Founded in 1886 as North Shore Association Football Club, making it the oldest club in Oceania.

The 1926 Chatham Cup was the fourth edition of the tournament, with 36 teams entered. Played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington to a crowd of 4,000, North Shore lost 4-2 in the final to a team of players from the now defunct Sunnyside Hospital in Christchurch. Archie Trotter scored the first ever Chatham Cup final hattrick, with goals from L. Hipkins and John Wooley for NSU. The Shore team included Ces Dacre, national representative in football and cricket after whom Dacre Park (Allen Hill Stadium) was named.

North Shore: Stewart Lipscombe, Len Colebourne, Peter Gerrard, Reg Baxter, Dick Bird, Dan Jones, L. Hipkins, Ces Dacre, George Jay, John Woolley, Jock Bradshaw.

On April 12th 1933, North Shore FC and Belmont FC amalgamated to form North Shore United AFC. The top right corner of our logo shows a navy blue strip representing Belmont's colours (blue and red), and gold stripes from North Shore FC's gold and black.

North Shore defeated Ponsonby (1-0), Point Chevalier (5-1), Grey Lynn (8-1), Eastern Suburbs (2-1), and Mangakino (4-0) to reach the 1952 final. Playing Western in the final at the Basin Reserve they were outmatched and conceded early, but hung on to score a late equaliser and send the game to extra time. After a scoreless additional 30 minutes, the rules dictated the tie would be broken on number of corners won. With the counter count equal, the trophy was shared between the two clubs. This result prompted the introduction of replays to settle tied finals.

Qualifying from the Auckland region, North Shore defeated Eastern Union (2-1) and Miramar Rangers (3-2 a.e.t) to reach the 1959 final. Facing Northern AFC at the Basin Reserve in front of a crowd of 7,000, Shore went down 1-0 in just the second minute from a Cliff Schmidt own goal. Middleton equalized for Shore straight after, but goals from Berry and Little took the lead to 3-1. Despite a goal from Foulkes and late pressure from Shore, Northern held on to win the match 3-2. The NZ Press Association remarked that North Shore's football was "too passive and too slow" to match the "magnificent attacking soccer all five Northern forwards demonstrated".

North Shore defeated Kahukura (2-1) and Moturoa AFC (10-2) to reach the 1960 final, their second in consecutive years. Facing Technical Old Boys at the Basin Reserve, the score was tied 1-1 at half time. Shore extended their lead to 3-1, and then 5-2, with a late goal from Technical not enough and the match ending 5-3. Drama in this match included a penalty to Technical for handball which was put wide, and a free kick to North Shore for handball which was taken quickly and scored from. Tony Lowndes pick up a brace, with John Ryan, Tom Paterson, and national representative and English league winner with Chelsea FC Ken Armstrong adding their names to the scoresheet. Newspapers credited North Shore's "solid and experienced defense ... responsible for disrupting many likely moves" and "clever tactical moves inspired by the brilliant wing half K. Armstrong".

North Shore: R. Ansley (GK), J. Collins, G. Hankins, D. Easton (Captain), K. Armstrong, W. Ward, P. Oden, T. Patterson, T. Lowndes, A. Middleton J. Ryan

North Shore made their third consecutive finals appearance in 1961. They defeated Eastern Suburbs (6-2), Mount Wellington (2-1), Eastern Union (3-2), and Miramar Rangers (6-1) to reach the final in a rematch of the 1959 final against Northern, with a total of 13 players across the two teams having played in both matches. In a free-flowing game, Northern took the lead at the half hour mark through George Little, and doubled it with minutes to go with a goal from Bruce Campbell to win 2-0. The NZ Press Association, who described the North Shore team as "highly-fancied", summarized the match as one that "was as exciting, and certainly as skilful, as any seen in Wellington". On North Shore's performance, they credited "North Shore's agile goalkeeper, Windsor, and its fullbacks Collins and Hankins" but condemned the halves who "were not finding the forwards" and Armstrong as "only a shadow of the man who played for Chelsea and England".

