The Newfoundland and Labrador Challenge Cup, known as the Johnson Insurance Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the premier senior men's
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
league in the Canadian province of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
. The competition is held annually from May until September and is governed and organized by the
Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association. It is a tier 5 league in the
Canadian soccer pyramid, and as a result the winning club qualifies to compete for the
Challenge Trophy
The Challenge Trophy () is the trophy presented to Canada's men's amateur soccer champions as part of Canada Soccer's annual National Championships. The men's competition was created with the inauguration of the Dominion of Canada Football As ...
as the representative for
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
in October of each year. The
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
and Holy Cross have traditionally dominated the competition, having won a combined total of 49 Cups out of the 58 times that it has been contested.
Competition format
The Newfoundland Challenge Cup consists of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
-based men's senior amateur
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
clubs. The teams first compete to qualify for a
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
round in a league format, usually a quadruple- or hextuple-
round robin system, depending on the number of clubs competing. Normally teams play around 20 league matches in a single season. At the end of the league phase the 4 clubs with the most points qualify for the playoffs (3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point is awarded for a draw, and none for a loss). Clubs are
ranked
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...
by total points, then head-to-head record, then goal differential and then goals scored. If two clubs are still tied for a playoff position then a penalty kick competition at a venue decided by the league will determine the ranking. If three or more clubs are still tied the ranking will be determined by the drawing of lots.
The playoff round of the NLCC uses a
Page playoff
The Page playoff system is a playoff format. It is used in top level competitions in softball, curling, and the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League, and Bangladesh Premier League cricket tournaments, and is used widely in lower level comp ...
format, which was reinstituted in 2015 after the league switched to a more typical two round format in 2011. The competition takes place at one location over
Labour Day
Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...
weekend each year. The winner of the final qualifies for the
Canadian National Challenge Cup
The Challenge Trophy () is the trophy presented to Canada's men's amateur soccer champions as part of Canada Soccer's annual National Championships. The men's competition was created with the inauguration of the Dominion of Canada Football Ass ...
as the representative for
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
.
Champions
Pre-Challenge Cup era (1950-1966)
The list below contains the provincial men's soccer champions of pre-Challenge Cup era. The provincial champion was the winner of the ''All-Newfoundland Series'' (or ''J.V. Rabbits Trophy''), which was organised by the local soccer associations of St. John's, Corner Brook and the Burin Peninsula. It was first contested in 1950 and the last edition was held in 1966. It was a cup contested by the best teams of the aforementioned local competitions.
* 1950 Holy Cross FC
* 1951
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1952
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1953 St. John's All-Stars
* 1954 Corner Brook All-Stars
* 1955
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1956 Corner Brook
* 1957 St. John's Guards
* 1958 St. John's Guards
* 1959 St. John's Guards
* 1960 Grand Bank GeeBees
* 1961 Corner Brook Royals
* 1962 Corner Brook Royals
* 1963 St. John's St. Pat's
* 1964 Grand Bank GeeBees
* 1965 St. John's Guards
* 1966
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
Challenge Cup era (1967-present)
In 1967 the Newfoundland Soccer Association joined
Canada Soccer
The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for association football, soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the internati ...
. Therefore, the All-Newfoundland Championship was replaced by a new year-round competition organised by the provincial soccer association itself: the Challenge Cup. The teams in the Challenge Cup play a season-long ranking competition against each other.
* 1967
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1968
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1969
Feildians AA of St. John's
* 1970 Grand Bank Gee Bees
* 1971
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1972
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1973 Holy Cross FC
* 1974 Grand Bank Gee Bees
* 1975
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1976
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1977
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1978
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1979 Holy Cross FC
* 1980
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1981 Holy Cross FC
* 1982
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1983 Holy Cross FC
* 1984 Holy Cross FC
* 1985 Holy Cross FC
* 1986 Holy Cross FC
* 1987 Lawn Shamrocks
* 1988 Holy Cross FC
* 1989 Holy Cross FC
* 1990 Burin Eagles
* 1991 Burin Eagles
* 1992 Holy Cross FC
* 1993
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1994 Holy Cross FC
* 1995
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1996
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1997
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1998
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 1999
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2000
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2001
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2002
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2003 Mount Pearl FC
* 2004 Marystown United
* 2005
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2006
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2007
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2008
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2009 Holy Cross FC
* 2010 Holy Cross FC
* 2011 Holy Cross FC
* 2012 Holy Cross FC
* 2013
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2014 Holy Cross FC
* 2015 Holy Cross FC
* 2016
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
* 2017 Holy Cross FC
* 2018 Holy Cross FC
* 2019 Holy Cross FC
* 2020 Holy Cross FC
* 2021
Feildians AA St. John's
* 2022 Holy Cross FC
* 2023
Feildians AA St. John's
* 2024 Holy Cross FC
Titles
The table here below shows the amount of wins in the Challenge Cup (1967 to present). Challenge Cup winners that have also won the All-Newfoundland Series, have the number of wins in that predecessor competition added to their total between parentheses.
Clubs in bold currently compete in the Challenge Cup.
Recent seasons
1999
In 1999, Marystown United lost the Newfoundland and Labrador Challenge Cup 2-1 to
St. Lawrence Laurentians
The St. Lawrence Laurentians is a soccer club founded in 1904 and based in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland.
St. Lawrence is dubbed "Soccer Capital of Canada" due to its great success over the years. With a population of 1,350, the town has 9 organize ...
.
2004
In 2004 Marystown United were the Newfoundland and Labrador Challenge Cup Champions,. They went on to play in the
2004 Canadian National Challenge Cup finishing 8th.
2010
Standings
Playoffs
2011
Standings
Playoffs
2012
Standings
Playoffs
2013
Standings
Playoffs
2014
Standings
Playoffs
2015
Standings
Playoffs
2016
Standings
Playoffs
2017
Standings
Canadian Challenge Trophy
This is a list of
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
clubs who have reached the finals at the annual
Canadian Challenge Trophy tournament, which features the best senior men's amateur clubs from each province in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Holy Cross FC are currently the only Newfoundland club to ever become national champions.
Bold indicates a current Challenge Cup team
''Italics'' indicate a runner-up finish
References
External links
*
*
{{Soccer in Canada
Soccer in Newfoundland and Labrador
Soccer cup competitions in Canada
1967 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador
Recurring sporting events established in 1967