Men's Southern Premier league

Couldn't find the original thread for this so I figured I'd start this. Gonna be living in Dunedin for a few years so might as well

ROUND 1
Dunedin City Royals vs Cruickshank Pryde - Football turf - 2:45pm 5/4
Mosgiel AFC vs Northern AFC - Memorial 1 - 2:45pm 5/4
Green Island AFC vs Northern Hearts AFC - Sunnyvale 1 - 2:45pm 5/4
Editors Cut Queens Park vs Otago University - ITL Football turf - 2:45pm 5/4
Roslyn-Wakari vs Bye

Going to be an interesting year with no Wanaka or Queenstown, but with two Invercargill sides. 
Not the easier first match for Old Boys as Royals Reserves are generally good. 
Also might be worth differentiating Northern Hearts from Northern AFC (the names are admittedly confusing). This week Hearts take on GI

Cruickshank Pryde. Who are they???

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Cruickshank Pryde. Who are they???

That'll be Old Boys Invercargill (sponsors are Cruickshank Pryde Lawyers)

Southernix

Going to be an interesting year with no Wanaka or Queenstown, but with two Invercargill sides. 
Not the easier first match for Old Boys as Royals Reserves are generally good. 
Also might be worth differentiating Northern Hearts from Northern AFC (the names are admittedly confusing). This week Hearts take on GI

My fault I fixed it

What clubs usually dominate? Tryna learn more about the regional scene

Then the out of town side teams

Wanaka & Queenstown are worth mentioning as normally middling sides in the division, but Wanaka managed to get promoted last year and Queenstown sucked last year, lost the pro-rel playoff and didn't come back this year. I have no clue what they're doing this year.

I'd mention lower teams but I'm not sure anyone aside Queenstown will be good enough and also willing to make the step up.

There is already a Southern League 2025 thread under on the National League / OCL section 
but to save time here is today's results / scorers:
Round 1

Nomads 2 (Caleb Johnson 2) Christchurch United 4 (Joshua Tollervey 2, Shogo Osawa, Joel Stevens) HT 1 - 2

Selwyn 1 (Otis Meyers) Cashmere Technical 5 (Garbhan Coughlan 2, Yusuf Van Dam, Lyle Matthysen, Gabriel Gallaway) HT 0 - 1

Wanaka 1 (Jake Thompson) Universities of Canterbury 0 HT 0 - 1

AllWhites82

There is already a Southern League 2025 thread under on the National League / OCL section 
but to save time here is today's results / scorers:
Round 1

Nomads 2 (Caleb Johnson 2) Christchurch United 4 (Joshua Tollervey 2, Shogo Osawa, Joel Stevens) HT 1 - 2

Selwyn 1 (Otis Meyers) Cashmere Technical 5 (Garbhan Coughlan 2, Yusuf Van Dam, Lyle Matthysen, Gabriel Gallaway) HT 0 - 1

Wanaka 1 (Jake Thompson) Universities of Canterbury 0 HT 0 - 1

 Seems like this thread is for the Southern Football's Premier League, the one below Southern League.

SPL kicks off this weekend. In honour of finding a local team to support I'm gonna be visiting a different Dunedin Club every week and reviewing them. This week I'm taking the bus to Mosgiel, can't wait!

Just returned home, here's my thoughts:

Mosgiel had a great atmosphere, people of all ages were there and it was quite noisy. Northern also brought a decent away section which made things even better. Everyone was ready for a goal to be scored and I can only imagine the roar that would've erupted had they scored a goal.

Food tasted fine, it wasn't anything to rave home about but they had wonderful prices. For $15 I was able to get a sausage, a pie, chips and a beer. That alone makes things even better since it isn't too expensive to eat out.

The game itself was pretty good, very end to end with a fair amount of chances from both sides. Northern generally dominated the possession and were a lot more aggressive with it. There were quite a few poor decisions, slips, bad touches, ect. Although I won't discredit them too much since it is the 2nd tier of an amateur football pyramid. Although the ref had a lot of dodgy decisions which was annoying. I liked the Mosgiel keeper though since he had a cap on and was constantly charging the ball.

I will say however that if you're living in Dunedin it is a bit of a travel. After the game I had to wait 30mins for a bus and didn't actually get back to my dorm until about 1hr 40mins after the final whistle. (I walked part of the way). So that has lowered its spot on my list since I personally don't want such difficult travel for a game.

Overall I'd give it a 8.5/10, if you live near the area absolutely a team worth checking out.

Side note 1:
They've had 5 All Whites, George Cuthill, Michael McGarry, Cameron Howieson, and two more who's names I can't read from the pictures I took.

