The NZFC 2008–09 season is the fifth season of the New Zealand Football Championship competition.
The previous season's champion, Waitakere United, and second-ranked club Auckland City FC will also be competing in the 2008-09 O-League which will run alongside the NZFC season.
Changes for 2008/09 The league format will change from three-round, 21-match system to a two-round, 14-match home and away system. The playoff system will be changed to home-and-away semifinals contested by the top four teams, followed by a one-match Grand Final. The Premier will no longer receive a bye to the final. Otago United will now play their home fixtures at Sunnyvale Park, moving from Carisbrook. YoungHeart Manawatu will now play their home fixtures at Memorial Park, moving from FMG Stadium Due to financial issues, Waikato FC will now play their home fixtures at Centennial Park in Ngaruawahia, moving from Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. It is expected the club will return to Hamilton the following season. Waitakere United will permanently return to Douglas Field, after spending the majority of the previous season at Fred Taylor Park.
Team locations
Participating clubs Club Name Home City Stadium 2008-09 Placing Notes Auckland City FC Auckland Kiwitea Street 2nd 2008-09 ChampionshipO-League 2009–10 Canterbury United Christchurch English Park 8th 2008-09 Wooden Spoon Hawke's Bay United Napier Bluewater Stadium 5th Otago United Dunedin Sunnyvale Park 7th Team Wellington Wellington Newtown Park 4th Lost in semifinals to Waitakere United Waikato FC Ngaruawahia Centennial Park 6th Waitakere United Waitakere City Douglas Field 1st 2008-09 PremiershipO-League 2009–10 YoungHeart Manawatu Palmerston North Memorial Park 3rd Lost in semi-finals to Auckland City FC
League table
Competition Schedule
Round 1 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Canterbury United 0 – 1 YoungHeart Manawatu 8 November 2008English Park(Report) Auckland City FC 2 – 0 Otago United9 November 2008Kiwitea Street(Report) Hawke's Bay United 2 – 1 Waikato FC9 November 2008Bluewater Stadium(Report) Team Wellington 2 – 4 Waitakere United9 November 2008Newtown Park(Report)
Round 2 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Waikato FC 1 – 3 Auckland City FC 15 November 2008Centennial Park(Report) YoungHeart Manawatu 3 – 0 Team Wellington15 November 2008Memorial Park(Report) Otago United 2 – 1 Canterbury United15 November 2008Sunnyvale Park(Report) Hawke's Bay United 0 – 1 Waitakere United16 November 2009Douglas Field(Report)
Round 3 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Hawke's Bay United 1 – 2 Team Wellington23 November 2008Bluewater Stadium(Report) Otago United 2 – 3 YoungHeart Manawatu23 November 2008Sunnyvale Park(Report) Canterbury United 0 – 1 Waikato FC23 November 2008English Park(Report) Auckland City FC 1 – 2 Waitakere United26 November 2008Kiwitea Street(Report)
Round 4 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports YoungHeart Manawatu 1 – 2 Hawke's Bay United29 November 2008Memorial Park(Report) Waitakere United 1 – 1 Canterbury United29 November 2008Douglas Field(Report) Team Wellington 2 – 1 Auckland City FC29 November 2008Newtown Park(Report) Waikato FC 3 – 1 Otago United30 November 2008Centennial Park(Report)
Round 5 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Auckland City FC 3 – 1 Hawke's Bay United6 December 2008Kiwitea Street(Report) Waikato FC 2 – 0 YoungHeart Manawatu7 December 2008Centennial Park(Report) Canterbury United 2 – 2 Team Wellington7 December 2008English Park(Report) Otago United 2 – 3 Waitakere United22 February 2009Sunnyvale Park(Report)
