Nelson United is a 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...

 soccer club, based in the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 city of Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

. Their home ground is Guppy Park. The team was founded in 1968 through the amalgamation of Nelson Rangers (founded 1924) and Nelson Thistle (founded 1950 as Settlers, name changed in 1959). Nelson United has since merged with Nelson Metro, Nelson City and Tahuna to form FC Nelson.

United played in the old 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...

's top flight 1976-80, 1983–88, and 1991-92. They were winners of the 1977 Chatham Cup

1977 Chatham Cup

The 1977 Chatham Cup was the 50th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run in three regions , with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 142 teams took part in the competition...

, and were finalists in 1978

1978 Chatham Cup

The 1978 Chatham Cup was the 51st annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run in three regions , with the National League teams receiving a bye until the Fourth Round of the competition. In all, 144 teams took part in the competition...

. Nelson Rangers had previously reached the semi-finals in 1962

1962 Chatham Cup

The 1962 Chatham Cup was the 35th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds. Other teams known to have taken part in the final rounds included North Shore United,...

 and 1964

1964 Chatham Cup

The 1964 Chatham Cup was the 37th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds...

.