Side note 2:
I sat next to the 1st team gaffer, Joel, who had apparently been given a 4 week suspension for the start of the season. This was because last season he was shouting at the ref, called him horrendous, and got a suspension. This did not in fact stop him for shouting at the ref many times as a "fan" from the stands

ROUND 1 RESULTS
Royals res (3) vs Cruickshank (2)
Mosgiel (0) vs Northern (1)
Queens Park (1) vs Otago Uni (3)
Green Island (2) vs Hearts (3)

This is great Noah, look forward to your posts from around the grounds. 

Took me a while to work out that Old Boys AFC have taken Cruickshank Pryde Lawyers on as a sponsor - great VFM for the sponsors though with their name getting traction already.

ROUND 2
Queens Park vs Mosgiel - ILT football turf - 2:45pm 12/4
Otago uni vs Old Boys - football turf -  2:45pm 12/4
Northern Hearts vs Dunedin City Royals -  2:45pm 12/4
Northern vs Rosyl-Wakari -  2:45pm 12/4
Green Island vs Bye

This week I'm gonna check out Otago uni, which will be interesting because while I know the area they'll play, I don't know the exact pitch. Anyway, being that it's a student fanbase and it's where I'm attending it should be fun

Finally got the chance to write this out,

Otago uni play a good brand of football, very aggressive, possession-based and fun to watch. Old Boys had a good defence for the most part but Uni was eventually able to break it down in the second half. I'd say the main reason Old boys didn't score was because Uni controlled the ball so much. Uni was constantly on attack and pretty much maintained the same pace for the full 90. That said they do seem to be their strongest right out the gate which leaves questions about after the initial 15 minutes of a half, but they have all season to work on that.

I will say however that this isn't a club, so there's no food and drinks and the crowd just consisted of family and friends. Only around 20-30 spectators which wasn't great but having seen their game against Auckland City last year in the Chatham Cup I know that given the occasion the student body will turn up.

If you wanna watch some fun football I'd say it's worth coming down with some friends and some drinks, just keep in mind that this team isn't a club like others around Dunedin

Overall I'd give it a 5/10, the actual football makes it worth popping in with friends every now and then

ROUND 2 RESULTS
Queens Park (3) vs Mosgiel (4)
Otago Uni (4) vs Old Boys (0)
Hearts (1) vs Dunedin City Royals (4)
Northern (6) vs Roslyn-Wakari (0)

CURRENT STANDINGS
1. Northern                | 6pts | +9GD
2. Otago Uni              | 6pts | +6GD
3. Royals reserves    | 6pts | +4GD
4/5. Mosgiel              | 3pts | -2GD
4/5. Hearts                | 3pts | -2GD
6. Green Island         | 0pts | -1GD
7. Queens Park          | 0pts | -3GD
8. Old Boys                | 0pts | -5GD
9. Roslyn-Wakari       | 0pts | -6GD

ROUND 3
Old Boys vs Hearts - ILT football turf - 12:30pm 26/4
Green Island vs Northern - Sunnyvale 1 - 2:45ppm 26/4
Mosgiel vs Otago Uni - Memorial 1 - 2:45ppm 26/4
Roslyn-Wakari vs Queens Park - Ellis Park 1 - 2:45ppm 26/4
Dunedin City Royals vs Bye

Gonna visit Roslyn-Wakari today. Bit of a walk from where I am but still looking forward to it. Got a glimpse of them against Northern the other week since they were playing on the pitch next to Otago uni vs Old Boys. 

Noah4thenix

Gonna visit Roslyn-Wakari today. Bit of a walk from where I am but still looking forward to it. Got a glimpse of them against Northern the other week since they were playing on the pitch next to Otago uni vs Old Boys. 

On the bright side you must be getting to know a lot more of Dunners than the typical fresher - hope that thought makes up for the sore feet :)

Just got back a bit ago, another nice club.

Visited their club room which was pretty impressive, had a horse head statue which I thought was pretty cool and even bought a drink from their canteen for just $3

First half was an entertaining watch having all three goals of the game. They struggled with possession and spent more time in their own third than anywhere else. Second half wasn't as thrilling but the Roslyn keeper had a great showing with a lot of crucial saves.

Now, I haven't been to many non-pro clubs yet but Roslyn-Wakari is the only which doesn't have a dressing room for the opposition team, so the Queens Park boys just had to sit in a circle on the pitch talking tactics. I'm sure they didn't appreciate it since it was very hot today but it's also pretty funny.

