Hay hey, my my: Into Black Knights
Former All Whites coach lined up as Auckland FC assistant coach
We’re happy with where things are at. We’re making good progress. Steve Corica
Former All Whites coach Danny Hay is stepping back into football in this country.
Hay has agreed terms with new A-League club Auckland FC and will be an assistant under head coach Steve Corica.
It’s a fresh chapter for the 48-yearold after his unsavoury exit from the national team role in October 2022 following a controversial review process.
The review, conducted by sports lawyer Don MacKinnon, was believed to be mostly positive, following a period when the team had made significant progress, before narrowly missing qualification for the 2022 Fifa World Cup after a single-leg loss to Costa Rica.
But New Zealand Football wanted Hay to reapply for his job, citing concerns raised by some players about the environment, along with a lack of alignment between the All Whites and national body.
Hay walked and has since been based in Western Australia, partly to allow his wife to spend time with her Perth-based family and also for a break from the New Zealand scene.
Since last May, he has coached Perth Soccer Club, who compete in the National Premier League, the top tier of Australian state football.
But the Weekend Herald understands Hay has been in discussions with the new Auckland club for some time. He has a long association with Corica, going back to the early 2000s when both played at Walsall.
Hay made 51 appearances for the Saddlers in the English second tier during 2002-03, while Corica played 81 games at the East Midlands club during 2002-04. All Whites coach Darren Bazeley was also at Walsall at the same time.
Hay and Corica came close to working together in 2019 when Corica was still at Sydney FC. There was a vacant assistant’s position and Hay was believed to be in the mix before taking up the All Whites position.
This latest move makes sense for both parties. For Hay, it’s a chance to get a foothold as a coach in the professional game. He has a lot of international experience, from the All Whites to national age group sides, but his club work has only been at domestic level with Eastern Suburbs, after a long stint running the football programme at Sacred Heart College in Auckland.
It is a chance to learn and grow, and opportunities may arise within American billionaire owner Bill Foley’s portfolio of clubs across Europe.
Hay will bring extensive knowledge of the Kiwi talent pool here and overseas. His presence will help with the recruitment of some players, while his ideas about style of play broadly fit with the former Socceroo.
Corica still has one more assistant to confirm, along with a goalkeeping coach.
Former All Whites and Phoenix goalkeeping assistant Jonathan Gould is believed to be the front-runner for the latter role.
At last week’s launch of the club’s name and kit, Corica told the they had nine confirmed players signed: seven from this country and two from Australia.
The locals are believed to include Michael Woud, Cameron Howieson and Francis de Vries, who have all represented the All Whites, plus age group internationals Luis Toomey and Jesse Randall.
Though Corica wouldn’t disclose any names, Marco Rojas remains a prime target, with the winger back in Australasia after a spell in Chile with Colo Colo.
United States-based defenders Michael Boxall and Bill Tuiloma are also seen as possible recruits, although they may be difficult to land for the club’s inaugural season kicking off in October, given the time frame and contract situation.
“We’re happy with where things are at,” said Corica. “We’re making good progress.”