Football is the most popular sport in the whole world and same is it in New Zealand.
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, can be traced to as far back as the ancient period in China (Han dynasty). The modern game of association football originates from cuju, an ancient Chinese football game, as recognized by FIFA.
The formation of The Football Association was later implemented in London, England in 1863 based on multiple efforts to standardize the varying forms of the game. This allowed clubs to play each other without dispute and which specifically banned handling of the ball (except by goalkeepers) and hacking during open field play. After the fifth meeting of the association a schism emerged between association football and the rules played by the Rugby school, later to be called rugby football.
At the time, football clubs had played by their own, individual codes and game-day rules usually had to be agreed upon before a match could commence. For example, the Sheffield Rules that applied to most matches played in the Sheffield area were a different code. Football has been an Olympic sport ever since the second modern Summer Olympic Games in 1900.
According to footballdatabase.com, these are the top 10 football clubs in New Zealand.
10. Wellington Phoenix FC Reserves
Wellington Phoenix FC Reserves is a New Zealand semi-professional football team based in Wellington, New Zealand. They currently serve as the reserve side of the Wellington Phoenix FC of the A-League and compete in the ISPS Handa Premiership.