There was a pretty good atmosphere at the game, a mix of locals having a watch and people more involved with the club. No grand stand but there was a bank to stand on which gave us a nice, close view of the pitch. The ground also had a great view of the hill a trees in the foreground if that's something you like.

overall I'd give it a 7/10

ROUND 4 RESULTS
Old Boys (4) vs Hearts (1)
Green Island (0) vs Northern (6)
Mosgiel (0) vs Otago Uni (3)
Roslyn-Wakari (2) vs Queens Park (1)

CURRENT STANDINGS
1. Northern                      | 9pts | +15GD
2. Otago Uni                   | 9pts | +9GD
3. Royals reserves          | 6pts | +4GD
4. Old Boys                     | 3pts | -2GD
5/6/7.  Mosgiel               | 3pts | -5GD
5/6/7. Hearts                  | 3pts | -5GD
5/6/7. Roslyn-Wakari      | 3pts | -5GD
8. Queens Park               | 0pts | -4GD
9. Green Island                | 0pts | -7GD

Loving your reviews and reports Noah! Great stuff!

ROUND 4
Mosgiel vs Roslyn-Wakari - Memorial 1 - 2:45pm 3/5
Queens Park vs Green Island - ILT football turf - 2:45pm 3/5
Otago Uni vs Hearts - Logan Park fb turf - 3:00pm 3/5
Northern vs Dunedin City Royals - Caledonian - 3:15pm 3/5
Old Boys vs Bye

On Saturday I'm gonna visit the Dunedin City Royals at 12pm then Northern at 3:15 so that's exciting, hope it isn't too wet. It's been pretty fun so far and I like learning about all these different clubs.

Clubs like Mosgiel and Roslyn-Wakari have honestly surprised with how well supported they are when I compare to my experience at Olympic (obviously not a poorly supported club, I just meet when you consider one is from a bigger city and is really successful). I've had 2 glimpses at Northern which gives me high hopes and obviously the Royals seem to be THE club of Dunedin.

Just got back home so I'll start with the Dunedin City Royals since I visited them first. (I know their 1st team isn't in the league but still)

I wanna start off by saying they have a beautiful old grand stand that makes the game itself feel more professional. The poles at the front did occasionally block your view but that far from ruined the game for me. The pitch is also pretty high quality for you'll usually see for clubs in Dunedin.

The actual game was a good watch too, the Royals definitely are the best tactically in the city. They were composed, quick, had good passing and were good on transition. Unfortunately for them they were up against Christchurch United so generally were on the back foot and warding off attacks. But I stand by the fact that the final score doesn't reflect the actual game, the Royals pushed hard and were unfortunate not to get a goal.
 
I was a bit disappointed by the turnout though. While the people there were pretty loud, enhanced by the roof, but there just weren't many people there. Could just be the 12pm time slot that hurt their crowd numbers but I was hoping the most competitive team in the city would have a larger turnout, especially against a big club like Christchurch United.

But otherwise it was definitely a good watch and I'll probably come back for big games. 8/10 

The other club I went to check out today was Northern AFC, and to be honest they've impressed me the most so far.

The Caledonian has a great grand stand that seats plenty of people and gave us good shelter from the rain. The pitch was also really high quality since it was a training ground during the women's World Cup. For a club in the 3rd tier of Kiwi football it's honestly really impressive.

At the start of round Northern were 1st and Royals were 3rd, and they really played hard. Both teams were fouling quite a bit and both were doing all they could to score. Royals scored off a penalty early on but Northern were able to equalise in the last minutes of the first half. Second half only had one goal but it was an insane free kick from near the halfway line, doesn't get more insane than that.

I might be proven wrong but I think Northern have the best fans. Loud throughout the whole game, held up signs, and went absolutely mental when they scored. This is also consistent when they play away, as they made a lot of noise during their game with Mosgiel back when I visited them in the first round.

Great experience all around, had a great chat with this one bloke who gave more some inside lore to local football and this is another club I'll probably visit again. 9/10

Good on you Noah. You're doing exactly what I used to do, seeing all I could of NZ football around the traps - within my limits. Every club, every ground. Probably before you were born. You heard of Barry Smith? He was THE man. Wrote it all up in  the NZ Football Annual. And he & his wife are still going strong.

Jessie Merino

Good on you Noah. You're doing exactly what I used to do, seeing all I could of NZ football around the traps - within my limits. Every club, every ground. Probably before you were born. You heard of Barry Smith? He was THE man. Wrote it all up in  the NZ Football Annual. And he & his wife are still going strong.

