When Wellington Phoenix host Western Sydney Wanderers in the penultimate round of the Isuzu UTE A-League season, they will be doing so in a city (and region) which has one eye on having a team of its own in the competition.
Christchurch is New Zealand’s second most populous city after Auckland and the largest on its South Island – which itself is home to 1.25 million people.
A city and region with its own rich football and sporting history, it is the home of its first professional football team in South Island United (SIU) who are currently competing in the inaugural season of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Professional League.
Formed last year as the professional branch of Christchurch United, it is one of New Zealand’s two representatives in the OFC Pro League and are open to the possibility of one day joining Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix as Kiwi clubs competing in the A-League.
“We’re open-minded to what the A-League has to offer and have had conversations with the APL in the past about potentially joining the competition”, remarked SIU’s General Manager Ryan Edwards. A former Academy Head Coach at the Wellington Phoenix, Edwards has played an integral role in launching the club into the professional sphere.
“Building SIU from the ground up has been one of the most demanding and rewarding experiences of my career,” Edwards said.
“There’s no blueprint for this as you are simultaneously constructing a professional football operation, building commercial relationships, developing pathways for young players all while also trying to establish a club identity that genuinely resonates with a city and region that has a passionate but undeserved football community.”
While playing in the A-League is a possibility, Edwards was keen to reiterate the club’s immediate focus is on growing and supporting the OFC Pro League in realising its potential.
“We’re fully committed to growing alongside the league and helping it become a genuine force in the global football landscape”.
Financed by local businessman Viatcheslav ‘Slava’ Meyn, SIU have made a respectable start to life in the OFC Pro League as the competition nears its business end. Russian-born Meyn permanently relocated to Christchurch in 2009 and has made a significant investment in football in the region while Kiwi media company Go Media is the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor.
Coached by former Football Australia National Technical Director Rob Sherman, the club features a squad of 21 players – 15 Kiwis including former Phoenix attacker Oskar van Hattum, 2 Australians, Dutch goalkeeper Steven van Dijk and three full internationals, Rovu Boyers (Solomon Islands), Haris Zeb (Pakistan) and Dauntae Mariner (Samoa), who grew up in Brisbane and is Tim Cahill’s nephew.
Sherman is bullish about the capacity of New Zealand to support another professional club and believes football’s growth in the country means it is well placed to usher in a new generation of talented Kiwi footballers.
“Football is growing significantly on the South Island, and more generally in New Zealand with the existence of three professional clubs in the country opening up more professional pathways for players”, said the 65-year-old Welshman.
Credited with nurturing the talents of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey during his time working with the Welsh FA two decades ago, Sherman believes a collaborative approach between New Zealand’s three professional clubs and the wider football ecosystem will best maximise the up-and-coming talent and enhance full-time professional opportunities.
An experienced and well-travelled football mind, Sherman keeps close tabs on Australian football, including the A-League, and believes SIU’s standing as an existing professional club will serve it well if it ever applies to join the A-League.
“The OFC Pro League is a great opportunity for the club to establish itself and become sustainable. If an opportunity to play in the A-League ever arose, its status as an existing club would make it a more viable option”.
SIU forward Haris Zeb shares Sherman’s enthusiasm for the potential of football in the region, having moved to Christchurch at the age of 2 from the North Island. Seeking to establish himself professionally, the now 24-year-old moved overseas to Finland in pursuit of a professional opportunity while also featuring for semi-professional clubs in Auckland and Wellington respectively.
“Growing up, there were essentially no professional pathways in Christchurch or the South Island”, said Zeb.
South Island United. Photo: OFC Media via Phototek
“Up until a few years ago, the only real option in New Zealand was Wellington Phoenix and because of that many players like me had to move to the North Island or overseas in order to pursue professional opportunities.
“Now things are starting to change with the introduction of Auckland FC and South Island United so it is exciting to finally see a pathway developing closer to home. It shows young players growing up in the region that they can chase their dreams without having to leave home so early like I did,” Zeb added.
2025 saw the exciting winger make his international debut for Pakistan, the birth country of his parents, while also rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best as part of Auckland City’s FIFA Club World Cup squad that faced Bayern Munich, Benfica, and Boca Juniors in the United States. Having travelled the globe via football, Zeb is confident that his hometown can sustain a professional team.
“The South Island has a strong and passionate sporting culture, and Christchurch is a big part of that. It is a sports-driven city and I definitely believe there is enough interest and passion to support a professional A-League team in the future should that become an option.
“With the right exposure and opportunities – such as hosting games here – you’d see the support grow even more” said Zeb.
Another person who is a believer of Christchurch’s capacity to support an A-League team is former APL employee Matt Windley, who in 2022-23 was tasked with assessing potential expansion candidates.
“At the time it was always going to be difficult to admit two New Zealand teams into the competition and Auckland FC were the outstanding candidate,” said Windley.
“However the city is sports mad, its parochial and has remained united despite experiencing tragedy in its recent history.
“With a lack of competition from competing summer codes and clubs, I’m confident that Christchurch and the broader Canterbury region would get behind an A-League club, as would the local government given its desire to justify the investment into the new stadium,” noted Windley.
That new stadium is the state-of-the-art One New Zealand Stadium (Te Kaha), which opened at the end of last month and is home to the city’s successful Super Rugby team, the Crusaders.
A multi-purpose indoor venue that SIU anticipates to host games out of next OFC Pro League season, it has a capacity of 30,000, a permanent roof, distinctive structural features, is located in the centre of Christchurch and cost $565 million AUD to construct.
Former All Whites captains Steve Sumner (1982 World Cup) and Ryan Nelsen (2010 World Cup) both hail from Christchurch while current New Zealand internationals Joe Bell, Francis de Vries, Callan Eliott, James McGarry, and Finn Surman all have ties to either Christchurch or the South Island. In the women’s game, current (or recently selected) Football Ferns Victoria Esson, Macey Fraser, Rebecca Lake, Meikayla Moore, Gabi Rennie and Kate Taylor all grew up in Christchurch or its surrounds.
This hotbed of talent has Windley optimistic about the region’s ability to develop and blood local football talent, in addition to the potential benefits another New Zealand team would have for the A-League’s two existing Kiwi clubs.
“Christchurch is the focal point of NZ Football’s talent identification in the South Island. An extra set of derbies with Wellington and Auckland will also go well and then you’ve got an ownership team there that are ambitious and are publicly on record saying they want to be in the A-League,” Windley concluded.
With the ability to host the occasional home game in other South Island cities such as Dunedin and Nelson, a growing South Island economy and the popularity and strength of Kiwi football at an all-time high, another New Zealand outfit could provide an option when the APL next decides to expand the A-Leagues.
However, for the foreseeable future, SIU is content with the role it can be play in professionalising the game in the region.
“Beyond the OFC Pro League, our ambition is to become a professional football club that truly represents the South Island – one that supports and promotes grassroots clubs across the region, develops elite New Zealand talent, and competes with the grit and determination that Southern teams are known form,” Edwards said.
Situated in one of the most scenic parts of the planet, Edwards also sees enormous appeal to football fans across the region and globe journeying to a SIU home game.
“We also want to become a sporting destination where football tourists can enjoy high quality football alongside the world-class experiences the South Island tourism industry has to offer.
“But we are not just thinking long-term. Our immediate goals are clear: win the OFC Pro League, fill the new One NZ Stadium, and ultimately earn a place in the top tier of FIFA club competitions such as the Club World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
“That’s the vision, and everything we are building now is with that in mind”.