1996–97 National Summer Soccer League

The 1997 National Summer Soccer League was the second season of a short-lived nationwide association football club competition in New Zealand. Despite being known as the 1997 league, competition started in November 1996, with the later rounds and final playoffs held in 1997. The competition was won by Waitakere City.

Structure

The league was an invitation-only competition, with no promotion or relegation taking place. Matches took place between November 1996 and April 1997, with a three-week break from late December to mid-January. The competition was divided into two stages. In the first stage the ten teams took part in a round-robin league, with each team playing every other team home and away. 1996 participants Waikato United were replaced by new team Melville United, which had been formed from a merger of Waikato United and Melville AFC.

The top four teams from this stage progressed to a play-off series. This involved the top two teams from the league phase playing each other, and third and fourth place also playing each other. The winner of the match between first and second progressed through to the final; the loser of that match met the winner of the other match to decide the other finalist.[1]

A unique system of awarding points was used for this competition. Teams were awarded four points for a win and one for a draw. In drawn matches, a penalty shoot-out (minimum of three shots per side) would then take place, with the winning side awarded a bonus point. This system was abandoned at the end of the season; the 1998 league was played using the traditional system of three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss, with no penalty shoot-outs.

League stage

League table

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Napier City Rovers 18 12 2 4 42 18+24 50 1997 National Soccer League Finals
2 Central United 18 12 1 5 47 26+21 50
3 Waitakere City (C) 18 10 2 6 39 21+18 43 1996–97 National Soccer League Champions
4 North Shore United 18 9 4 5 40 29+11 43 1997 National Soccer League Finals
5 Miramar Rangers 18 8 6 4 35 26+9 42
6 Nelson Suburbs 18 9 0 9 25 338 36
7 Melville United 18 5 3 10 31 4312 25
8 Wellington United (R) 18 5 5 8 31 4615 25 Team withdrew
9 Woolston WMC 18 3 3 12 17 3922 17
10 Mount Maunganui (R) 18 1 6 11 14 4026 13 Team withdrew

Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Finals

Playoffs

March 22, 1997
Napier City Rovers 3 0 Central United
New, Ryan, Christie

March 22, 1997
Waitakere City 2 1 North Shore United
Gray 2 Stevens
Auckland

March 28, 1997
Central United 1 3 Waitakere City
de Jong K Smith, Viljoen, Laus
Auckland

Final

April 6, 1997
Napier City Rovers 1 3 Waitakere City
Goodacre Viljoen, McClennan, Gray
Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland

Records and statistics

Top scorers
Biggest winning margin
Highest aggregate score

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3