1998 National Summer Soccer League
Encyclopedia
The 1998 National Summer Soccer League was the third and final season of a short-lived nationwide association football club competition in New Zealand
. It was replaced in 1999 by the second incarnation of the New Zealand National Soccer League
.
Despite being known as the 1998 league, competition started in November 1997, with the later rounds and final playoffs held in 1998. The competition was won by Napier City Rovers
.
and Mount Maunganui did not participate in the 1997 season; their places were taken by Mount Wellington, Team Otago, and Lower Hutt City. Woolston WMC also did not participate, but were one of the teams represented by a composite side, Canterbury Woolston
.
Matches took place between November 1997 and April 1998, with a three-week break from late December to mid-January. The competition was divided into two stages. In the first stage the eleven teams took part in a round-robin
league, with each team playing every other team home and away. The top three teams from this stage progressed to a play-off series. This involved the second and third-placed teams from the league phase playing each other, with the winner meeting the league's top-placed team in the final.
The unusual points system used in the 1996 and 1997 competitions was abandoned in 1998, and was replaced by the standard system of three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
Highest aggregate score
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...
. It was replaced in 1999 by the second incarnation of the New Zealand National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
.
Despite being known as the 1998 league, competition started in November 1997, with the later rounds and final playoffs held in 1998. The competition was won by Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers
Napier City Rovers are an association football team based in Napier, New Zealand. They are currently competing in the Central Premier League.-Club history:The team was founded in 1973 via a merger of Napier Rovers and Napier City....
.
Structure
The league was an invitation-only competition, with no promotion or relegation taking place. Seven of the teams which took part in 1997 also took part this season. Wellington UnitedWellington United
Wellington United AFC is an association football club in Wellington, New Zealand competing in the Capital Premier League.-Wellington Diamond United:Wellington Diamond United was the result of the merger of Diamond and Zealandia/Wellington United in 1968....
and Mount Maunganui did not participate in the 1997 season; their places were taken by Mount Wellington, Team Otago, and Lower Hutt City. Woolston WMC also did not participate, but were one of the teams represented by a composite side, Canterbury Woolston
Woolston W.M.C.
Woolston W.M.C. was an association football club based in Woolston, Christchurch, New Zealand. It was formed in 1951 as Waterside, before the name was changed to Woolston Working Men's Club in 1969...
.
Matches took place between November 1997 and April 1998, with a three-week break from late December to mid-January. The competition was divided into two stages. In the first stage the eleven teams took part in a round-robin
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...
league, with each team playing every other team home and away. The top three teams from this stage progressed to a play-off series. This involved the second and third-placed teams from the league phase playing each other, with the winner meeting the league's top-placed team in the final.
The unusual points system used in the 1996 and 1997 competitions was abandoned in 1998, and was replaced by the standard system of three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
League table
Semi-final
Final
Records and statistics
Biggest winning margin- Napier City Rovers 8, Canterbury Woolston 1
- Central United 9, North Shore United 2
Highest aggregate score
- Waitakere City 9, Napier City Rovers 5