North Shore: A. Windsor (GK), J. Collins, G. Hankins, K. Armstrong, W. Ward, D. Easton (Captain), J. Ryan, T. Patterson, A. Middleton, L. Polyansky, P. Oden

After a lackluster 1962 run, North Shore came back strong in 1963, beating Wellington Marist by a resounding 9-2 in the semi-final. Facing Christchuch Nomads in the final on a wet and greasy pitch, Shore dominated the game pulling out a 3-0 lead with a late consolation goal from Robin Muirson the only highlight for the Nomads. The 3-1 win included goals from Middleton, Maynard, and McNicholl. Newspapers described the Nomads as "a yard slower to the ball, [and] a second slower putting thought into action". The 39 year old Ken Armstrong, described as "the architect, the general, the overseer or the inspiration", impressed for North Shore with "slide-rule wing-to-wing passes, quickly dipping chip shots, and side-footed taps to a colleague better placed to open the path to goal". Christchurch's 17 year old A. Gowans was tasked with shadowing Armstrong, but "would have had an easier task catching his own shadow". Shore closed the final 10 minutes with "an exhibition of close-passing soccer".

North Shore return to the Chatham Cup final for the first time in four years, now with legend Ken Armstrong as head coach. 95 teams took part in that years competition. North Shore defeated Mount Wellington (1-1, corners tiebreak), Papatoetoe (2-1), Rotorua City (3-2), Eastern Union (1-0 a.e.t) and Miramar Rangers (1-0, a.e.t) to reach the final. There they met Christchurch City, a recently amalgamated club with a strong team of players from the southern region. Christchurch dominated the first half but couldn't take their chances, with North Shore goalkeeper Dennis Mack pulling off some excellent saves. Billy Rimmer broke the deadlock for Shore but Christchurch equalised quickly through Haydon. City missed a penalty in the 67th minute, and after Ian Campbell made it 2-1 to Shore in injury time the Christchurch team missed an open goal from three yards in the dying seconds of the game. The Wellington press decried the result as "a tragedy", opining that "on all counts except the one that finally matters ... City was ahead of the Auckland team" and that at the half time break North Shore knew they "ought to have been so far behind that nothing [they] could do would have righted matters".

North Shore: D. Mack (GK), D. Gerard, M. Graham, T. Bell, J. Parker, D. Jones, W. Rimmer, I. Campbell, L. Taylor, P. Maynard, B. Collins

1973 saw the first final to not be held at the Basin Reserve, instead being held at Newmarket Park in Auckland. Shore beat Mount Roskill (3-0), Claudelands Rovers (2-0), Manurewa (5-1), Caversham (2-0) and Blockhouse Bay (3-2) to reach the final. Their 1967 cup winning manager Ken Armstrong had moved to coach Mount Wellington in 1971, the team North Shore faced in the final. Shore were unbeaten that season up to this game, but perhaps Armstrong's knowledge of his old club made the difference, with Mount Wellington taking a resounding 3-0 win with goals from All Whites Dave Taylor and John Houghton. Shore were not helped by their keeper D. Turner having to be replaced early on following an injury, but Mount Wellington were the better side.

After gaining promotion to the National League in 1973 and finishing 6th in 1974, North Shore came out strong in the 1975 season. New signings over the summer break included midfielder John Warrington and forward Jack Schuurman, who joined stars Adrian Elrick and Kevin Weymouth. Taking 10 points from their first 6 games (with wins being worth only 2 points), they led the league after six games, but by August had dropped to third place behind Christchurch United and Stop Out FC. Christchurch picked up the pace in the second half of the season, and by September were clear first with 22 points from 15 games to Shore's 21 points from 17 games. Christchurch took the title after beating Gisbourne 5-0 the following week, and in a shock move Shore coach Don Jones was sacked, to be replaced by goalkeeper Sandy Davie. Shore finished second with 8 wins, 7 draws, and 3 losses.

