2020–21 New Zealand Football Championship

ISPS Handa Men's Premiership

Season	2020–21
Champions	Team Wellington
Premiers	Auckland City
Matches played	56
Goals scored	186 (3.32 per match)
Best Player	Alex Paulsen (Wellington Phoenix)
Top goalscorer	Hamish Watson (12) (Team Wellington)
Biggest home win	Eastern Suburbs 8–0 Wellington Phoenix (31 January 2021)
Biggest away win	Canterbury United 0–4 Waitakere United (14 November 2020) Wellington Phoenix 0–4 Eastern Suburbs (28 November 2020) Hamilton Wanderers 0–4 Auckland City (31 January 2021)
Highest scoring	Eastern Suburbs 8–0 Wellington Phoenix (31 January 2021)
← 2019–20 2021 National League → All statistics correct as of 21 March 2021. Steve Sumner Trophy - Andy Bevin (Team Wellington)

The 2020–21 New Zealand Football Championship season (currently known as the ISPS Handa Men's Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the seventeenth and final season of the NZFC since its establishment in 2004. Eight teams compete in the competition with Auckland City and Team Wellington representing the ISPS Handa Men's Premiership in the 2021 OFC Champions League after Auckland City finished Premiers, with Team Wellington finishing regular season runners-up in the 2019–20 competition, after the remainder of the competition was cancelled mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.^[1] The change from ten teams to eight teams was due to Tasman United and Southern United joining Canterbury United to form a united South Island team, playing under the Canterbury United name.^[2] Auckland City won the league with a game in hand, taking top spot for their 12th premiership.^[3]

Clubs

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity	Manager	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Auckland City	Auckland	Kiwitea Street	3,250	José Figueira[4]	Dynasty Sport[5]	Vuksich & Borich, Trillian Trust Inc
Canterbury United	Christchurch	English Park	9,000	Lee Padmore[6]	Nike	McDonald's
Eastern Suburbs	Auckland	Madills Farm	1,000	Tony Readings[7][8]	Lilywhites	Winger Motors
Hamilton Wanderers	Hamilton	Porritt Stadium	5,000	Kale Herbert[9]	Dynasty Sport[10]	The Soccer Shop
Hawke's Bay United	Napier	Bluewater Stadium	5,000	Chris Greatholder Bill Robertson[11]	Adidas	Thirsty Whale
Team Wellington	Wellington	David Farrington Park	2,250	Scott Hales[12]	Nike	Stonewood Homes
Waitakere United	Auckland	Seddon Fields	1,000	Chris Milicich	Lotto Sport Italia	Triumph Motorcycles
Wellington Phoenix	Lower Hutt	Fraser Park	750	Paul Temple[13]	Adidas	Huawei

Regular season

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Auckland City	14	8	4	2	27	13	+14	28	Qualification to Champions League group stage and Finals series
2	Team Wellington (C)	14	7	5	2	35	21	+14	26	Qualification to Finals series and disbanded at end of season
3	Hamilton Wanderers	14	5	5	4	23	21	+2	20	Qualification to Finals series
4	Eastern Suburbs	14	5	4	5	25	23	+2	19
5	Waitakere United	14	4	6	4	28	26	+2	18	Disbanded at end of season
6	Canterbury United	14	5	3	6	21	24	−3	18
7	Hawke's Bay United	14	4	1	9	17	29	−12	13
8	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	14	2	4	8	18	37	−19	10

