The 1981–2 World Cup campaign is undoubtedly the high point of New Zealand's football history, but the game has a long pedigree in this country. The New Zealand Football Association was formed in 1891 (a year before the Rugby Union), and New Zealand played its first international matches in 1904 against New South Wales.
In 1922 and 1923 New Zealand won home and away test series against Australia, recording four wins, a draw and a loss. During that decade matches against touring sides such as the Chinese Universities – who played 22 games in 1924, including four tests – drew crowds of more than 10,000 in the main centres. But the sport struggled to maintain its profile over the following decades.
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