Stocktake necessity for NZF hierarchy

OPINION: New Zealand Football has a big few months ahead.

There is a new technical director in town, Andreas Heraf of Austria, and he is about to tell the chief executive, Andy Martin, what he thinks, having spent the last three months travelling all around the country, and taking the pulse of the beautiful game.

He has had a good look at the men’s game, and at the women’s. He went to India with the under17 men’s side for their World Cup in October; he went to the United States with the Football Ferns in September; and he is currently coaching them on their two-match tour of Thailand. He has also been a constant presence at grassroots level since he arrived in August – taking in several games in both the men’s and women’s national leagues.

Once he is back from Thailand, Heraf will sit down with Martin, and they will plot a course forward. Martin said this week that he wasn’t expecting anything momentous to come from those discussions, but we will see. If there was any time to make momentous changes, it is now.

With the senior men’s and women’s coaching jobs vacant, it is time for New Zealand Football to really take stock; to evaluate the progress of its various plans; to kick the tyres really hard, and make sure it is getting what it wants, and that it is making the most of its limited resources.

The football landscape changed at the start of this year, when Oceania was promised an automatic slot at the 2026 World Cup. The rest of the Pacific has begun to plan for the long term, with that game changer in mind, and there is no reason why New Zealand should act any different. Plans drawn up previously might need to change.

Right now, there is as close to a blank slate as it is possible to get.

There is no All Whites coach, with Anthony Hudson heading off for greener pastures. There is no Football Ferns coach, following Tony Readings’ resignation earlier this month. There is no under-20 men’s coach and there is no under-17 men’s coach.

The latter is the job which needs to be filled the soonest – ideally by March, so the coach can begin planning their first camp, which should be in the April school holidays.

A Football Ferns coach by the Cyprus Cup at the end of February would be nice, but if it takes longer, it won’t be the end of the world. An All Whites coach? Well, if we’re being radical, one isn’t really needed until mid-2019 – an appointment then would still give whoever it is a year before the team’s next competitive game.

Bearing that in mind, there is time for the suits at NZ Football to do a proper job of self analysis before making any hires.