Napier City Rovers will play in this year’s Men’s National League after securing the last qualifying place from the Central League.
A 6-1 win against North Wellington on Sunday ensured Rovers can finish no worse than third in the Central League when the final round is played next weekend.
That means they’ll join champions Wellington Olympic, Western Suburbs and Wellington Phoenix (who are guaranteed a spot in the national competition) as qualifiers to the summer league.
Main photo: Napier City Rovers enjoy their important win against North Wellington. Photo credit: Napier City Rovers.
Going into the weekend, Rovers and Miramar Rangers were vying for the last qualifying place but Rangers blew their hopes with a 1-1 draw against Waterside Karori.
Meanwhile, in the Southern League, Cashmere Technical took the title and the first qualifying place for the national league.
The second qualifying spot is being contested by Christchurch United and Coastal Spirit.
Though United have a one-point advantage, they have only one fixture left while Spirit have two games remaining.
Who’s qualified
The Men’s National League will have 10 participating clubs.
- Northern League qualifiers are Auckland City, Eastern Suburbs, Birkenhead United and Western Springs.
- Central League qualifiers are Wellington Olympic, Western Suburbs, Napier City Rovers and Wellington Phoenix.
- Southern League qualifiers are Cashmere Technical and either Christchurch United or Coastal Spirit.
How they stand
How they finished last year
This story was first published on August 26, 2024.
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