New Brighton A.F.C., New Zealand
Encyclopedia
New Brighton A.F.C. is a soccer club
in Christchurch
, New Zealand
. The original New Brighton Association Football Club was founded in 1924 but went into hiatus eight years later. The club was re-founded 27 years later in 1959.
The team entered the second division of the new Southern League in 1968, winning the league to gain promotion to the top flight. The following season saw their best-ever performance in the Chatham Cup
, with them reaching the final
only to lose to Auckland's Eastern Suburbs AFC
. 1971 saw the team win the championship, gaining them entry to the New Zealand National Soccer League
. The competed in this league for six seasons, spending much of that time in the bottom half of the table. Their best finish was third in 1974. They were relegated from the league in 1977.
The team gained new clubrooms in Bexley Road in 1979, which are still the club's location.
Club
A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...
in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The original New Brighton Association Football Club was founded in 1924 but went into hiatus eight years later. The club was re-founded 27 years later in 1959.
The team entered the second division of the new Southern League in 1968, winning the league to gain promotion to the top flight. The following season saw their best-ever performance in the Chatham Cup
Chatham Cup
The Chatham Cup, currently known as the ASB Chatham Cup for sponsorship purposes, is New Zealand's premier knockout tournament in men's football...
, with them reaching the final
1969 Chatham Cup
The 1969 Chatham Cup was the 42nd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.Early stages of the competition were run on a regional basis. In all, 89 teams took part in the competition...
only to lose to Auckland's Eastern Suburbs AFC
Eastern Suburbs AFC
Eastern Suburbs is a semi-professional association football club in Kohimarama, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 1.-Club history:...
. 1971 saw the team win the championship, gaining them entry to the New Zealand National Soccer League
New Zealand National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is a name given to competitions in which New Zealand's top soccer clubs play each other, at least two times, on a home and away basis . At the completion of the competition, the best-performed team is declared as the New Zealand champion...
. The competed in this league for six seasons, spending much of that time in the bottom half of the table. Their best finish was third in 1974. They were relegated from the league in 1977.
The team gained new clubrooms in Bexley Road in 1979, which are still the club's location.
Prominent players
- Ken FranceKen FranceKenneth France is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.France made his full All Whites debut as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Singapore on 8 November 1967 and ended his international playing career with five A-international caps to his credit,...
- Owen NuttridgeOwen NuttridgeOwen Nuttridge is a former football goalkeeper who represented New Zealand at international level.Having already represented New Zealand at U-23 level, Nuttridge played two official A-international matches for the New Zealand, making his debut as a substitute in a 8-2 win over Malaysia on 16...
- Alex SmithAlex Smith (New Zealand footballer)Alex Smith is a former football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Smith made a solitary official international appearance for New Zealand in a 0-0 draw with Iran on 12 August 1973.-External links:...
- Graham StorerGraham StorerGraham Storer is a former football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Storer represented New Zealand at under 20 level before making his full All Whites debut in a 2-1 win over China on 20 May 1975 and ended his international playing career with seven A-international caps to...