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2025 NRFL Leagues

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The 2025 NRFL Leagues was the 61st and 59th seasons respectively of the NRFL Championship and NRFL Conference, football competitions in New Zealand. Established in 1965, currently twelve teams compete in the Championship while 8 teams compete in the Northern and Southern sections of the Conference League.

Quick facts Season ...
NRFL Leagues
Season2025
← 2024
2026 →
Close

Northern League

Main article: 2025 New Zealand National League § 2025 Northern League

The Northern League sits above the two NRFL Divisions and is also overseen by Northern Region Football, despite being run by New Zealand Football as part of the New Zealand National League.

Twelve teams are competing in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season, one team promoted from the NRFL Championship and Auckland FC Reserves. The promoted team is Fencibles United.[1] It is both Auckland FC Reserves's and Fencibles United's first season in the National League. They replaced Melville United and Hamilton Wanderers (both relegated after a four-year Northern League spell).

Northern League table

This section is transcluded from 2025 New Zealand National League. (edit | history)

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Western Springs (C) 22 13 3 6 44 30 +14 42 Winner of Northern League and qualification to National League Championship
2 Birkenhead United 22 12 5 5 55 33 +22 41 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Auckland United 22 12 4 6 47 32 +15 40
4 Auckland City 22 12 4 6 35 24 +11 40
5 Eastern Suburbs 22 12 4 6 35 27 +8 40
6 East Coast Bays 22 10 6 6 32 27 +5 36
7 Tauranga City 22 9 3 10 42 38 +4 30
8 Bay Olympic 22 6 6 10 26 36 −10 24
9 Auckland FC Reserves[a] 22 6 5 11 33 37 −4 23 Qualification to National League Championship
10 Fencibles United 22 5 6 11 37 49 −12 21
11 Manurewa (R) 22 4 4 14 24 57 −33 16 Relegation to NRFL Championship
12 West Coast Rangers (R) 22 3 6 13 26 46 −20 15
Close
Source: NRF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[3]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. [a]
    Auckland FC Reserves gain automatic entry into the National League Championship phase and cannot be relegated due to the A-League Men requirements.[2]

Championship

Quick facts Season, Dates ...
NRFL Championship
Season2025
Dates22 March 2025 –
30 August 2025
ChampionsManukau United
PromotedManukau United
Melville United
RelegatedNgaruawahia United
← 2024
2026 →
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Each team can field a maximum of five foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. Over the course of the season, each team must also ensure players aged 20 or under account for 7% of available playing minutes.[4]

Championship teams

Twelve teams are competing in the league – nine teams from the previous season, the two teams relegated from the 2024 Northern League and one team promoted from the NRFL Conference. The relegated teams were Melville United and Hamilton Wanderers,[5] while the promoted team is Cambridge.[6] Fencibles United were promoted, while Metro and Franklin United were relegated.[7][8]

More information Team, Location ...
Team Location Stadium 2024 season
Cambridge Cambridge John Kerkhof Park 1st in Southern Conference (promoted via play-offs)
Ellerslie Ellerslie, Auckland Michaels Avenue 7th
Hamilton Wanderers Chartwell, Hamilton Porritt Stadium 12th in Northern League (relegated)
Hibiscus Coast Whangaparaoa, Auckland Stanmore Bay Park 4th
Manukau United Māngere East, Auckland Centre Park 2nd
Melville United Hamilton Lake, Hamilton Gower Park 11th in Northern League (relegated)
Mount Albert-Ponsonby Mount Albert, Auckland Anderson Park 8th
Ngaruawahia United Ngāruawāhia Centennial Park, Ngāruawāhia 3rd
North Shore United Devonport, Auckland Allen Hill Stadium 9th
Northern Rovers Glenfield, Auckland McFetridge Park 5th
Onehunga-Mangere United Māngere Bridge, Auckland Māngere Domain 6th
Takapuna Takapuna, Auckland Taharoto Park 10th
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Championship personnel and kits

