Western Premiership (football)
| Founded | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Confederation | OFC (Oceania) |
| Number of clubs | 11 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | Central League 2 |
| Relegation to | ● Taranaki Championship ● Manawatū Championship |
| Domestic cup | Chatham Cup |
| League cup | Central Federation Cup |
| Current champions | Whanganui Athletic (1st title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Whanganui Athletic (1 title) |
| Top scorer | Ryan Holden 20 goals Whanganui Athletic (2025) |
| Sponsor(s) | Yorb |
| Website | www.centralfootball.co.nz/ |
The Western Premiership is an amateur status league run by Central Football, for association football clubs located in the central mid-west regions of the North Island of New Zealand, and composed of clubs from the Manawatū–Whanganui and Taranaki regions as a New Zealand tier four competition, that pairs with the Eastern Premiership and sits below Central League 2.[1]
The Western Premiership (Western League), has existed sporadically in different forms between 1957 and 2016, and was reformed in 2025 after the collapse of the Central Federation League, replacing both the Horizons Premiership (2017) and the Taranaki Premiership (1986) within the reconfiguration of the leagues by New Zealand Football and Central Football.
League format
The league currently comprises 11 teams, who each play a single round of competition before being divided by points accrued and placed into "Top 6" and "Bottom 5" sub-divisions.
The teams in each sub-division play each other in a single round.
At the conclusion of the Western Premiership competition the winners of the "Top 6" sub-division are crowned champions.
The champions of the Western Premiership then play a two-legged tie with the Eastern Premiership champion.
The winning club of the Western and Eastern Premierships play–off then plays a two-legged tie against the Capital Premier League champions to decide which club is promoted to next season's Central League 2.
The team in last place of the "bottom 5" sub–division of the Western Premiership is relegated automatically to either the Manawatū or Taranaki Championships. The relegated club can be replaced by the highest ranking side from either the Manawatu or Taranaki Championship.
Current clubs
As of the 2025 season.
| Team | Home ground | Location | 2025 season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feilding United | Timona Park | Feilding, Manawatū-Whanganui | 10th |
| Levin | Donnelly Park | Levin, Horowhenua District | 2nd |
| Moturoa | Onuku Taipari Domain | Spotswood, New Plymouth | 6th |
| New Plymouth Boys' High School 1st XI | Gully Turf | New Plymouth City | 4th |
| New Plymouth Rangers | Merrilands Domain | Merrilands, New Plymouth | 7th |
| Palmerston North Marist ² | Arena Manawatu | Palmerston North | 9th |
| Palmerston North United ² | Memorial Park | Palmerston North | 5th |
| Takaro | Skoglund Park | Takaro, Palmerston North | 8th |
| Wanganui City | Wembley Park | Whanganui | 11th |
| Western ² | Lynmouth Park | Lynmouth, New Plymouth | 3rd |
| Whanganui Athletic | Wembley Park | Whanganui | 1st |
² denotes club's reserve team.
Records
Top scorers
The following list is from the 2025 Western Premiership season onwards. New Zealand Football and Central Football reinstated the Western Premiership after disbanding the Central Federation League at the end of the 2024 season.
| Season | Top scorer(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ryan Holden | Whanganui Athletic | 20 |
| 2025 | Tyler Webber | Moturoa | 16 |
| 2025 | Olly James | Levin | 15 |
| 2025 | Charlie Meredith | Wanganui City | 12 |
| 2025 | Ethan Webber | Moturoa | 10 |
The following records are from the 2025 season onwards after the re–formation of Western Premiership.
- Most wins in a season: 13 – Whanganui Athletic (2025)
- Fewest defeats in a season: 1 – Whanganui Athletic (2025)
- Most goals scored in a season: 59 – Whanganui Athletic (2025)
- Fewest goals conceded in a season: 9 – Levin (2025)
- Most points in a season: 40 – Whanganui Athletic, from 15 matches (2025)
- Fewest points in a season: 5 - Wanganui City, from 14 matches (2025)
- Highest goal difference: +49 (+59 -10) – Whanganui Athletic (2025)
- Biggest home win: 8 goals – Palmerston North United reserves v FC Western reserves: 9 – 1, Top 6, 2 August (2025)
- Biggest away win: 9 goals – Feilding United v Moturoa: 1 – 10, Round One, 17 May (2025)
- Highest scoring match: 11 goals - Feilding United v Moturoa: 1 – 10, Round One, 17 May (2025)
- Highest scoring draw: 8 goals – Palmerston North United reserves v Moturoa: 4 – 4, Top 6, 19 July (2025) ● Takaro v Wanganui City: 4 – 4, Bottom 5, 9 August (2025)
- Biggest title-winning margin: 3 points – 2025 — Whanganui Athletic (40 points) over Levin (37 points)
- Smallest title-winning margin: – n/a
- Most goals in a single match: goals –
Playoffs
The Western Premiership acts as a qualifier league to the Central League 2 by way of a four match, two legged, home and away play–off series, first with the Eastern Premiership qualifier, with the winner facing the Capital Premier qualifying club.
2025 Western versus Eastern Premiership play–off
Havelock North Wanderers qualified from the 10 team Eastern Premiership having won 15 and lost 3 from 18 matches.
The 2025 Eastern Premiership top three also included Napier City Rovers reserves and Gisborne United.
| Havelock North Wanderers | 0–3 | Whanganui Athletic |
|---|---|---|
|
| Whanganui Athletic | 2–1 | Havelock North Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Whanganui Athletic won 5–1 on aggregate to proceed to the Central versus Capital Federation play–off against Capital qualifier Wainuiomata AFC.
2025 Central League 2 (2026) Promotion play-off
| Whanganui Athletic | 3–1 | Wainuiomata |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Wainuiomata | 4–1 | Whanganui Athletic |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Wainuiomata won 5 – 4 on aggregate and gained promotion to the 2026 Central League 2.
Whanganui Athletic returned to the 2026 Western Premiership.
References
- ^ Brown, Fin Ocheduszko. "'I'd have bit your hand off': Athletic coach thrilled with title win". NZ Herald.