From what I understand clubs in both Dunedin and Nelson were considered but clubs felt they were unlikely to meet the licencing requirements to play in the National League. Doloras
I don't think it's dramatic to note that it is a Dunedin club in particular facing these problems. If a Dunedin club is replaced with a Christchurch club - i.e. if the most obvious Dunedin and Nelson replacements are not being considered - then certainly the whole idea of a South Island League is in the balance, and therefore the whole current National League setup.
If there's only two clubs outside of Christchurch that can meet Southern League requirements, we need a rethink around what those requirements are.
Add this to the Central League having 9/10 Wellington teams as well, and in 2023 the Northern League was 10/12 Auckland (now 9/12 due to Tauranga promotion).
From what I understand clubs in both Dunedin and Nelson were considered but clubs felt they were unlikely to meet the licencing requirements to play in the National League. Doloras
I don't think it's dramatic to note that it is a Dunedin club in particular facing these problems. If a Dunedin club is replaced with a Christchurch club - i.e. if the most obvious Dunedin and Nelson replacements are not being considered - then certainly the whole idea of a South Island League is in the balance, and therefore the whole current National League setup.
If there's only two clubs outside of Christchurch that can meet Southern League requirements, we need a rethink around what those requirements are.
Add this to the Central League having 9/10 Wellington teams as well, and in 2023 the Northern League was 10/12 Auckland (now 9/12 due to Tauranga promotion).
I don't think the requirements necessarily create the heavy Auckland numbers (20/24 in the top two tiers even). Population size does that, when you have 1.5m people it's inevitable that you'll have a large number of clubs. More clubs at a high level, more chance players leave for better opportunities elsewhere (Auckland); fewer clubs at a high level, more chance players stay put (Waikato/Bay of Plenty).
That being said, Waiheke were possibly the team most affected by them, they promoted in 2021 when NRFL Division 1 (as it was then) had no rules around U20s nor foreign players, so their back-to-back relegations can somewhat be attributed to the requirements, but not the WaiBOP clubs.
I don't think anything is stopping these clubs south of Auckland; only one side promotes into the second tier and the 'Auckland'/NFF side won the playoff against the WaiBOP side. To a certain extent, the big two Hamilton sides have done a lot of damage in weakening the other teams of the area, not maliciously, just by being able to offer a level the others can't. A lot of their kids are at St Peter's Cambridge (eg Luke Mitchell and Dylan Gardiner - two Wanderers players in the 17s World Cup squad - I think go there), but don't play for third-tier, Southern Conference, Cambridge as Melville/Wanderers are better. Ngaruawahia have possibly bridged that gap a little, but are potentially another Manurewa in their financing and thus longevity of it.
Tauranga have been good at producing but struggle to keep players because there is no university in the city, so their high-school leavers will go to Hamilton/Auckland. Like, looking across Northern League this season and last, there were at least eight Tauranga City '03s/'04s (their 'dream-team' or 'golden generation') at Wanderers, Melville and Birkenhead, plus another went to NCAA D1. That turnover of your best young players, in a league system that requires them front and foremost will always be tough. Otumoetai go to the U17s tournament with a bit of the overflow of the city's talent, but will suffer the same issues, and also those who stay will likely fill the vacuum at City.