More information Team, Manager ...
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Cambridge New Zealand Jordan Shaw[9] Lotto Sport Italia Wash 'N' Dry
Ellerslie New Zealand Ben Fletcher[10] Seb Poelman[11] Lotto Sport Italia None
Hamilton Wanderers Wales Joseph Hinds[12] Dynasty Sport Bayleys
Hibiscus Coast New Zealand Nathan Cranney[13] Dynasty Sport Barfoot & Thompson
Manukau United Joma Munchy Mart
Melville United New Zealand Jarrod Young[14] Joma NZ Roadside Assistance
Mount Albert-Ponsonby New Zealand Sammy Negash[15] Lewis Black Lotto Sport Italia Woodview Construction
Ngaruawahia United New Zealand Mark Cossey[16] Joma None
North Shore United New Zealand Dave Fahy[17] Nike Atlas Concrete
Northern Rovers New Zealand Daniel Donegan[18] Lotto Sport Italia Edge Mortgages
Onehunga-Mangere United New Zealand Paul Marshall[19] Nike None
Takapuna New Zealand Daniel Semp[20] Lotto Sport Italia Harcourts Cooper & Co
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Championship table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Manukau United (C, P) 22 14 2 6 51 26 +25 44 Promotion to Northern League
2 Melville United (P) 22 13 4 5 43 24 +19 43
3 Northern Rovers 22 13 3 6 55 32 +23 42
4 Cambridge 22 12 6 4 46 27 +19 42
5 Hamilton Wanderers 22 13 2 7 47 30 +17 41
6 Hibiscus Coast 22 10 5 7 29 24 +5 35
7 Onehunga-Mangere United 22 8 4 10 30 30 0 28
8 North Shore United 22 8 3 11 29 36 −7 27
9 Ellerslie 22 6 6 10 48 56 −8 24
10 Takapuna 22 7 3 12 30 38 −8 24
11 Mount Albert-Ponsonby 22 6 2 14 26 52 −26 20
12 Ngaruawahia United (R) 22 1 2 19 20 79 −59 5 Relegation to NRFL Southern Conference
Close
Source: Northern Region Football[21]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[4]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Championship results table

More information Home \ Away, CAM ...
Home \ Away CAM ELL HAM HBC MAN MEL MAP NGA NSU NTR OMU TAK
Cambridge — 3–1 2–1 3–2 3–3 1–1 4–1 4–0 1–3 1–1 3–0 2–1
Ellerslie 3–3 — 1–2 1–1 4–2 2–1 6–2 5–4 1–3 1–3 0–3 3–3
Hamilton Wanderers 1–2 3–3 — 4–0 1–2 2–2 4–1 2–0 3–1 4–2 2–0 3–2
Hibiscus Coast 0–1 1–1 1–0 — 0–1 0–3 3–0 4–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 2–1
Manukau United 1–0 5–0 2–4 4–2 — 1–2 3–0 6–0 2–1 5–0 2–3 1–0
Melville United 1–1 2–0 3–0 2–1 1–5 — 3–0 7–1 2–1 1–3 1–0 2–0
Mount Albert-Ponsonby 1–3 2–1 2–1 0–0 0–1 2–1 — 4–1 4–0 0–5 1–3 0–3
Ngaruawahia United 0–4 4–2 0–4 0–3 1–2 0–3 0–2 — 1–2 2–5 1–1 2–3
North Shore United 2–0 3–2 0–2 1–1 1–0 0–1 3–1 3–3 — 2–1 0–2 0–2
Northern Rovers 2–1 5–5 1–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–1 5–0 2–1 — 3–0 3–0
Onehunga-Mangere United 2–2 1–3 2–0 0–0 0–2 1–2 4–1 4–0 0–0 0–2 — 2–3
Takapuna 0–2 0–3 1–2 0–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 4–0 3–1 0–5 1–2 —
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First match(es) will be played: 22 March 2025. Source: UltimateNZSoccer
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Championship scoring

Championship top scorers

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals[22]
1 New Zealand Joshua Clarkin Cambridge 22
2 New Zealand Harley Hill Hamilton Wanderers 17
New Zealand Aston Hurd Northern Rovers
4 New Zealand William Litchfield Ellerslie 11
5 Somalia Jama Boss Melville United 9
England Daniel Bunch Manukau United
7 New Zealand Luke Allport Northern Rovers 7
England Jack Connor Cambridge
Argentina Agustín Contratti Manukau United
Portugal João Moreira Takapuna
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Northern Conference

Quick facts Season, Dates ...
NRFL Northern Conference
Season2025
Dates29 March 2025 - 6 September 2025
ChampionsNorthland
RelegatedFranklin United
← 2024
2026 →
Close

