Former Ford Football Ferns head coach Tony Readings has been appointed as full time All Whites assistant coach for the next FIFA World Cup cycle, joining Darren Bazeley’s team staff from October onwards. 

Readings will join from FIFA where for the past three years he has been the Regional Technical Consultant for Oceania.  

Prior to his role with FIFA, Readings spent 12 years with New Zealand Football, including as Ford Football Ferns head coach from 2011 - 2017, and two years with High Performance Sport New Zealand. 

He holds both the UEFA A Licence and AFC Pro Licence coaching qualifications. 

The appointment of Readings sees both of New Zealand Football’s senior national teams now have full time assistant coaches, with Michael Mayne continuing in the role for the Ford Football Ferns. 

“We are delighted to have Tony join the team as we build towards the FIFA World Cup qualifiers next year” says All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley.

“We are in the fortunate position that we probably have more players in professional environments than ever before, so it is important that we build a strong staff to monitor and support them. 

“Tony brings a wealth of experience, both of New Zealand Football and international activity, so I know he will make a huge impact for us on and off the pitch.”

“It is an exciting time to be back at New Zealand Football” says incoming All Whites assistant coach Tony Readings. 

“I am very honoured to be part of the All Whites staff, a team with such a strong cultural heritage.

“It is a privilege to be provided with an opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and to contribute to the team’s future success. 

“I am very much looking forward to meeting with the squad for the first time, supporting them for upcoming games against DR Congo and Australia and to start working towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.”

Also confirmed for the next FIFA World Cup cycle is 69-cap All White Simon Elliott who will continue on as All Whites assistant coach, a role he will split with his other position as Director of Coaching at Davis Legacy Soccer Club in California.

Elliott first joined the All Whites coaching team ahead of the March 2023 fixtures against China PR and will perform the role remotely from the USA, joining up with the team for the FIFA international windows.

UPCOMING ALL WHITES FIXTURES:

13 October at 6pm [local] / 14 October at 5am [NZT]
All Whites v DR Congo
Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain

17 October at 7:45pm [local] / 18 October at 7:45am [NZT]
Australia v All Whites
Gtech Community Stadium, London, England

17 November at 7pm [local] / 18 November at 6am [NZT] (KO TBC)
Greece v All Whites
OPAP Arena, Athens, Greece

21 November at 7:45pm [local] / 22 November at 8:45am [NZT]
Republic of Ireland v All Whites
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland


Article added: Monday 18 September 2023