1975 New Zealand National Soccer League
Encyclopedia
The 1975 New Zealand National Soccer League was the sixth season of a nationwide round-robin
club competition in New Zealand
football.
respectively). Caversham dominated the series and returned to the league after a gap of just one season. With only one loss in the first five games (to Porirua), Caversham had an unassailable three point lead after the first five rounds; the last round of matches was not played as it would have made no difference to the outcome.
won by three clear points to gain their second title. Competition was close, however, especially in the middle of the table, with only one point separating fourth from seventh. North Shore United
, in their second season in the league, did very well, holding the lead for several weeks and finishing second. Shore led the league for several weeks, and were never out of the top three all season. Blockhouse Bay recovered from a start which saw them lying ninth after eight games, but there were no losses in the last ten maatches and the Bay steadily climbed the table to third.
Caversham, on their return to the league, managed to surprise by finishing fourth despite only winning four games — under the old system of two points for a win (which was used until the start of the 1983 league
), they managed to survive on the strength of the large number of tied matches. Behind them came Mount Wellington, an unusual mid-table position for the perennial title-challengers. Despite having eleven current or former internationals in their squad, it was their inability to find the net on a regular basis which led to their lowly placing. Stop Out
suffered a poor late-season slump which saw them slip from second to sixth over the last month of the competition.
Eastern Suburbs finished the season in a similar position to their 1974 position, as did Gisborne City
: low but safe from relegation. Gisborne started the year well and were third halfway through the season, but four points from their last ten games sent them plummeting down the table. After 1974's heroics New Brighton returned to their familiar position on the brink of relegation, but again managed to hold on to their league status. They were rock bottom for most of the season, but managed to clinch a win in their final match to survive and consign Wellington City to the drop. City finally succumbed after six mediocre seasons, failing to avoid the drop they had narrowly averted in 1971
.
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
club competition in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
football.
Promotion and relegation
Wellington Diamond United finished last in the 1974 league and so contested a round-robin home and away play-off series with the winners of the northern, central, and southern leagues (Eden, Porirua United, and CavershamCaversham (soccer)
Caversham is an illustrious association Football club in Dunedin, New Zealand. They are competing in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.They are named for the suburb of Caversham to the southwest of Dunedin's city centre, best known for its former international sports venue Carisbrook...
respectively). Caversham dominated the series and returned to the league after a gap of just one season. With only one loss in the first five games (to Porirua), Caversham had an unassailable three point lead after the first five rounds; the last round of matches was not played as it would have made no difference to the outcome.
Team performance
Christchurch UnitedChristchurch United
Christchurch United is a semi-professional association football club in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in the Robbie's Premier Football League.-Club history:...
won by three clear points to gain their second title. Competition was close, however, especially in the middle of the table, with only one point separating fourth from seventh. North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
, in their second season in the league, did very well, holding the lead for several weeks and finishing second. Shore led the league for several weeks, and were never out of the top three all season. Blockhouse Bay recovered from a start which saw them lying ninth after eight games, but there were no losses in the last ten maatches and the Bay steadily climbed the table to third.
Caversham, on their return to the league, managed to surprise by finishing fourth despite only winning four games — under the old system of two points for a win (which was used until the start of the 1983 league
1983 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1983 New Zealand National Soccer League was the fourteenth season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. Manurewa comfortably won the league for the first time, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Hanimex North Shore United...
), they managed to survive on the strength of the large number of tied matches. Behind them came Mount Wellington, an unusual mid-table position for the perennial title-challengers. Despite having eleven current or former internationals in their squad, it was their inability to find the net on a regular basis which led to their lowly placing. Stop Out
Stop Out
Stop Out is an association football club in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. They are based at Hutt Park, Gracefield in Lower Hutt.The Stop Out organisation was founded in 1919 with the aim of providing recreation to Te Aro Flat children associated with the wellington city missionso as to prevent them...
suffered a poor late-season slump which saw them slip from second to sixth over the last month of the competition.
Eastern Suburbs finished the season in a similar position to their 1974 position, as did Gisborne City
Gisborne City
Gisborne City FC is a soccer club in Gisborne, New Zealand who play in the eastern league 1st division. Their home ground is Childers Road. They have won the National League, Air New Zealand cup, and the Chatham Cup....
: low but safe from relegation. Gisborne started the year well and were third halfway through the season, but four points from their last ten games sent them plummeting down the table. After 1974's heroics New Brighton returned to their familiar position on the brink of relegation, but again managed to hold on to their league status. They were rock bottom for most of the season, but managed to clinch a win in their final match to survive and consign Wellington City to the drop. City finally succumbed after six mediocre seasons, failing to avoid the drop they had narrowly averted in 1971
1971 New Zealand National Soccer League
The 1971 New Zealand National Soccer League was the second season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. The league was expanded at the end of the inaugural season, so there was no relegation from the 1970 league season. Hungaria, who had competed in the inaugural...
.