Northern Conference teams

Eight teams are competing in the league – five teams from the previous season, two teams relegated from the 2024 Championship, and one team promoted from the NRF League One. The relegated teams are Metro and Franklin United, while the promoted team is Central United.[23] Beachlands Maraetai, Te Atatu and Oratia United were relegated.[23]

More information Team, Location ...
Team Location Stadium 2024 season
Albany United Albany, Auckland Rosedale Park 4th
Beachlands Maraetai Beachlands, Auckland Te Puru Park 6th[a]
Bucklands Beach Bucklands Beach Lloyd Elsmore Park 5th
Central United Sandringham, Auckland Kiwitea Street 1st in NRF League One (promoted)
Franklin United Drury Drury Sports Grounds 12th in Championship (relegated)
Metro Mount Albert, Auckland Phyllis Street 11th in Championship (relegated)
Northland Morningside, Whangārei Morningside Park 3rd
Waitemata Te Atatū South, Auckland McLeod Park 2nd
Close
  1. [a]
    Beachlands Maraetai were relegated at the end of the 2024 season, however, Waiheke United withdrew in March 2025 and Beachlands were reprieved of relegation.[24][25]

Northern Conference table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Northland (C) 19 13 6 0 51 19 +32 45 Qualification for Conference play-offs
2 Central United 20 10 5 5 44 32 +12 35
3 Bucklands Beach 21 11 2 8 39 33 +6 35
4 Waitemata 21 8 6 7 39 30 +9 30
5 Metro 20 9 3 8 43 37 +6 30
6 Albany United 21 7 3 11 29 36 −7 24
7 Beachlands Maraetai 21 4 6 11 26 42 −16 18
8 Franklin United (R) 21 2 5 14 23 65 −42 11 Relegation to NRF League One
Close
Source: Northern Region Football[26]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[4]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Northern Conference results table

More information Home \ Away, ALB ...
Home \ Away ALB BLM BUC CEN FRA MET NOR WTM ALB BLM BUC CEN FRA MET NOR WTM
Albany United — 1–0 1–0 2–1 6–0 3–4 2–3 1–0 — — 2–4 — — — 0–3 0–0
Beachlands Maraetai 0–2 — 0–2 0–3 0–2 3–2 1–2 3–1 0–2 — — — 3–0 — 1–1 —
Bucklands Beach 0–2 6–1 — 3–2 1–0 3–1 0–2 1–4 — 1–1 — 1–3 3–1 2–1 — —
Central United 2–1 2–2 1–0 — 1–1 2–3 1–1 2–1 3–2 2–2 — — — — C[A] —
Franklin United 0–0 5–2 1–4 1–4 — 3–4 1–8 2–2 3–3 — — 1–6 — — 1–1 0–4
Metro 4–0 4–1 2–3 4–1 4–0 — 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–2 — 1–3 2–0 — — —
Northland 3–0 3–2 3–0 4–2 4–0 C[B] — 3–2 — — 1–1 — — 2–0 — 2–2
Waitemata 3–1 0–0 3–2 2–2 3–1 2–1 2–4 — — 1–0 1–2 0–1 — 5–1 — —
Close
First match(es) will be played: 29 March 2025. Source: UltimateNZSoccer
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Northern Conference scoring

As of 6 September 2025
Northern Conference top scorers
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Sam Lloyd Central United 14
Mohammed Haj Metro
3 Sander Waterland Bucklands Beach 13
4 Mitchell Hanmore Northland 12
5 Shay Larkin Northland 11
6 Matthew Hearn Metro 10
Lukas Webster Waitemata
8 Ashley Grover-Rudman Franklin United 9
9 Caylem Nelson Albany United 7
Aaron Parry Beachlands Maraetai
Lyle Jones Bucklands Beach
Phoenix Silver Waitemata
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Southern Conference

Quick facts Season, Dates ...
NRFL Southern Conference
Season2025
Dates29 March 2025 - 30 August 2025
ChampionsTaupo
PromotedTaupo
← 2024
2026 →
Close

Southern Conference teams

Eight teams are competing in the league – five teams from the previous season, and three teams from WaiBOP League One. Otorohanga won WaiBOP League One but declined promotion allowing Northern United and Matamata Swifts to be promoted. Waikato Unicol pulled out before the start of the season and were replaced by West Hamilton United. Cambridge won the league and play-off gaining promotion, while Te Awamutu were relegated.[23]

