The 2026 Zone Football League season is heating up, with the return of promotion and relegation and the introduction of a connected football pyramid in 2024 creating high stakes across all five divisions.
The Zone Football League, comprising the Zone League One, Zone League Two and Zone League Three competitions, is administrated by the Newcastle Football, Macquarie Football and Hunter Valley Football member zones.
Northern NSW Football and the three member zones announced in 2023 that the men’s Hunter football pyramid would be connected from the NPL Men’s NNSW and HIT106.9 Northern League One competitions down to Zone League One, Two and Three, with the return of promotion and relegation in 2024.
Zone Football League Three
Charlestown JFC continue to lead Zone Football League Three sitting top of the table, while Garden Suburb have cut the gap to four points and remain right on their heels.
Garden Suburb have closed the gap in the standings after winning four of their last five matches and drawing the other, remaining unbeaten since round six after a 2-1 loss to league leaders Charlestown.
Merewether United sit third on 21 points and are 12 points behind the league leaders, while Medowie FC sit fourth on 19 points and are 14 points adrift, tightening the pressure in the promotion race.
At the foot of the table, Maitland JFC sit on six points, with Fletcher FC just one point ahead. Barnsley FC have edged slightly further clear of last place, now four points above the bottom side.
Zone Football League Two
Five points separate first and fifth place in Zone Football League Two, with Minmi Wanderers holding top spot and positioning themselves for promotion to Zone Football League One in 2027.
North United Wolves sit second on 24 points, while Bolwarra Lorn JSC have climbed into third on 22 points. Bolwarra strengthened their position after defeating Minmi 2–0 in round 13.
With Norths and Bolwarra Lorn set to face off in round 14, both sides have the opportunity to leap into top spot, adding further significance to what looms as a crucial fixture in the title race.
Nelson Bay have dropped to fourth on 21 points, with New Lambton JFC close behind in fifth on 20 points, keeping the premiership race tightly contested.
At the other end of the table, South Maitland FC sit at the bottom of the table on three points and face the greatest risk of relegation, while Merewether Advance sit just one point above them.
Zone Football League One
The race for promotion is heating up among Zone Football League One teams, with the 2026 premiers set to be automatically promoted to the HIT106.9 Northern League One competition in 2027.
Newcastle Olympic sit first on the table but are ineligible for promotion to HIT106.9 Northern League One, as they already have a team competing across the top two tiers of the football pyramid, the NPL Men’s competition and HIT106.9 Northern League One. As a result, should they finish the season as premiers, they could not be promoted.
As outlined during the introduction of promotion and relegation, in this scenario the team finishing second on the table would instead earn automatic promotion. This adjustment does not extend further down the standings.
Kotara South FC and Mayfield United are locked on 28 points, with Kotara edging into second place on goal difference. However, 2025 HIT106.9 Northern League One relegated side Thornton Redbacks (25 points) and University of Newcastle FC (23 points) remain firmly in the mix.
Kotara strengthened their position after a round 10 catch-up fixture on Wednesday night, defeating Thornton Redbacks 3-1, with a dominant opening 20 minutes setting up the result.
At the other end of the table, Stockton Sharks remain the most at risk of relegation on four points, trailing Swansea FC by two points and Cardiff City FC by three points.
HIT106.9 Northern League One
Wallsend FC have maintained their position at the top of the HIT106.9 Northern League One table after 12 rounds and remain in strong contention for automatic promotion to the NPL Men’s NNSW in 2027, with Lake Macquarie City FC close behind on 25 points.
The battle for a promotion/relegation play-off spot has intensified, with 10 points separating West Wallsend SFC in sixth place (15 points) and Lake Macquarie in second. Dudley Redhead United, Newcastle Croatia and New Lambton FC sit third through fifth, tightly packed in the chase.
At the other end of the table, the relegation battle is also heating up, with only six points separating sixth and 10th place. Toronto Awaba FC (nine points) eased their relegation concerns with a narrow 1-0 win over ninth-placed South Cardiff FC (10 points) in round 12 though remain at the foot of the table.
Cessnock City Hornets (11 points) and Singleton Strikers (12 points) remain under pressure and still at risk of dropping into Zone Football League One, ensuring every match carries significant weight in the run home.
The team that finishes 11th in the NPL Men’s NNSW will join the teams that finish second, third and fourth in HIT106.9 Northern League One in a promotion/relegation play-off series to determine the 12th team in NPL Men’s NNSW in 2027.
The team that finishes 10th in HIT106.9 Northern League One will be relegated to Zone Football League One in 2027.
NPL Men’s NNSW
In the NPL Men’s NNSW competition, only five points separate seventh and 12th place, underlining the ongoing relegation pressure.
Kahibah FC sit 12th on 14 points and are at risk of relegation, with Charlestown Azzurri and Newcastle Olympic also on 14 points but ahead on goal difference.
Valentine FC climbed to ninth on 15 points after a last-minute winner over Edgeworth FC in round 16, while Adamstown Rosebud moved into eighth following a 2-1 win over Kahibah in a round 13 catch-up fixture.
Cooks Hill United sit seventh on 18 points, five points clear of the relegation zone but just four points outside the finals positions, keeping the middle of the table tightly congested.
At the top end, reigning premiers Broadmeadow Magic remain in first place on 34 points and are in contention for an Australian Championship spot, with Belmont Swansea United close behind in second on 29 points.
The team that comes last in NPL NNSW will be relegated to HIT106.9 Northern League One in 2027, while the team that finishes 11th must survive the promotion/relegation play-offs to feature in the NPL NNSW competition next season.