The 2024 Southern Football Leagues is the 25th season of football in the Southern Football federation. There are five main men's leagues and four main women's leagues. The main men's leagues are: Southern League, Southern Premiership, Fletcher Cup, Donald Gray Memorial Cup, and South Canterbury Division 1, respectively tier 2, 3, 4, 4 and 4 among New Zealand men's league system. The main women's leagues are: South Island League, Southern Premiership, Combined Division One, and Kolk Cup, respectively tier 2, 3, 4 and 4 among New Zealand women's league system.
The Men's Premiership league is sponsored by Otago Daily Times, the Fletcher Cup is sponsored by Southland Express, the Kolk Cup is sponsored by SBS Bank.
The 2024 Southern League is the 3rd season of a full 10 team league, 4th season all total. Ten teams will compete in the league â the nine teams from the previous season and the winner of the Southern League play-offs also being the 2023 Canterbury Premiership League champions. The promoted team is University of Canterbury, after winning 5âÂÂ3 win on aggregate against FC Nelson, then drawing 2âÂÂ2 on aggregate against Roslyn-Wakari, with University of Canterbury won 6âÂÂ5 on penalties. This is University of Canterbury's first season in the Southern League, they replaced Green Island after withdrawing at the end of the previous season, they spent three seasons in the league with their highest finish being 8th on all three occasions.
The Southern League sits above the Southern Premiership and is also overseen by Mainland Football and Southern Football, despite being run by New Zealand Football as part of the New Zealand National League regional phase.
The final of the Southern League play-off series is a two-legged match that take place between the Mainland Football nominated club and Southern Football nominated club. The winner of the Mainland Football play-off will face the Southern Football nominated club, Wanaka. Wanaka came second in the 2024 Southern Premiership League, with champions Mosgiel, declining to participate for the second year in a row. None of the clubs in the Southern League play-off series have previously participated in the Southern League.
The 2024 Southern Premiership League is the 25th season of premiership football in the region. The League started on 6 April and finishes on 7 September, with the competition being a double round robin. Each team can field a maximum of five foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. Temporary Dismissals will be in use for when a player commits a cautionable offence that is relevant to dissent and the length of the dismissal is 10 minutes starting from when play restarts.
At the end of season, the highest ranked team will be nominated to play in a Southern League Playoff series, two-leg home and away series, against the winner of the Mainland Football Federation Playoffs. The Mainland Playoffs consists of the highest ranked nominated team from Canterbury Premiership League and Nelson Bays Premiership League. The winner of Southern League Playoff will be promoted to Southern League, assuming they will have the correct club licensing before the season starts.
Ten teams are competing in the league â all ten clubs from the previous season. Green Island's reserve team were relegated due to their first team withdrawing from the 2024 Southern League, as per the regulations stating that only one team per club is allowed in the league, the reserve team will play in the Fletcher Cup.
The Southern Premiership relegation play-off was a one-legged match that took place between the Southern Premiership's bottom placed club and Fletcher Cup's winners. The bottom placed team of the Southern Premiership league, Queenstown, will face the Fletcher Cup winners, Old Boys. The winner of the Donald Gray Memorial Cup was meant to play the winner of the Fletcher Cup in a play-off match, but due to the winner, Queens Park, already having a team in the league and second placed Gore Wanderers declining by having no ambitions for promotion to the Southern Premiership, the first play-off game got canceled.
The Blair Davidson Trophy is a Challenge Shield, where any team can challenge for the shield. It is only up for challenge when the current holders plays a league home game, cups competitions aren't challenge games. The season started with Green Island holding the trophy, before Mosgiel took the trophy off them. Mosgiel defended it against Wanaka, losing it to Otago University. Otago University went on to defend it against Dunedin City Royals Reserves and Green Island, then Wanaka won it. Wanaka's shield defence didn't last long as Mosgiel won it back. Mosgiel went on to defend it for the rest of the season with comfortable wins against Roslyn Wakari and Northern Hearts. Mosgiel's last defense match against Queenstown got cancelled as Queenstown defaulted the match.
The Blair Davidson Trophy current holders are Mosgiel, who defeated Wanaka 0âÂÂ1 in the 12th round to claim the shield. They have defended the trophy twice, once against Roslyn Wakari and once against Northern Hearts.
The 2024 Fletcher Cup is the 7th season of championship football in the Otago region. The League started on 6 April and finished on 31 August, with league format being a double round robin.
The 2024 Donald Gray Memorial Cup is the 75th season of premiership football in the Southland Region. The Leagues starts on 13 April and finishes on 31 August, with the competition being a quadruple round robin.
Five teams are competing in the league.
The Leagues starts on 6 April and finishes on 27 July, with the competition being a treble round robin.
Six teams are competing in the league.
The SF Women's Southern Qualifying League is to determine the top two teams in Southern's federation, with the third-placed team playing in a playoff against the fourth-placed team in Mainland Qualifying, who go on to play the top three teams from Mainland Football. The bottom teams will play in the Women's Premiership, starting after this league finishes. They will be joined by the top teams from the Women's Division One League.
Six team are competing in the leagues - five teams from last year from last season and one promoted team. The promoted team is Queens Park. They are competing in the league, replacing Mosgiel and Queenstown.
Six teams are competing in the league.
The South Island League sits above the Canterbury Women's Premiership League and Southern Women's Premier League and is also overseen by Mainland Football and Southern Football, despite being run by New Zealand Football as part of the New Zealand Women's National League. The league will start in late June.
Six teams are competing in the league. Otago University Thirds came 3rd, but due to the regulations allowing one team per club, 4th place Roslyn Wakari Reserves participated in this league and Otago University Thirds competed in Women's Combined Division One.
Eleven teams are competing in the league. All teams that competed in Women's Division Two are in the league, with three teams from Women's Division One in the league.
The Leagues starts on 13 April and finishes on 24 August, with the competition being a quadruple round robin.
Five teams are competing in the league.