Those competing for glory in the 2019/20 ISPS Handa Premiership now know the path they must take to get there after the revealing of the official draw by New Zealand Football.

“We’re delighted to be able to release the eagerly-anticipated fixture list for the upcoming ISPS Handa Premiership,” says Daniel Farrow, General Manager of Football for New Zealand Football.

“Significant work has gone into ensuring this edition continues to build on the competition’s successes, both on and off the pitch.”

Fans all over the country will be able to view the action, both first-hand at the venues and via live television, after confirmation of a continued partnership with Sky Sport.

“We’ve worked closely with our clubs and key partners to deliver an outcome that will provide a quality product that is accessible to all. We’re very pleased to announce an expanded broadcast partnership with Sky Sport, which will include a featured live match on Sky Sport for every week during the season and the return of a mid-week highlights show,” Farrow says.

“After the clubs’ successful live-streaming trials in 2018/19, we’re also very pleased to confirm that, under the new partnership with Sky Sport, clubs will be able to livestream non-televised matches as per the previous season to ensure accessibility for all fans. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Sky Sport and the participating clubs for their collaborative approach and support in delivering what we believe is a fantastic schedule,” he adds.

“I’d also like to thank our partners ISPS Handa, Trillian Trust and Teak Construction for their support, which is vital for the financial sustainability of the competition.”

ISPS Handa (International Sports Promotion Society) are the naming rights sponsor of New Zealand Football’s two premier men’s football competitions – the ISPS Handa Premiership and the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

The ISPS Handa Premiership is contested by 10 teams around New Zealand – Auckland City, Eastern Suburbs, Waitakere United, Hamilton Wanderers, Hawke’s Bay United, Team Wellington, Wellington Phoenix Reserves, Tasman United, Canterbury United and Southern United.

Eastern Suburbs will be the defending champions of the ISPS Handa Premiership in the 2019/20 season after defeating Team Wellington 3-0 in the final at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland last season to win their maiden title.

In a key change for 2019/20, the competition features a later start than in previous seasons with the action set to kick off on 2 November.

The competition consists of 18 rounds – home-and-away fixtures for each club – with the semi-finals to be staged on the weekend of 11 to 12 April and the final to be held on 19 April at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. There will be a one-week non-playing period between the conclusion of the regular season and the semi-finals to accommodate the OFC Champions League quarter-finals.

Across 23 weeks of the ISPS Handa Premiership season, 23 games will be broadcast live on Sky Sport. The feature broadcast game for match week 17 will be determined following the OFC Champions League draw.

Auckland City (seven titles) are the most successful team in the history of the ISPS Handa Premiership ahead of Waitakere United (five titles) and Team Wellington (two titles).

The countdown to 2 November is now on as New Zealand Football and the clubs get ready to kick off the ISPS Handa Premiership.

To view the draw for the 2019/20 ISPS Handa Premiership please click here

Article added: Friday 27 September 2019