More information Team, Location ...
Team Location Stadium 2024 season
Claudelands Rovers Claudelands, Hamilton Galloway Park 3rd
Matamata Swifts Matamata Matamata Domain 3rd in WaiBOP League One (promoted)
Ngongotahā Lakes[C] Ngongotahā, Rotorua Tamarahi Reserve 7th
Northern United Rototuna North, Hamilton Korikori Park 2nd in WaiBOP League One (promoted)
Otumoetai Matua, Tauranga Fergusson Park 4th
Papamoa Papamoa Beach, Papamoa Gordon Spratt Reserve 6th
Taupo Tauhara, Taupō Crown Park 2nd
West Hamilton United Melville, Hamilton Mahoe Park 9th in WaiBOP League One (promoted)[D]
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  1. [A]
    Match between Central United and Northland was cancelled
  2. [B]
    Match between Northland and Metro was cancelled
  3. [C]
    Ngongotaha AFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lakes FC at the end of the 2022 season to have a combined team for the 2023 season onwards.[27]
  4. [D]
    Waikato Unicol withdrew before the start of the 2025 season and were replaced by West Hamilton United.[23][28]

Southern Conference table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Taupo (C, P) 21 17 0 4 91 30 +61 51 Qualification for Conference play-offs
2 Northern United 21 17 0 4 84 25 +59 51
3 Otumoetai 21 15 0 6 68 37 +31 45
4 Claudelands Rovers 21 11 0 10 62 50 +12 33
5 Papamoa 21 9 1 11 46 43 +3 28
6 Matamata Swifts 21 8 2 11 46 56 −10 26
7 Ngongotahā Lakes 21 3 1 17 32 106 −74 10
8 West Hamilton United 21 2 0 19 25 107 −82 6
Close
Source: Northern Region Football[29]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[4]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Southern Conference results table

More information Home \ Away, CLR ...
Home \ Away CLR MAT NGO NTU OTU PAP TAU WHU CLR MAT NGO NTU OTU PAP TAU WHU
Claudelands Rovers — 2–0 6–2 0–3 1–3 1–2 1–2 5–0 — 3–4 — 0–4 — 7–1 1–12 —
Matamata Swifts 2–3 — 5–0 2–6 0–3 1–0 1–3 2–5 — — — 1–3 — — 0–7 4–1
Ngongotahā Lakes 2–3 1–1 — 0–3 2–1 1–3 3–5 3–2 1–4 1–6 — 0–5 — — — 5–2
Northern United 2–3 1–3 12–0 — 3–4 2–1 4–1 8–1 — — — — — 3–0 2–0 5–1
Otumoetai 3–6 2–0 5–3 2–3 — 2–0 2–3 8–1 3–1 5–3 3–2 2–3 — — — —
Papamoa 2–1 5–0 7–1 1–4 0–5 — 0–1 6–0 — 2–2 6–1 — 0–1 — — 3–1
Taupo 2–1 3–4 12–1 3–1 2–3 3–0 — 6–2 — — 11–0 — 2–1 5–1 — —
West Hamilton United 0–9 0–5 4–3 0–7 2–4 1–6 1–4 — 0–4 — — — 0–6 — 1–4 —
Close
First match(es) will be played: 29 March 2025. Source: UltimateNZSoccer
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Southern Conference scoring

As of 13 September 2025
Southern Conference top scorers
More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Joe O'Donoghue Taupo 33
2 Callum Smith Otumoetai 17
3 Henry Stephen Claudelands Rovers 16
4 Anton Ganas Matamata Swifts 15
Liam Jessep Northern United
6 Finlay Smith Taupo 13
7 Dominick Edwards Northern United 12
8 Harry Christensen-Rose Claudelands Rovers 10
9 Jarrod Briggs Northern United 8
Jack Boland Otumoetai
Kierren Flower Taupo
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Conference play-offs

The conference play-offs took place on 13 and 20 September 2025.[30]

Overview

More information Team 1, Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score ...
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Northland (N) 0–2 Taupo (S) 0–1 0–1
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Matches

More information Northland, 0–1 ...
Northland0–1Taupo
Report
  • Barbour 45+3'
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Trigg Arena, Kensington
Referee: Yunjie Diao[31]
More information Taupo, 1–0 ...
Taupo1–0Northland
  • Barbour 84'
 Report
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Crown Park, Tauhara
Referee: Riley Greenbury[32]

Taupo won 2–0 on aggregate and was promoted to NRFL Championship.

