Football has celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of the Chatham Cup, a trophy that has become the most-contested club competition in New Zealand.
The trophy – a meticulous replica of the English FA Cup – was presented to the New Zealand Football Association on December 14, 1922, by Captain C.B. Prickett on behalf of the crew of the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Chatham, in gratitude for the hospitality received during the ship’s tour of duty in New Zealand waters.
After surviving World War 1, the Chatham was loaned to the New Zealand division of the Royal Navy from 1920 to 1924, before being sold for scrap in 1926.
While the ship may be long gone, the silver trophy that bears her name continues to be symbol of knockout competition for clubs throughout New Zealand.
Marking the occasion
To mark the significance of the 100-year relationship between football and the navy, NZ Football’s CEO Andrew Pragnell took the cup to the Royal Navy Museum in Devonport, Auckland, and to meet representatives of the navy.
Main photo: The Chatham Cup goes back to the navy for a day … a special day. Photo: From NZ Football’s video.
Remembering how it all started
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision have published a special collection of words, images and recordings that tell the story of how the Chatham Cup came about.
Chatham Cup enthusiast Michael Chadwick has written a special feature for the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision archive.
READ MORE: Click here to read the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision special feature >>>>
Chatham Cup’s 100th year
To celebrate the birthday of football’s oldest cup competition, Friends of Football have been publishing special features about the cup and its past. Here’s a selection …
The greatest final ever?
Two replays needed in 1972
The unlikely underdogs
An improbable campaign in 2003
A happy birthday
The Royal Navy’s role in the cup
A gruelling schedule
The team that refused to quit in 2023
Final in Gisborne
Controversy and a classic final in 1983
Away from Wellington
How the final moved from the capital
All the past winners — Chatham Cup
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 – Wellington Marist
1933 – Ponsonby
1934 – Thistle (Auckland)
1935 – Hospital (Wellington)
1936 – Western (Christchurch)
1937 – competition cancelled due to lack of entries
1938 – Waterside (Wellington)
1939 – Waterside (Wellington)
1940 – Waterside (Wellington)
1941-44 – no competition due to World War II
1945 – Western (Christchurch)
1946 – Wellington Marist
1947 – Waterside (Wellington)
1948 – Christchurch Technical Old Boys
1949 – Petone
1950 – Eden (Auckland)
1951 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
1952 – North Shore United and Western (Christchurch) (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 – Hamilton Technical Old Boys
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
2005 – Central United (Auckland)
2006 – Western Suburbs (Wellington)
2007 – Central United (Auckland)
2008 – East Coast Bays
2009 – Wellington Olympic
2010 – Miramar Rangers
2011 – Wairarapa United (Masterton)
2012 – Central United
2013 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2014 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2015 – Eastern Suburbs (Auckland)
2016 – Birkenhead United (Auckland)
2017 – Onehunga Sports (Auckland)
2018 – Birkenhead United (Auckland)
2019 – Napier City Rovers
2020 – competition cancelled due COVID-19
2021 – Cashmere Technical (Christchurch)
2022 – Auckland City
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