Northern League (New Zealand)

The Northern League  is an amateur New Zealand association football competition. It is a top-tier competition during the winter season, and sits at step two overall.

The Northern League includes football clubs located in the northern part of the North Island from the Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. The competition was known as the NRFL Premier until 2021, when New Zealand's football league system was restructured. Clubs compete each season to qualify for the New Zealand National League.

The first four years (1965–1969)
In the years 1965–1969, before the launch of a National Soccer League, the Northern League was the highest level competition available to the clubs in the northern region. When the National Soccer League was created in 1970, the Northern League became one of its feeder leagues.

In 1997 and 1998, when the National Soccer League operated as an invitation-only summer league, the Northern League again became the highest level club competition available to the clubs from the northern provinces.

Football Championship (2004–2021)
With the demise of the club-based National Soccer League in 2004, the Northern League, now known as Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Men's Premier, became part of the highest level of football league competition in New Zealand for the third time in its history. The league runs between the New Zealand autumn and winter months (April to September), while the New Zealand Football Championship runs between the New Zealand spring and summer months (October to March).

National League (2021–)
In March 2021, New Zealand Football announced a change to the structure of both the premiership and the top regional leagues around the country. The four top regional leagues (NRFL Premier, Central Premier League, Mainland Premier League and the FootballSouth Premier League) would be formed into the Northern League, Central League, and the Southern League. These leagues would allow local clubs to qualify for the premiership season (now known as the National League Championship), with the top 4 teams from the Northern League, the top 3 teams from the Central League, and the top 2 teams from the Southern League making up the competition, alongside the Wellington Phoenix Reserve side. All teams that qualify plus the Phoenix Reserves, would then play a single round-robin competition between September and December.

The first few season were dominated by Auckland City after replacing sister club Central United at the dissolution of the New Zealand Football Championship. Auckland City won the league three consecutive times in their first three seasons. In the 2023 season, Auckland City and Eastern Suburbs completed the season undefeated. This is the first time, since Eastern Suburbs did so in the inaugural 1965 season, and the first time two clubs have done so in the same season.

Current Northern League structure

 * Northern League (this page)
 * NRFL Championship
 * NRFL Northern Conference / NRFL Southern Conference
 * NRF League One/ WaiBOP League One
 * Community Leagues

Sponsors
The following list is of the official sponsors of the League, unless otherwise noted.

Current

 * 🇰🇷 Kia Motors 2010–2012, (marketing partner)
 * 🇮🇹 Lotto Sport Italia 2008–2012, (primary sponsor)
 * 🇳🇿 ASB Bank 2010–2012, (marketing partner)
 * 🇳🇿 Prime (New Zealand) 2010–2012, (TV channel), (TV partner)
 * 🇳🇿 FTN – Family Television Network 2010–2012, (TV channel), (TV partner)
 * 🇳🇿 TVNZ 2010–2012,(TV channel), (official TV sponsor)
 * 🇳🇿 Sky Network Television 2009–present, (TV channel), (TV partner – For national & international broadcasting)

Current clubs
As of the 2024 season.