Women's Premiership

Main article: 2025 New Zealand Women's National League § 2025 NRFL Premiership

The NRFL Women's Premiership acts as a qualifier for the New Zealand Women's National League.

Eight teams are competing in the league – the top seven teams from the previous season and the promoted side from the 2024 NRFL Championship. The promoted team is FC Tauranga Moana as winners of the NRFL Championship.[33] They replaced Hamilton Wanderers.[34]

Women's Premiership table

This section is transcluded from 2025 New Zealand Women's National League. (edit | history)

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 West Coast Rangers (C) 21 16 2 3 65 24 +41 50 Winner of NRFL Premiership and qualification to National League Championship
2 Auckland United 21 16 1 4 75 17 +58 49 Qualification to National League Championship
3 Eastern Suburbs 21 14 2 5 62 22 +40 44
4 Western Springs 21 9 6 6 46 27 +19 33
5 Fencibles United 21 7 6 8 32 38 −6 27
6 Ellerslie 21 5 5 11 33 52 −19 20
7 FC Tauranga Moana 21 3 1 17 22 99 −77 10
8 Hibiscus Coast (R) 21 2 1 18 11 67 −56 7 Relegation to NRFL Women's Championship
Close
Source: Northern Region Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[35]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Women's Championship

Quick facts Season, Dates ...
NRFL Women's Championship
Season2025
Dates30 March 2025 –
20 July 2025
ChampionsMelville United
PromotedMelville United
RelegatedCentral United
← 2024
2026 →
Close

Women's Championship teams

Eight teams are competing in the league – six teams from the previous season, the one team relegated from the 2024 NRFL Premiership, Hamilton Wanderers,[36] and one team promoted from the WaiBOP W-League as play-off winners. The promoted team is Cambridge.[36] FC Tauranga Moana were promoted, while Manukau United were relegated.[36][37] Hamilton Wanderers withdrew before the start of the season as they were unable to fulfil their league commitments.[38][39] They were replaced by Onehunga-Mangere United, who originally lost the play-off to Cambridge.[40]

More information Team, Location ...
Team Location Stadium 2024 season
Birkenhead United Beach Haven, Auckland Shepherds Park 5th
Cambridge Cambridge John Kerkhof Park 1st in WaiBOP W League (promoted via play-offs)
Central United Sandringham Kiwitea Street 7th
Franklin United Drury Drury Sports Grounds 2nd
Melville United Melville, Hamilton Gower Park 4th
Northern Rovers Glenfield, Auckland McFetridge Park 6th
Onehunga-Mangere United Māngere Bridge, Auckland Māngere Domain 1sth in NRF Conference (promoted)[a]
Onehunga Sports Onehunga, Auckland Waikaraka Park 3rd
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Women's Championship table

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melville United (C, P) 21 19 1 1 71 19 +52 58 Promotion to NRFL Women's Premiership
2 Franklin United 21 15 2 4 84 33 +51 47
3 Onehunga Sports 21 13 2 6 49 27 +22 41
4 Birkenhead United 21 12 3 6 45 29 +16 39
5 Cambridge 21 8 1 12 30 47 −17 25
6 Onehunga-Mangere United 21 4 1 16 22 64 −42 13
7 Northern Rovers 21 3 3 15 34 67 −33 12
8 Central United (R) 21 3 1 17 17 66 −49 10 Relegation to NRF Women's League One
Close
Source: Northern Region Football[41]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss[42]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Women's Championship results table

More information Home \ Away, BIR ...
Home \ Away BIR CAM CEN FRA MEL NTR OHM OHS BIR CAM CEN FRA MEL NTR OHM OHS
Birkenhead United — —
Cambridge — —
Central United — —
Franklin United — —
Melville United — —
Northern Rovers — —
Onehunga-Mangere United — —
Onehunga Sports — —
Close
First match(es) will be played: 30 March 2025. Source: Northern Region Football
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Notes

  1. [a]
    Hamilton Wanderers withdrew from the competition on 10 March 2025 after the fixtures had been released and were replaced by Onehunga-Mangere United.[39][40]

References

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