With the 1976 season ending in 7th place, Shore had definitely struggled since changing coaches after the 1975 season. For that reason Don Jones was brought back in before the 1977 season and immediately set to work, bringing with him players Eddie Donnelly, Martin Hill, Ian Phillips and Brian McKeoen and forming a young squad with 10 players under 22 years of age. Despite coming in as the leading dark horse, they lost 4-0 to Brighton on the opening day and only scraped past relegation candidates Caversham 2-1. Things quickly improved with Shore winning the next four in a row to go top, although there were still doubts around their performances. At the halfway point Shore were top with 13 points, with Hamilton close behind with 12. A loss to Hamilton amongst other poor results dropped them to 4th, but they recovered back to second and on the final day faced Mount Wellington, with a win necessary to take the title. And they did so, beating a Mount Wellington side stacked with internationals to take their first National League title.

1979 saw a repeat of the 1973 final with North Shore (at this point known as Hanimex United due to a sponsorship deal) taking on Mount Wellington, this time at McLennan Park in Papakura after a landslide at Newmarket Park. Shore had beaten Eden (4-0), Mount Roskill (4-1), Napier City (6-3 a.e.t) and Wellington Diamond (5-2) in a dominant run to the final. Mount Wellington had been considered favourites having emerged victorious in both meetings of the two sides in that years National League, but the suspension of star forward Brian Turner for a semi-final red card had evened the matchup. Mount Wellington scored first before Keith Hobbs leveled the score with a back post header to make it 1-1 at halftime. An early second half red for Mount Wellington's Stewart Carruthers proved decisive though, with Shore piling on the pressure and ultimately pulling ahead thanks to a penalty won by Ian Ormond. The win made it five Chatham Cup trophies for North Shore United, a joint record at the time. North Shore coach Don Jones said of the match: "There was only one team in it. They are a good side when you allow them to play football but we shut them down and that was it."

North Shore (incomplete): Duncan Cole, Andrian Elrick, Marty Jennison, Duncan Ormond, Ian Ormond, Keith Hobbs

After a disappointing end to a strong 1981 season saw Shore finish 5th in the league (yet only 4 points off first), Shore once again started strong, taking four wins from four to go top of the table early on. With the New Zealand team qualifying for the 1982 World Cup the league saw a lot of disruption, with Gisbourne City (5 All Whites) and Manurewa (3 All Whites) most affected by fixture changes. Only teams with three or more national team players were eligible for fixture dispensation, and so North Shore were without Duncan Cole and Adrian Elrick for nine of the eighteen National League rounds. At the halfway point Shore were second behind Mount Wellington, just two points back, but away form was starting to hurt them. After a second successive draw, this time away at East Coast Bays, opened the gap to first to five points, Shore coach Don Jones did not hide his frustrations: "They cannot play football. They would be the worst team we have played this season and I cannot see them surviving." North Shore continued to pick up points at home, and with three games left to play were in touching distance of first place Mount Wellington, only four points behind. Unfortunately Shore lost 3-1 to Mount Wellington, and despite a final day 5-1 thrashing of Gisbourne they were forced to settle for second place. Ultimately they were let down by their away form, winning 10 of 11 at home and only 1 away.

The 1983 season saw the introduction of three points for a win, but despite the change Shore continued in much the same manner as the previous year. At home they were undefeated taking 31 of 33 points, whilst away they failed to win a single game and took only five points. The league was tightly contested: at the halfway point of the season there was an incredible five way tie for first, with the top nine teams covered by two points. Manurewa pulled clear in the second half of the season thanks in part to a 29 goal partnership between Steve Sumner and Mark Armstrong. With three games to go Manurewa were 8 points clear of Shore in second, and took 7 of 9 in those three to seal the league title. Newly promoted Papatoe took third in a strong first season, whilst Dunedin Technical were relegated after only scoring 7 points from their 22 games.

Since the 1979 win North Shore's Chatham Cup form had been strong but unremarkable with three semifinal and one quarterfinal appearances. The 1985 cup saw 141 entries, with the final to be hosted at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. Shore beat East Coast Bays (2-1), Hamilton (2-1), Papatoetoe (4-2 a.e.t) and Wellington Diamond United (3-1) to reach the 1985 final. Facing a Napier City Rovers team who had eliminated powerhouses Christchurch United and Mount Wellington on their path to the final, Shore were nonetheless considered massive favourites. Napier City had finished bottom of that years National League and faced a Shore team containing New Zealand Internationals Allan Boath and Keith Hobbs. Earlier that year National League winners D.B. Wellington's head coach Barrie Truman had called North Shore a team which has outstanding individuals, but as a team "didn't perform when the pressure went on them". This proved prophetic as unexpectedly Napier continued their strong cup form, taking the lead inside two minutes and extending it to 2-0 at the break. Shore pulled one back through Barry Weymouth, but with minutes left Greg Brown made it 3-1 to City, who became only the second team ever to be relegated and win the Chatham Cup in the same year.

