The Chatham Cup is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's football (soccer). Currently sponsored by Bluebird (a brand of potato chips), it is thus often referred to as the Bluebird Chatham Cup. Knockout (K.O.), or simply knock, is a winning criterion of many ringsports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and others. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ...

Held annually since 1923 (with the exception of 1937 and 1941-44), the cup is contested by teams from throughout the country. Typically between 120 and 150 teams take part, with extra time and penalty shoot-outs used to decide matches which end in ties (in the past, replays were used). Many of the early winners of the competition no longer exist, as soccer was not effectively organised in New Zealand until the advent of a national league in 1970, and still remains largely amateur. Prior to 1970, the final was held between the winners of separate North Island and South Island tournaments. 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... South Island The South Island forms one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. ...

The cup itself was gifted to the then NZ Football Association in 1922 by the crew of the HMS Chatham as a token of appreciation for the hospitality they had encountered on a visit to New Zealand. The cup, which was modelled on England's F.A. Cup. Fifteen ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Chatham after the town of Chatham, Kent or the Chatham Dockyard where most were built. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The FA Cups trophy is also known as the FA Cup. ...

Recent tournaments have been organised in a preliminary round, first round, second round, third round, fourth round, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. Competition begins in April, and the final is normally played in September. Early rounds (up to round four) are held on a regional basis, between teams within the country's three soccer regions (northern North Island, southern North Island, South Island).

As the New Zealand league comprises composite teams which play for regions rather than clubs, there is no formal system of byes to later rounds (as there is, for example, in the English F.A. Cup). Several top sides do, however, gain byes through to the second round.

From 1986-1988, the final was contested on a two-match home and away series, but in other years the final has been a single match. In 1952, the final finished 1-1, and the title was shared. A replay was used to decide the 1970, 1972 and 1983 finals, and penalty shoot-outs decided the 1990 and 2001 finals.

The most successful teams in the Chatham Cup have been Mount Wellington (seven wins, two of them since amalgamation with Auckland University), North Shore United (six wins), and Christchurch United (five wins)

Past winners

• 1923 - Seacliff (Otago)
• 1924 - Harbour Board (Auckland)
• 1925 - YMCA (Wellington)
• 1926 - Sunnyside (Christchurch)
• 1927 - Ponsonby
• 1928 - Petone
• 1929 - Tramways (Auckland)
• 1930 - Petone
• 1931 - Tramurewa (Auckland)
• 1932 - Marist (Wellington)
• 1933 - Ponsonby
• 1934 - Thistle (Auckland)
• 1935 - Hospital (Wellington)
• 1936 - Western (Christchurch)
• 1937 - (no competition)
• 1938 - Waterside (Wellington)
• 1939 - Waterside (Wellington)
• 1940 - Waterside (Wellington)
• 1941 - (no competition)
• 1942 - (no competition)
• 1943 - (no competition)
• 1944 - (no competition)
• 1945 - Western (Christchurch)
• 1946 - Marist (Wellington)
• 1947 - Waterside (Wellington)
• 1948 - Christchurch Technical Old Boys
• 1949 - Petone
• 1950 - Eden (Auckland)
• 1951 - Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
• 1952 - North Shore United and Western (Christchurch) (title shared)
• 1953 - Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
• 1954 - Onehunga
• 1955 - Western (Christchurch)
• 1956 - Stop Out (Wellington)
• 1957 - Seatoun
• 1958 - Seatoun
• 1959 - Northern (Dunedin)
• 1960 - North Shore United
• 1961 - Northern (Dunedin)
• 1962 - Technical Old Boys (Hamilton)
• 1963 - North Shore United
• 1964 - Mount Roskill
• 1965 - Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
• 1966 - Miramar Rangers
• 1967 - North Shore United
• 1968 - Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
• 1969 - Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
• 1970 - Blockhouse Bay
• 1971 - Western Suburbs (Wellington)
• 1972 - Christchurch United
• 1973 - Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 1974 - Christchurch United
• 1975 - Christchurch United
• 1976 - Christchurch United
• 1977 - Nelson United
• 1978 - Manurewa
• 1979 - North Shore United
• 1980 - Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 1981 - Dunedin City
• 1982 - Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 1983 - Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 1984 - Manurewa
• 1985 - Napier City Rovers
• 1986 - North Shore United
• 1987 - Gisborne City
• 1988 - Waikato United
• 1989 - Christchurch United
• 1990 - Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 1991 - Christchurch United
• 1992 - Miramar Rangers
• 1993 - Napier City Rovers
• 1994 - Waitakere City
• 1995 - Waitakere City
• 1996 - Waitakere City
• 1997 - Central United (Auckland)
• 1998 - Central United (Auckland)
• 1999 - Dunedin Technical
• 2000 - Napier City Rovers
• 2001 - University-Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 2002 - Napier City Rovers
• 2003 - University-Mount Wellington (Auckland)
• 2004 - Miramar Rangers

External links

• This year's tournament (http://www.nzsoccerscoreboard.com/id176.htm)
• Cup history (http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/cup_history.html)
• Finals results and scorers (http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id152.htm)
• Finals results, with links to year by year competition details (http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/nzcuphist.html)