Gutted at missing this season’s National League, Napier City Rovers coach Bill Robertson talks to Neil Reid about why 2026 is so important for the club.
Napier City Rovers’ 2025 season might have just finished, but coach Bill Robertson is already preparing for what he believes is the biggest “modern era” year in the proud club’s history.
The side wrapped up their Central League campaign with a 1-0 loss to Wellington Olympic in the capital late last month, resigning them to fifth spot on the points table.
Two weeks earlier their hopes of qualifying for the National League – which would have needed a top three finish – were dashed when Western Suburbs secured an unassailable gap over them on the points table.
Napier City Rovers had been a part of New Zealand Football’s (NZF) top-tier domestic competition for the past three seasons; missing last year’s final by just two competition points.
But with NZF set to introduce a significantly restructured National League in 2027, making it into the topflight next year is crucial to push for being a foundation club in the new-look competition.
“It’s going to be, certainly in the modern era of Napier City Rovers, the biggest year in the club’s history,” Robertson said.
“We have to give ourselves the best chance to be in that 2027 National League. That’s obviously where we feel we want to be and that what’s our aspiration as a club.”
The future format is yet to be confirmed by NZF.
Three options are being considered, with all featuring round-robin home and away formats.
One is a 12-team competition with a finals series, a second features 12 teams but no finals series, and the third has 14 teams and no post-round-robin playoffs.
Two teams will definitely feature in whatever the new make-up is; the reserves teams from both Wellington Phoenix Reserves and Auckland FC.
Aside from those two, a 12-team format is likely to include three clubs from the Northern League, three from the Central League, two from the Southern League and one other qualifier.
A 14-team league would likely feature the two reserves sides, plus five from the Northern League, four from the Central League and three from the Southern League.
NZF’s two main criteria for qualification are broken into club performance in 2026 performance, and historical performance since 2021.
The national body will also consider club facilities, the ability to stream games from home venues and overall professionalism.
Few clubs in New Zealand have facilities that can rival Napier City Rovers’ Bluewater Stadium.
Robertson said his preference was for the 14-team proposal.
“If you look across the leagues, there’s a consistent group of teams that are usually battling for qualification,” he said.
“In the Northern League, there’s a [consistent] top five. In the top 5, in the Central League, there’s a top 4, the Phoenix, and then a bottom five split in the league.
It’s the same in the Southern League, three teams that are competing for those top two qualification spots.
“For me, it makes sense to makes sense to make it 14 teams based on that. If we want a strong product for the National League, then I think we should be basing that on football decisions first.”
A promotion and relegation system will be introduced from the debut season.
NZF’s consultation over the changes include a club summit held in August. A decision on the make-up is expected within the next few months.
Robertson is already in the process of looking at potential make-up of his squad for 2026, including potential recruits to add to players returning from this season.
The proposed shake-up would return the National League to like previous formats that Napier City Rovers won in 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2000.
Football bosses have also recommended scrapping the under-20 rule which forced clubs to ensure 10% of playing time went to players aged 20 and under throughout a season.
They are also considering a rule change that would see permanent New Zealand residents be deemed local players.
Currently, players have to be citizens before being classified as locals.
Such a change would see proud Kiwi residents and long-time UK-born Napier City Rovers players Jim Hoyle and Liam Schofield play next season as locals.
“They’ve been here forever,” Robertson said. “Jim has played over 200 games and Scoff has almost played 150.”
Fulltime was blown on Napier City Rovers’ 2025 after the side’s 1-0 loss to Wellington Olympic in the capital on August 30.
It was another match that the side will look back on over the off-season thinking they could have got more out of.
Like earlier losses to North Wellington, Western Suburbs, Waterside Karori and Miramar Rangers, it was a clash that Robertson’s team were so close to getting a positive result from.
The early-season 2-0 loss to the Wellington Phoenix Reserves was the only game the team was truly out-played in.
Robertson said it was “obviously disappointing” for everyone involved in the playing and coaching staff to miss qualification for the 2025 National League.
“Ultimately, we haven’t registered enough points, and we haven’t qualified, so we need to reflect on why that is, what we can improve on next year, how do we ensure that we give ourselves the best possible chance for 2026?
“Now it’s a good opportunity for the club to take a bit of a break from the financial burden of National League, but also the mental fatigue that we’ve gone back-to-back-to-back for three years.
“It’s a chance for the players and staff to get a bit of a break and then come back hungrier than we’ve ever been, moving into next year.
“Hopefully it can give us some real fuel and motivation for next year, which is obviously going to be a really important year for the club.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.