Thanks! This has been really fun for me amidst uni stuff and I'll definitely do the same for Wellington whenever I move back up (could be a few years)

ROUND 4 RESULTS
Mosgiel (2) vs Roslyn-Wakari (4)
Queens Park (3) vs Green Island (1)
Otago uni (9) vs Hearts (1)
Northern (2) vs Royals (1)

CURRENT STANDINGS
1. Otago Uni.                   | 12pts | +17GD
2. Northern.                    | 12pts | +16GD
3. Royals reserves.         | 6pts | +3GD
4. Roslyn-Wakari.           | 6pts | -3GD
5/6. Old Boys.                 | 3pts | -2GD
5/6. Queens Park.          | 3pts | -2GD
7. Mosgiel.                      | 3pts | -7GD
8. Hearts.                        | 3pts | -13GD
9. Green Island.              | 0pts | -9GD

Not SPL related but I'm visiting Grant Braes in the Fletchers Cup (4th tier) Who are the furthest club from me outside of Mosgiel and Green Island. I'm kinda interested in what 4th tier football looks like and what the gap is between 3rd and 4th tier.

Just got back, wasn't able to stay for the full game because of the bus schedule but here are my thoughts.

On the pitch it wasn't necessarily the best football you'll find in Dunedin. Graes conceded 3 times before half time but it was nice to see it didn't affect them too much. It was pretty quiet so you could hear all the calls and banter pretty clearly, and hearing someone half-heartedly call for a red was funny.

They had a nice club house too, nothing extravagant but it was very spacious, well set up and they had a canteen which was good since there wasn't a place to grab food for about a km or so. 

It's a smaller group than with other clubs but they all seem pretty tight nit. Everyone does the most they can and I hope they're able to one day get promoted to the SPL. You had a player taking pictures, board members being players and general staff, so everyone seems to do their part. 

Overall though it wasn't the best game I've attended so far so I'd give it a 4/10 but I do hope they one day climb up

Grant Braes got a player in the national U16 girls team last year.

Good effort from a small club in Dunners. Megan Waayer

https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/144631?newsfeedId=1253682

ROUND 5
Green Island vs Mosgiel - Sunnyvale 1 - 2:45pm 17/5
Old Boys vs Northern - ILT football turf - 2:45pm 17/5
Roslyn-Wakari vs Otago Uni - Ellis Park 1 - 2:45pm 17/5
Dunedin City Royals vs Queens Park - football turf - 3:00pm 17/5
Hearts vs Bye

This week I'm gonna check out Green Island which is good timing because I've been told Green Island and Mosgiel have a rivalry so that should be fun. Neither team are doing very well so far but I still can't wait

Awesome stuff Noah. Glad to hear Northern doing well. I used to play for them when I was a student. They amalgamated with Maori Hill around then to become Northend United, not sure how long that lasted.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe

Awesome stuff Noah. Glad to hear Northern doing well. I used to play for them when I was a student. They amalgamated with Maori Hill around then to become Northend United, not sure how long that lasted.

Took a look on this, because I've heard of Northend, but never seen them.  Fortunately they have a nice paragraph on their website. Looks like the amalgamation is still going, they just changed back to the Northern name in the 90s

Which also explains why Maori Hill are one of 5 Dunedin-based clubs in the club directory without a team in the Southern Premiership (or higher), in their case due to only being a junior side.

Just got back from the Green Island game.

Just want to start off by appreciating their facilities. They had a pizzeria/bar right next to the pitch with a balcony giving you a great view of the game. They were also giving out free hotdogs so safe to say they give the best match day experience out of all the local clubs so far.

The game itself was also pretty good, end to end stuff with both teams (mainly Green island) getting pretty physical. First half didn't have any goals but in the first minute of the second half Green Island opened up the scoring with Mosgiel equalising just three minutes later. Mosgiel were able to win thanks to the Green Island keeper dropping the ball into the goal - which was unfortunate since he was pretty solid all game. Sadly for Green Island they are still yet to collect a point, but I'm sure a pizza party afterwards would have cheered them up (idk if they actually do that but since they have a pizzeria I say they might as well)

Similar to Mosgiel they seem to have good local support since they're the only team in town so there was a decent turnout when you consider their current form. Also fun fact; three All Whites have played at the club which is pretty cool.

Overall I'd give it a 7/10. Match day experience was good but since it's out of town I don't see myself regularly attending.

ROUND 5 RESULTS
Green Island (1) vs Mosgiel (2)
Old Boys (1) vs Northern (8)
Roslyn-Wakari (3) vs Otago Uni (2)
Royals (2) vs Queens Park (2)

CURRENT STANDINGS
1. Northern                     | 15pts | +23GD
2. Otago Uni.                  | 12pts | +16GD
3. Roslyn-Wakari.          | 9pts | -2GD
4. Royals reserves.        | 7pts | +3GD
5. Mosgiel.                     | 6pts | -6GD
6. Queens Park.             | 4pts | -2GD
7. Old Boys.                   | 3pts | -9GD
8. Hearts.                       | 3pts | -13GD
9. Green Island.             | 0pts | -10GD