Round 6 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Hawke's Bay United 1 – 2 Canterbury United14 December 2008Bluewater Stadium(Report) Team Wellington 1 – 0 Otago United14 December 2008Newtown Park(Report) Waitakere United 2 – 0 Waikato FC26 January 2009Douglas Field(Report) YoungHeart Manawatu 0 – 0 Auckland City FC21 February 2009Memorial Park(Report)
Round 7 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Waitakere United 3 – 0 YoungHeart Manawatu21 December 2008Douglas Field(Report) Waikato FC 2 – 0 Team Wellington21 December 2008Centennial Park(Report) Otago United 1 – 3 Hawke's Bay United21 December 2008Sunnyvale Park(Report) Canterbury United 2 – 1 Auckland City FC21 December 2008English Park(Report)
Round 8 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports YoungHeart Manawatu 4 – 0 Canterbury United10 January 2009Memorial Park(Report) Waikato FC 0 – 1 Hawke's Bay United11 January 2009Centennial Park(Report) Waitakere United 2 – 0 Team Wellington11 January 2009Douglas Field(Report) Otago United 0 – 1 Auckland City FC11 January 2009Sunnyvale Park(Report)
Round 9 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Auckland City FC 3 – 0 Waikato FC17 January 2009Kiwitea Street(Report) Waitakere United 0 – 0 Hawke's Bay United18 January 2009Douglas Field(Report) Team Wellington 3 – 2 YoungHeart Manawatu18 January 2009Newtown Park(Report) Canterbury United 1 – 2 Otago United18 January 2009English Park(Report)
Round 10 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports YoungHeart Manawatu 2 – 0 Otago United24 January 2009Memorial Park(Report) Waitakere United 4 – 2 Auckland City FC24 January 2009Douglas Field(Report) Waikato FC 3 – 1 Canterbury United24 January 2009Centennial Park(Report) Team Wellington 2 – 5 Hawke's Bay United25 January 2009Newtown Park(Report)
Round 11 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Auckland City FC 1 – 3 Team Wellington31 January 2009Kiwitea Street(Report) Hawke's Bay United 2 – 3 YoungHeart Manawatu1 February 2009Bluewater Stadium(Report) Otago United 3 – 3 Waikato FC1 February 2009Sunnyvale Park(Report) Canterbury United 0 – 2 Waitakere United1 February 2009English Park(Report)
Round 12 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Waitakere United 3 – 0 Otago United6 February 2009Douglas Field(Report) Hawke's Bay United 0 – 1 Auckland City FC6 February 2009Bluewater Stadium(Report) YoungHeart Manawatu 1 – 0 Waikato FC14 February 2009Memorial Park(Report) Team Wellington 3 – 1 Canterbury United22 February 2009Newtown Park(Report)
Round 13 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Auckland City FC 3 – 0 YoungHeart Manawatu8 February 2009Kiwitea Street(Report) Waikato FC 2 – 1 Waitakere United8 February 2009Centennial Park(Report) Otago United 2 – 4 Team Wellington8 February 2009Sunnyvale Park(Report) Canterbury United 0 – 4 Hawke's Bay United8 February 2009English Park(Report)
Round 14 HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Auckland City FC 5 – 0 Canterbury United1 March 2009Kiwitea Street(Report) YoungHeart Manawatu 2 – 2 Waitakere United1 March 2009Memorial Park(Report) Hawke's Bay United 2 – 0 Otago United1 March 2009Bluewater Stadium(Report) Team Wellington 4 – 1 Waikato FC1 March 2009Newtown Park(Report)
Finals
Bracket
Semi-final - 1st leg HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Team Wellington0 – 1 Waitakere United14 March 2009Newtown Park(Report) YoungHeart Manawatu3 – 1 Auckland City FC15 March 2009Memorial Park(Report)
Semi-final - 2nd leg HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Waitakere United5 – 0 (agg. 6 – 0) Team Wellington21 March 2009Douglas Field(Report) Auckland City FC3 – 0 (agg. 4 – 3) YoungHeart Manawatu22 March 2009Kiwitea Street(Report)
Grand final HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueReports Waitakere United 1–2 Auckland City FC29 March 2009Douglas Field(Report)
External links Official NZFC website NZ Soccer Scoreboard - NZFC 2008-09 page