Positions by round

Fixtures and results

The season was scheduled to be played on a home and away basis between 14 November 2020 and 28 February 2021, with the finals series being played in March 2021.^[14] On 27 February 2021 it was announced that the game between Hawkes Bay United and Eastern Suburbs for Round 14 had been delayed because of a COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in the Auckland region moving to Level 3 and the rest of the country changing to Level 2.^[15] New Zealand Football announced that the game was to be rescheduled to be played as a midweek fixture sometime between 8–12 March but is dependent on the Alert Levels coming down.^[16] It was also announced that if the restrictions in Auckland remained, then the game would be cancelled and classed as a draw with both clubs sharing the points. If that was to happen, then the final top four teams for the semi-finals would be Auckland City, Team Wellington, Hamilton Wanderers and Waitakere United.^[16] This potentially could cause more issues, as two of the teams (Auckland City and Waitakere United) are based in the Auckland region so was also advised that in the event that the restrictions where still in place when the semi-finals where due to be played, then the competition would proceed to a straight final to be played between the two clubs that where top of the league at the end of the season.^[16] This would then see Auckland City and Team Wellington play the final, scheduled to be played on 21 March.^[16] With the restrictions in Auckland being lowered, the game was rescheduled and played on Wednesday 10 March 2021. The result of the game decided on who finished fourth and faced Auckland City for the second Semi-final.^[17]

Results table

All times are in New Zealand Time.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Finals series

Semi-finals

Grand final

Auckland City

Team Wellington

GK 24 Cameron Brown DF 14 Jordan Vale  74' DF 3 Adam Mitchell  90+4' DF 6 Brian Kaltak DF 23 Alfie Rogers MF 2 Mario Ilich  89' MF 7 Cameron Howieson (c)  51' MF 16 Yousif Al-Kalisy  71' FW 10 Dylan Manickum FW 20 Emiliano Tade FW 22 Mohamed Awad Substitutes: GK 18 Conor Tracey DF 17 Andrew Blake  74' DF 4 Mario Bilen DF 12 Sam Brotherton MF 8 Albert Riera FW 11 Kayne Vincent  89' FW 13 Deandre Vollenhoven  71' Manager: José Figueira

GK 22 Zac Jones DF 14 Jack-Henry Sinclair  82' DF 2 Justin Gulley DF 4 Taylor Schrijvers DF 6 Scott Midgley DF 23 Rory McKeown MF 5 Ollie Whyte MF 11 Mario Barcia (c)  71'  88' MF 12 Andy Bevin FW 8 Sam Mason-Smith  68' FW 9 Hamish Watson Substitutes: GK 1 Scott Basalaj DF 15 Jake Williams MF 13 Sam Dewar MF 19 Haris Zeb  82' MF 20 Wan Gatkek  88' FW 7 João Moreira  68' FW 10 Nathanael Hailemariam Manager: Scott Hales

Steve Sumner Trophy: Andy Bevin

Statistics

As of 28 February 2021

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Derek Tieku	Hamilton Wanderers	12
	Hamish Watson†	Team Wellington
3	Logan Rogerson	Auckland City	8
	Sam Mason-Smith	Team Wellington
5	Riley Bidois	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	6
	Garbhan Coughlan	Canterbury United
	Ryan Feutz	Eastern Suburbs
	Alex Grieve	Waitakere United
9	Jorge Akers	Hawke's Bay United	5
	Andy Bevin	Team Wellington
	Gerard Garriga	Waitakere United
	Dylan Manickum	Auckland City
	Adam Thurston	Eastern Suburbs

^† Due to reaching 12 goals in less games, Hamish Watson was awarded the Golden Boot at the Grand finals.^[18]

Hat-tricks

Round	Player	For	Against	Result	Date
10[19]	Hamish Watson	Team Wellington	Waitakere United	3–4	30 January 2021
10[20]	Ryan Feutz	Eastern Suburbs	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	8–0	31 January 2021
12[21]	Hamish Watson	Team Wellington	Eastern Suburbs	7–0	13 February 2021
12[22]	Derek Tieku	Hamilton Wanderers	Waitakere United	3–2	14 February 2021
14[23]	Sam Mason-Smith	Team Wellington	Hamilton Wanderers	3–2	27 February 2021
14[23]	Garbhan Coughlan	Canterbury United	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	5–1	27 February 2021

Own goals

Round	Player	Club	Against
2[24]	Shuiab Khan	Waitakere United	Wellington Phoenix Reserves
7[25]	Finn Surman	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	Canterbury United
8[26]	Joseph Harris	Hamilton Wanderers	Auckland City
9[27]	Adam Mitchell	Auckland City	Eastern Suburbs
9[27]	Finn Surman	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	Team Wellington

References

External links

• ISPS Handa Men's Premiership website Archived 23 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine