Kate Sheppard Cup

The Kate Sheppard Cup, currently known as the New Zealand Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup for sponsorship purposes,[2] is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in women's association football.[3] Founded in 1994, it was known as the Women's Knockout Cup, until it was renamed in 2018.[2] What would have been the 2020 edition of the competition, was cancelled because of COVID-19[4] but the competition continued again in 2021.[5]

Kate Sheppard Cup
Image: 200 pixels
Founded1994
RegionNew Zealand
Number of teams57
Current championsWestern Springs (2nd title)[1]
Most successful club(s)Lynn-Avon United (9 titles)[1]
2023 Kate Sheppard Cup

Format

The Kate Sheppard Cup is a national club based competition, women's teams from all clubs that are members of their regional association affiliated to New Zealand Football are allowed to enter and is competed for during the winter club season. In March each year NZ Football calls for clubs to enter their teams and all teams that have entered shall compete on a knockout basis until two teams remain unbeaten to contest the final in September.

New Zealand football handles the drawing of teams and at the start of the competition teams from within certain Football Federations are drawn against each other to save on travel costs. Football Federations Northern, Auckland and Waikato/Bay of Plenty could be drawn against each other, as could teams from Waikato/Bay of Plenty and Central Football, Central Football and Capital Football, and Mainland Football and Southern Region. The competition becomes an open draw from the semi-final stage with teams being required to travel, at their cost, throughout New Zealand.[6]

History

The Kate Sheppard Cup is New Zealand Footballs women's national club based knockout competition that was first played in 1994 and called the Women's Knockout Cup. The competition starts with regional games until the semi-final then two Northern Region teams will play each other in one semi-final, and the Central Region winner will play the Southern Region winner in the other semi.

The final is usually played as part of a double-header, with the Chatham Cup Final (the men's club teams competition) as part of the traditional ending to the New Zealand football season in September.

The very first game saw Halswell United defeat New Brighton 2–0. The first final took place at Christchurch's English Park and saw local team Nomads United emerge as the first winners of the competition, beating Waikato Unicol on penalties 4–3 after a scoreless final.

The second year of the competition saw Waikato Unicol make the final again but this time winning the competition, before the start of the Northern Region dominance at the expense of Lower Hutt club Petone who in four consecutive finals from 1995 to 1998 finished runners-up.

Three Kings United where the first team to complete a "three-peat" winning the cup from 1997 to 1999 only to be succeeded by Lynn-Avon United who won it five years in a row from 2002–2006. They are also the cups most successful team winning the trophy nine times.[7]

On 8 March 2018, coinciding with International Women's Day and in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the women's suffrage movement, which was led by Kate Sheppard who helped women earn the right to vote in New Zealand. The cup was renamed as the Kate Sheppard Cup.[2]

In 2021, the Kate Sheppard Cup saw a record number of 57 teams enter, increasing by 40% from the previous edition.[8]

Past winners

Kate Sheppard Cup finals
Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue
1994 Nomads United 0–0
won 4–3 on pens
Waikato Unicol English Park, Christchurch
1995 Waikato Unicol 3–1 Petone Park Island, Napier
1996 Lynn-Avon United 4–2 Petone Park Island, Napier
1997 Three Kings United 7–5 Petone Park Island, Napier
1998 Three Kings United 4–2 Petone North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
1999 Three Kings United 3–2 Wairarapa United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2000 Lynn-Avon United 6–0 Wairarapa United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2001 Ellerslie AFC 1–0 Lynn-Avon United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2002 Lynn-Avon United 0–0
won 5–3 on pens
Ellerslie AFC Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland
2003 Lynn-Avon United 4–1 Ellerslie AFC North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2004 Lynn-Avon United 1–0 Three Kings United Fred Taylor Park, Waitakere City
2005 Lynn-Avon United 2–0 Eastern Suburbs Olympic Park, Auckland
2006 Lynn-Avon United 3–0 Western Springs Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland
2007 Western Springs 2–1 Glenfield Rovers Seddon Fields, Auckland
2008 Lynn-Avon United 6–2 Western North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2009 Lynn-Avon United 5–1 Claudelands Rovers North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2010 Claudelands Rovers 5–4 Three Kings United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2011 Glenfield Rovers 5–4 Coastal Spirit Memorial Park, Palmerston North
2012 Three Kings United 2–0 Massey University Newtown Park, Wellington
2013 Coastal Spirit 1–0 Glenfield Rovers English Park, Christchurch
2014 Glenfield Rovers 3–2 Forrest Hill-Milford United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2015 Glenfield Rovers 4–0 Massey University Trusts Stadium, Henderson
2016 Forrest Hill-Milford United 2–2
won 4–3 on pens
Glenfield Rovers North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2017 Glenfield Rovers 5–4 Eastern Suburbs North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2018 Dunedin Technical 4–2 Forrest Hill-Milford United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2019 Eastern Suburbs 4–0 Coastal Spirit North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2020 Tournament cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Wellington United 1–0 Hamilton Wanderers North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2022 Auckland United 1–0 Northern Rovers North Harbour Stadium, North Shore
2023 Western Springs 2–1 Wellington United North Harbour Stadium, North Shore

[1][7][9]

Maia Jackman Trophy

A Maia Jackman Trophy is presented annually to the player adjudged to have made the most positive impact in the Kate Sheppard final. Originally just the Most valuable player trophy, it was renamed in 2013 after Maia Jackman who herself won the MVP trophy in the 1996 and 1998 Women's Knockout Cup finals.[10][11]

Performances

By team

Cup winners by teams
Team Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Lynn-Avon United 9 1 1996, 2000, 2002–06, 2008–09 2001
Glenfield Rovers 4 3 2011, 2014–15, 2017 2007, 2013, 2016
Three Kings United 4 2 1997–99, 2012 2004, 2010
Western Springs 2 1 2007, 2023 2006
Ellerslie 1 2 2001 2002–03
Coastal Spirit 1 2 2013 2011, 2019
Forrest Hill-Milford United 1 2 2016 2014, 2018
Eastern Suburbs 1 2 2019 2005, 2017
Waikato Unicol 1 1 1995 1994
Claudelands Rovers 1 1 2009 2010
Wellington United 1 1 2021 2023
Nomads United 1 0 1994
Dunedin Technical 1 0 2018 -
Auckland United 1 0 2022
Petone 0 4 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Wairarapa United 0 2 1999, 2000
Massey University 0 2 2012, 2015
Western 0 1 2008
Hamilton Wanderers 0 1 2021
Northern Rovers 0 1 2022

By Federation

Cup winners by Federation
Federation Winners Runners-up
Northern 4
Auckland 16 8
Waikato/Bay of Plenty 2 3
Central Football 1 2
Capital Football 6
Mainland Football 2 3
Southern Region 1

See also

References

  1. "WKOC Finals". Ultimatenzsoccer.
  2. Hyslop, Liam (8 March 2018). "NZ Football rename Women's Knockout Cup after Kate Sheppard". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. "Women's Knockout Cup". New Zealand Football.
  4. "Chatham Cup a casualty as New Zealand Football cancel cup competitions in coronavirus crisis". Stuff. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. "National knockout cup comps return to set records". New Zealand Football. 9 April 2021.
  6. "New Zealand Football Women's Knockout Cup Regulations" (PDF). NZ Football. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. "WKOC History". Ultimatenzsoccer.
  8. "National knockout cup comps return to set records". New Zealand Football. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  9. "ASB Women's Knockout Cup > History". New Zealand Football. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  10. Street, Danielle (10 January 2013). "Maia scores award". Central Leader. Stuff. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  11. "The Maia Jackman Trophy". The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website. Retrieved 27 March 2022.

Official website

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