The 1986 Chatham Cup saw the introduction of a two legged final, although this proved unpopular and was abandoned by 1989. Shore defeated Metro College (1-0), Howick (2-1), Manurewa (2-0), Lower Hutt City (5-1) and Nelson United (2-1 a.e.t) to reach the final against Mount Maunganui. Shore were at home for the first leg, which was largely uneventful. Shore hit the post in the 14th minute from a McClennan header, and Mount took the lead before halftime through a Tony Ferris volley. Shore had chances in the second half with Allan Boath testing the keeper and Duncan Cole forcing an excellent save from his long range effort. With 11 minutes to go North Shore won a penalty giving them a chance to equalise, but Kevin Hagan's shot was saved by the Mount goalkeeper. Shore went into the second leg with confidence, with head coach Don Jones voicing his opinion pre-match that "they [Mount Maunganui] have had their day. Now it is our turn." It only took five minutes for this to be proven right, with Kevin Hagan scoring to equalise on aggregate. Grant Proudman made it 1-1 on the day for Maunganui before Darren McClennan put Shore back in front. A 65th minute goal from Kim Wright took Shore to 3-2 on aggregate before Brian McKeown settled the tie with an 89th minute goal. Mount coach Eddie Edge described his side as having been "murdered" on the day. All White and Shore captain Duncan Cole was named player of the match, whilst Don Jones announced his retirement after 13 years at the club. His replacement would be All Whites coach Kevin Fallon.

1994 was the second year of the newly established Superclub Championship. The format was split into three regional groups of 10 teams, with the top 3 from northern, 3 from central, and two from south facing each other in the playoffs. Shore walked the Northern Regional League, going unbeaten with 14 wins and 4 draws from their 18 games against the likes of Waitakere City (who also went undefeated), Central United, and Mount Wellington. In the top 8 league, Shore finished 3rd behind Waitakere City and Napier City with 4 wins and 2 draws from their seven games, despite having the highest goals for at 24. In the knockout stages Shore defeated Roslyn-Wakari 2-0 and Waitakere City 3-0 to face Napier City in the final. Shore won 3-1, once again asserting themselves as the premier mens football team in the country.

Making their first Chatham Cup finals appearance since their 1986 win, Shore were keen to get back into the winners circle. They had defeated Mount Albert-Ponsonby (7-1), Glenfield Rovers (1-0), Waikato United (3-1), Mount Maunganui (1-0) and Christchurch Rangers (4-0) to reach the final, but faced a powerhouse Waitakere City who were the cup holders and had scored 23 and only conceded 4 on their path to the final. Unfortunately Waitakere City proved too strong, beating Shore 4-0 at McLean Park to take their second consecutive Chatham Cup.

The 2001 Northern Premier League saw a close title fight between local rivals North Shore United and Takapuna. Shore had good wins over Central United (4-0), East Coast Bays (3-0), Hamilton Wanderers (6-1), Fencibles United (7-1), and Hamilton Wanderers (9-0) on their way to the title. They finished with 15 wins 4 draws and 3 losses from their 22 games, with Takapuna just three points behind on 14-4-4. Hamilton Wanderers and East Coast Bays were relegated.

2019 saw former Brentford player and veteran coach Malcolm McPherson at the helm of the North Shore team. Putting together a talented squad, they overcame a strong challenge from Onehunga Sports to prevail by one point in the Northern Premier League. Wins that season included an 8-1 thrashing of East Coast Bays, 3-0 over Glenfield Rovers, and 4-1 over Central United. The team finished with 14 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, with Onehunga just second on 13-5-4.