Who is in the Men's Central League 2 for 2025? 

• Teams for the 2025 season are; FC Western, Taradale AFC, Palmerston North Marist FC, Palmerston North United FC, Te Kotahitanga FC, Douglas Villa AFC, Tawa AFC, Lower Hutt City AFC, Stop Out Sports Club, Seatoun AFC.

How did the qualification work?

• The tenth-placed team in the Men’s Central League, Stop Out, was relegated and became the first team in Men's Central League 2 ("MCL2").
• The highest eligible team from Men's Capital Premier, Upper Hutt City Football,  played the Winner of the Central's Men's Federation League, Palmerston North United.
  • The winner, Upper Hutt City Football, went into the Men's Central League.
  • The loser, Palmerston North United, went into MCL2.
• The next two eligible clubs from Central and Capital automatically qualified for MCL2, FC Western, Palmerston North Marist FC, Tawa AFC, and Lower Hutt City AFC.
• The next four eligible clubs from both Federations went into the playoffs to contest the remaining four MCL2 spots. Taradale AFC, Te Kotahitanga FC, Douglas Villa AFC, and Seatoun AFC all won their respective playoffs.

Where will my team play if not promoted into MCL2?

• Men’s Capital Premier will remain for first teams that don’t qualify for MCL2 and reserves teams (inc. WPX Thirds).

What impact will this have on promotion/relegation for Men's Capital Leagues? 

• There will be five promotions from Men's Capital 1 up to Men's Capital Premier and six into Men's Capital 1-3.
• Because of this, there will not be any automatic relegations from the Men's Capital Leagues. 
• Given the high number of promotions, the continuation of Men's Capital 4 in 2025 will depend on the number of Local League teams (Wairarapa, Horowhenua/Kapiti and Wellington) that want promotion. 

What will Men's Central League 2 cost? 

• Costs for the leagues are still to be confirmed, but entry fee for Capital Teams will be no more than $8,500 + GST. Additional Capital Football Affiliation fees may apply. 

Will there be any NZF Club Licensing or other applicable National League regulations?  

There will be measures of NZF Club Licensing and National League regulations added to the Men’s Central League 2 Regulations. These will include:

• A head coach with their B-Licence or working towards*.  An assistant coach working towards* their C-Licence. A reserve team coach working towards* their C-Licence.  
• *Working towards is being registered on the course in that season. Clubs must be able to achieve the licences should they be promoted.
• Clubs must film games and upload to the League Exchange. 
• Clubs must produce a budget and business plan for the upcoming season and financial accounts from the previous season.
• Regulations around non-permanent residents (for example, 4 + 1 from OFC) and U20 players (50 - 75% of the Men's National League regulations) may also apply. These numbers are still to be confirmed.
• Players will need to sign NZF Amateur Player Agreements which include a cap on player reimbursements.  
• Recommendations and maybe requirements to have a scoreboard, a public announcement system, covered seating for substitutes and team officials may also apply. 

• Regulations for the 2025 season will be confirmed by 30 November 2024.

How did the promotion work for 2026?

Promotion (and relegation) for the 2026 season will be as follows: 

• There will be automatic promotion/relegation between Men’s Central League and Men’s Central League 2. 
• ​​​​​​​One team will be relegated from Men’s Central League 2 to their respective Federation League
• There will be a home and away playoff from each of the Federations Leagues determining promotion into Men’s Central League 2.

If you wish for any further information on the changes, please contact Blair Duncan (blair@capitalfootball.org.nz) or Donald Piper (Donald@centralfootball.co.nz).