1987 New Zealand National Soccer League

The 1987 New Zealand National Soccer League was the 18th season of a nationwide round-robin club competition in New Zealand football. It was the first season in which 14 teams competed in the league, up from 12 in the previous season, and was also the first season with new sponsors Air New Zealand, leading to it being called the Air New Zealand Soccer League. Christchurch United finished as champions, seven points clear of Gisborne City.

Auckland University were ejected from the league at the end of the season for failing to meet NZFA criteria, and three teams were promoted from the regional leagues. Somewhat controversially, this included two teams from the central region and none from the southern league, although this was partly because the southern league was undergoing restructuring. The new teams included one returning to the league (Napier City Rovers), one making their first appearance (Mount Maunganui), and a brand new team, Hutt Valley United, who were formed as a composite side from various Hutt Valley teams including Lower Hutt City, Petone, and Stop Out all of whom kept their own sides as feeder teams to the new club.

The last-placed team in the 1987 league would normally have been relegated, but Dunedin City withdrew citing the financial overheads of travel in the league, and so no team was relegated.

The 1987 season was close until its final stages, with six teams in with a chance to win the title with seven rounds to go, and with three teams fighting to avoid relegation at the other end of the table. At the top, Christchurch United proved stronger than the pretenders, pulling clear to win by seven clear points. Their success included an excellent run through the latter two thirds of the season, in which they lost just one game in twenty and won all of their last seven fixtures. Keith Braithwaite hit a league record of six goals for the club in their match against Manawatu. Gisborne City held onto second place, but their season was plagued by an inability to convert tied matches into wins. A club record run of thirteen undefeated matches kept them in the title hunt. Third-placed Wellington United were capable goalscorers, totally 52, but the team could only manage one win from their last four games and dropped out of the race.

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