs778787554
Cashmere Technical655656435
Manurewa9910964666
Auckland United344345777
Wellington Phoenix Reserves786899888
Napier City Rovers267578999
Petone10109101010101010
Leader and Grand Final
Grand Final
Source: New Zealand Football

Grand Final

Wellington Olympic2–0Auckland City
 Report
Referee: Nick Waldron[97]

Statistics

As of 19 November 2023

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals[98][99]
1 New Zealand Gianni Bouzouzkis Wellington Olympic 11
Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical
3 New Zealand Angus Kilkolly Auckland City 7
4 England Deri Corfe Napier City Rovers 6
New Zealand Luis Toomey Eastern Suburbs
6 New Zealand Kingsley Sinclair Eastern Suburbs 5
7 Canada Gavin Hoy Wellington Olympic 4
New Zealand Dylan Manickum Auckland City
South Africa Lyle Matthysen Cashmere Technical
New Zealand Jack-Henry Sinclair Wellington Olympic
New Zealand Joshua Tollervey Wellington Phoenix Reserves
New Zealand Nicolas Zombrano Auckland United

Hat-tricks

Round Player For Against Home/Away Result Date
2[100] New Zealand Gianni Bouzoukis Wellington Olympic Napier City Rovers Home 7–1 29 September 2023
New Zealand Jack-Henry Sinclair
7[101] Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical Napier City Rovers Home 4–2 5 November 2023
8[102] Christchurch United Away 2–4 10 November 2023

Discipline

Player

  • Most yellow cards: 5[99]
    • England James Hoyle (Napier City Rovers)
  • Most red cards: 1[99]
    • 10 players

Club

Awards

Goal of the Week

The goal of the week for the 2023 season included goals from the 2023 New Zealand Women's National League.

Annual awards

League MVP[112] Club Top scorer Club
Northern League Ghana Derek Tieku Hamilton Wanderers New Zealand Ryan de Vries
Ghana Derek Tieku 		Auckland City
Hamilton Wanderers
Central League New Zealand Matthew Brazier Petone New Zealand Matthew Brazier Petone
Southern League Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan Cashmere Technical New Zealand Sam Philip Christchurch United
National League Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan[113] Cashmere Technical New Zealand Gianni Bouzoukis[114]
Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan[115] 		Wellington Olympic
Cashmere Technical
Award Winner Club
Goal of the Season[116] New Zealand Oliver Pickering Petone
Team of the season[117]
Goalkeeper New Zealand Scott Basalaj (Wellington Olympic)
Defenders New Zealand Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic) New Zealand Adam Thomas (Eastern Suburbs) Cook Islands Ben Mata (Wellington Olympic) New Zealand Francis de Vries (Eastern Suburbs)
Midfielders New Zealand Luis Toomey (Eastern Suburbs) Japan Hideto Takahashi (Auckland United) New Zealand Cameron Howieson (Auckland City)
Forwards New Zealand Gianni Bouzoukis (Wellington Olympic) Republic of Ireland Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Technical) England Deri Corfe (Napier City Rovers)

Notes

  1. ^ Official reasoning by Manurewa AFC.
  2. ^ a b Officially announced on 29 March 2023.

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