Singh while we are winning . . .

Good times could be on the way for football in this country — but will New Zealand Football be smart enough to capitalise on it?

That’s the overriding question, ahead of a pivotal period for the game.

The remarkable rise of Sarpreet Singh has rightly dominated the headlines over the last two months.

His progress at Bayern Munich has been extremely promising. The 20-year-old is well ahead of schedule.

Whatever happens over the next nine months, Singh is guaranteed the best possible footballing education at Bayern, and already appeals as a future All Whites captain.

Chris Wood is also set for a statement season. The recent lack of national team activity could be a blessing in disguise for the 27-year-old, who will be well rested.

He got through some difficult times in the last campaign — the sophomore season is always tough in the English Premier League — and hit the 10 league goal mark again, to help Burnley stay up.

Ryan Thomas, arguably the forgotten man of New Zealand football, has the chance to finally launch his career at PSV Eindhoven, one of Holland’s big three, after his injury woes.

Winston Reid is also on the comeback trail, and hopefully has another one or two good campaigns left at West Ham.

There are plenty of other young Kiwis scattered around European clubs, including alumni of the Junior All Whites who performed so well at their World Cup in June, while Declan Edge’s unique venture in Sweden with Torslanda will be watched with interest. Some go under the radar.

Two Kiwis featured in Champions League qualifying last week, with Greg Draper (The New Saints) and Max Mata, who faced Celtic playing for his Estonian club.

The core of the Football Ferns are scattered across professional clubs, but after their disappointing performances at the World Cup in France, there will probably be just as much interest in the emergence of the next generation, headlined by the graduates from the Under-17 team that won the bronze medal in Uruguay last year.

in New Zealand, Ufuk Talay’s brave approach in signing local players to the Wellington Phoenix should be commended and will hopefully pay off.

The security around the A-League licence of the Phoenix allows more long term planning and the news that Team Wellington and the Ole Academy have signed a memorandum of understanding is also a positive.

All seems rosy on the playing scene, now NZF need to do their part. They have to get the appointment of the All Whites coach right, after the Fritz Schmid fiasco.

The next man needs to be the right coach, not just the guy who looks right, and someone who has relevant, credible experience and an decent understanding of the environment.

There is a golden generation of players coming, and they need to have the chance to shine.

NZF also need to make a decision on their technical director, still filled on an interim basis by Andy Boyens, whose youth (35 years old) and lack of coaching experience probably count against him on the permanent front.

After a few years of stumbling over big decisions, now is the time to show it’s a new chapter for the national body.