Past champions

 * 1965 – Eastern Suburbs AFC
 * 1966 – Eastern Suburbs AFC
 * 1967 – Ponsonby AFC
 * 1968 – Mount Wellington
 * 1969 – Mount Wellington
 * 1970 – Mt Albert
 * 1971 – Takapuna City
 * 1972 – Hamilton Wanderers
 * 1973 – North Shore United
 * 1974 – Eden
 * 1975 – Manurewa
 * 1976 – Hamilton Wanderers
 * 1977 – Courier Rangers
 * 1978 – Manurewa
 * 1979 – Hamilton Wanderers
 * 1980 – Takapuna City
 * 1981 – East Coast Bays
 * 1982 – Papatoetoe
 * 1983 – University of Auckland
 * 1984 – Hamilton Wanderers
 * 1985 – Takapuna City
 * 1986 – Mount Maunganui
 * 1987 – AFC Waikato
 * 1988 – Takapuna City
 * 1989 – Mount Roskill
 * 1990 – Mt Albert-Ponsonby
 * 1991 – Papatoetoe
 * 1992 – Oratia United
 * 1993 – Ellerslie
 * 1994 – Mount Maunganui
 * 1995 – Melville United
 * 1996 – Lynn-Avon United
 * 1997 – Mount Wellington
 * 1998 – Metro F.C.
 * 1999 – Tauranga City
 * 2000 – Tauranga City
 * 2001 – North Shore United
 * 2002 – Glenfield Rovers
 * 2003 – Glenfield Rovers
 * 2004 – Central United
 * 2005 – Bay Olympic
 * 2006 – Bay Olympic
 * 2007 – Central United
 * 2008 – Central United
 * 2009 – Melville United
 * 2010 – East Coast Bays
 * 2011 – Bay Olympic
 * 2012 – Bay Olympic
 * 2013 – East Coast Bays
 * 2014 – Glenfield Rovers
 * 2015 – Eastern Suburbs AFC
 * 2016 – Central United
 * 2017 – Onehunga Sports
 * 2018 – Onehunga Sports
 * 2019 – North Shore United
 * 2020 – season cancelled due to COVID-19
 * 2021 – Auckland City
 * 2022 – Auckland City
 * 2023 – Auckland City

Notable players
This list consists of past or present notable players that have either represented an international team, or made more than fifty appearances at a professional level in their careers.


 * Chris Wood
 * Danny Hay
 * Jeremy Christie
 * Cameron Howieson
 * Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi
 * Tim Payne
 * Marco Rojas
 * Ryan Thomas
 * Ivan Vicelich
 * Gareth Rowe
 * Ross Nicholson
 * Kayne Vincent
 * Cole Tinkler
 * Kris Bright
 * 🇳🇿 Alex Greive
 * 🇳🇿 Monty Patterson
 * 🇵🇬 David Browne
 * 🇵🇬 Tommy Semmy
 * 🇼🇸 Faitalia Hamilton
 * Micah Lea'alafa
 * 🇸🇴 Jama Boss
 * 🇸🇴 Mohamed Awad
 * 🇵🇷 Alex Oikkonen
 * 🇦🇷 Emiliano Tade
 * Mario Bilen
 * Silvio Rodić
 * 🇮🇪 Sean Devine
 * 🇷🇸 Marko Đorđević
 * 🇪🇸 Albert Riera
 * 🇪🇸 Víctor Espasandín

Top scorers
The following list is from the 2021 season onwards after New Zealand Football changed the football league system in New Zealand. From 2021, the Northern League has acted as a qualifier league to the National League.

Records
The following records are from the 2021 season onwards after New Zealand Football changed the football league system in New Zealand. From 2021, the Northern League has acted as a qualifier league to the National League. The records are up to date as of the end of the 2023 season.
 * Most wins in a season: 20 – Auckland City (2022)
 * Fewest defeats in a season: 0 – Auckland City, Eastern Suburbs (both 2023)
 * Most goals scored in a season: 68 – Auckland City (2022)
 * Fewest goals conceded in a season: 9 – Auckland City (2023)
 * Most points in a season: 61 – Auckland City (2022)
 * Fewest points in a season: 8 – Waiheke United, North Shore United (both 2022)
 * Highest goal difference: 55 – Auckland City (2023)
 * Biggest home win: – Birkenhead United 9–0 Melville United (1 May 2021)
 * Biggest away win: – Manukau United 0–7 Birkenhead United (1 April 2023)
 * Highest scoring match: 9 goals
 * Birkenhead United 9–0 Melville United (1 May 2021)
 * Bay Olympic 2–7 Hamilton Wanderers (24 April 2021)
 * Auckland United 6–3 Northern Rovers (17 July 2021)
 * Biggest title-winning margin: – 11 points
 * 2021, Auckland City (46 points) over Auckland United (35 points)
 * 2022, Auckland City (61 points) over Birkenhead United (50 points)
 * Smallest title-winning margin: – 4 points, 2023, Auckland City (60 points) over Eastern Suburbs (56 points)