The original intention of this site was to pay tribute to Three Kings United's Premier Women's squad, Sport Auckland's Sports Team of the Year in 1999, and WSANZ Knockout Cup winners from 1997-9.

Upon planning the original site, it became clear fairly on in the piece that it would be beneficial to extend the site to embrace the records of both the Auckland and New Zealand women's teams ... and with my comprehensive records, one thing led to another, until ...

"What's the point in having all this information at my fingertips", thought I, "when it's just gathering dust on shelves and only one person has access to it? Surely it's far more beneficial to those with an interest in New Zealand soccer if it's readily accessible to all and sundry?"

With regards the men's side of the game, there are plenty of other sites around which focus on numerous aspects of same, but the cavernous void left by the long lamented New Zealand Soccer Annual - last published in 1988 to cover the 1987 season - is one which begs filling, hence my opting for a "facts and figures" approach. (Oh, but for a Rothmans Football Yearbook in NZ!!)

As a result, there is plenty here for the statistically minded, and those wishing to research the endeavours of a particular club at senior level since 1965. As well, key details of international fixtures at all levels are displayed, along with a pile of other information, such as award winners, etc..

I trust you'll find plenty to interest you as you make your way around this knowledge source on soccer, particularly women's soccer, at senior level in New Zealand. Enjoy!!

As you will discover, there are a truckload of photos and a wealth of information on this site. And while I'll take the credit for the bulk of the latter, thanks are owed to Barry Smith, Roy Cox, Carol Waller, Gren Parry, Allan McLarin, Terry McCahill, Eric Pritchard and Alan Fraser for some of this material.

Of course, there are always gaps ... so if you can help in filling some of them in, and the information you have is verifiable, please feel free to contact me.

The photography is a different kettle of fish entirely. I have taken a fair few of the shots you'll find on this site, and scanned in / downloaded the vast majority of those photos which will you will discover in certain areas of same.

Those that have been downloaded are, as far as I'm aware, freely available to all and sundry via the internet. If this isn't the case, however, please advise me and I will take the action required to satisfy your query.

But the bulk of the top quality women's soccer action shots you will find liberally sprinkled throughout the site (e.g. the classic "Spot the Ball" action shots on this page) emanate from the camera of Ian Abrahams, of ProShotz.

He has very kindly given me permission to publish on this site a selection of the shots he has taken, so if you like any of the pics which you come across, check with me first, and if it's an Ian Abrahams / ProShotz production, I'll direct your order to him so he can produce a copy for you.

One of the front page photos, the Three Kings United "Three-peaters" following their 1999 SWANZ Knockout Cup Final triumph, has kindly been provided by Kevin Bridle, of KB Images fame.

While the advent of Federations in New Zealand soccer circles has brought about, among numerous other things, some new names to the footballing dictionary, I have found that the general sporting public simply cannot identify with tags such as Soccer2, their thinking being that if, for instance, a team’s from Auckland, then call them Auckland.

It's not just the general public, either. Those members of the media who control what appears in newspapers, etc., have also signalled their displeasure at the names afforded the federations - and when you see results like Soccer2 2, United Soccer 1 1, appearing in results columns, it's not hard to appreciate why!!

So, in the best traditions of "Dirty Harry", practicality will prevail over political correctness for the purposes of this website, so while we are stuck with federations, refer to the table below for the names to which they will be referred to on this site.

To those who object to this practice, as opposed to using the actual name of the Federation, I make no apology, just as the powers that be have made no apology for the way these changes have been imposed upon the soccer fraternity, without the merest hint of consultation or testing of the waters having taken place!

What also concerns me greatly - and I know I'm not alone in this line of thought - is the way in which certain aspects of the history and tradition of the game here are being virtually cast aside, to some extent, as a result of these changes.

Part of my intention in establishing this website is to draw people's attention to this history and those traditions - as an example, the Auckland Premier Women's Knockout Shield competition, which ran for twenty-eight years from 1973, but which, damnably, was not even contested in 2001 or 2002.

Change is necessary, and important. But imposing change on those most affected by it, without involving them in the process which saw the alternative to that which they know come to pass, breeds a degree of resentment which, more often than not, later rebounds on those responsible for its imposition, as one group of overthrown Federation board members have already discovered!!

United Soccer	Northland, North Harbour, Waitakere
Auckland-Manukau	Auckland, Counties-Manukau
Waikato-BOP	Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Thames Valley
Central Soccer	Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay, Poverty Bay
Capital Soccer	Wellington, Wairarapa, Horowhenua-Kapiti
Mainland Soccer	Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast
Southern Soccer	Otago, Southland, South Canterbury