FANZ: Issue 6 (2016)

ISSN 2422–8710

FANZ

WINNER NZ’S FOOTBALL PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE Issue Six, July 2016

THE YEAR OF THE

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Issue 6, July 2016

The Road to Russia

Our All Whites can now see what lies ahead.

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Rio, here we come!

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FEATURE STORY Quiet Leader

Our Ferns are ready to give their all at the Olympic Games in Brazil.

We meet NZ Football President Deryck Shaw.

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Leadership

Mark Wager examines the leadership style of Pep Guardiola.

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Grazie Mister

It’s the year of the underdog and Claudio Ranieri is its champion.

23 Kiwi Connections English non–league club Barrow has a fifty–year link to New Zealand.

30 Junior heroes

Who’ll be junior coach of the year?

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Recognition for a Football Fern.

32 Obituaries

We lose two significant figures.

33 International Diary

Editor: Josh Easby email:hurricane.press@mail.com www.friendsoffootballnz.com The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the group’s membership.

All contents published in this issue remain the property of the appropriate copyright owner and may not be reproduced or copied in any form, print or digital, without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

ISSN 2422–8710

News about our national sides.

34 Around the Country News from the regions.

35 Oceania News

WINNER NZ’S FOOTBALL PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

OFC and NZF in ‘productive’ talks.

36 Football Dad

It’s not easy being a devoted father.

40 Friends of Football

What our group is all about, who we are and how you can join.

26 Friends of Football events 44 A wrap up of recent activity.

Honours List

FANZ: The Football Magazine is published by Friends of Football Inc.

Get Off The Grass

Andrew Dewhurst’s final word.

PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS ISSUE Unless otherwise stated, all the photographs in this magazine are the work of Phototek’s Shane Wenzlick, the Official Photographer to Friends of Football.

We are grateful to Shane for giving us access to his photographic library.

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FROM OUR EDITOR

Never write off an underdog ...

Josh Easby FOOTBALL folk have a habit of deciding results well in advance of the actual game.

In 2012, we wrote off the chances of Western Sydney Warriors in the Hyundai A–League. Everyone knew it was impossible for a franchise to top the table in its first year.

We knew it couldn’t be possible for Leicester City to win an English Premier League ... especially by a margin of 10 points.

And as for Wales and Iceland going to the Euro 2016 tournament?

Crazy to think they would even qualify, let alone win a game.

Thankfully, football has a way of delivering the unexpected and re– affirming our faith in the game’s ability to unearth an underdog.

The All Whites have relished the role of underdog before.

Their chances of reaching a FIFA World Cup Finals were considered negligible until John Adshead and Kevin Fallon took a squad of part– timers all the way to Spain in 1982.

In 2010, Ricki Herbert’s All Whites were regarded as the cannon fodder in their group at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

That was, of course, until the All Whites came home undefeated, one of only eight teams to ever play through a finals tournament without losing a match.

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So what makes an underdog?

The process starts with the expectations of those who follow the game. The underdog is simply the team that carries the lowest expectation of success.

A former business colleague used to swear by a formula for customer satisfaction. It was CS = D/E. He would argue that CS (Customer Satisfaction) was the amount that D (Delivery) exceeded E (Expectation). So often, the mis– management of expectation would lead to dissatisfaction, regardless of the delivery.

That’s why a team such as England headed to Euro 2016 with a media–generated expectation that, somehow, its highly–paid stars were a shoe–in to make the final stages of the tournament.

By comparison, the expectations around Iceland were that the team would be heading home as soon as

the group stages were complete, enabling their manager to tend to the patients of his dental practice.

Over the next year, our men’s and women’s national sides go into competition to pit themselves against the best in the world.

The Football Ferns will head to Brazil for the 2016 Olympics and will face defending champions United States and the world’s third–ranked side, France.

The All Whites will continue their campaign to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Many critics have expressed doubts about the All Whites’ chances after the side needed a penalty shoot–out to win the OFC Nations Cup in Papua New Guinea.

Expectations have lowered for our men and our women. They go into battle as underdogs.

Let’s hope they deliver like Leicester, Wales and Iceland.

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All Whites line up road to Russia A

The 2016 All Whites ready to play in the final of the OFC Nations Cup at Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

Kiwis climb 54 places THE ALL WHITES are the biggest movers on the latest FIFA World Rankings.

The Anthony Hudson–coached side, who won the OFC Nations Cup in June, have climbed 54 places in the rankings to 93 on the FIFA World Rankings. It is the highest ranking for the team under Hudson in his two years in charge of the team.

The All Whites, who will face many of the world’s best teams next year when they compete in the Confederations Cup in Russia, will have a number of opportunities to improve on that ranking with a number of fixtures expected in the next 18 months.

They will pay two games, home and away, against New Caledonia in November, with two more to follow against Fiji next March, in the next stage of World Cup qualifying for OFC. Their heightened world ranking will also promote the quality of their opposition they are likely to face in international friendlies as they look to build towards their goal of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018.

The All Whites were the biggest movers in the July edition of the world rankings, with Puerto Rico climbing 46 places to 112th, while Belize dropped 50 places to 164th.

The next highest ranked Oceania side is New Caledonia, who the All Whites beat 1-0 in the semi-final of the OFC Nations Cup in Papua New Guinea, are now 161st. — Story courtesy of www.nzfootball.co.nz 4

fter battling their way to success in the OFC Nations Cup in Papua New Guinea, the All Whites can finally see their pathway to Russia 2018.

Anthony Hudson’s squad have become the side to beat in Stage 3 of the Oceania qualifying process for the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand have been drawn with two countries they defeated on that march to the OFC Nations title, New Caledonia and Fiji, in Group A of the home-and-away series. Group B is made up of Nations Cup runners-up Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tahiti.

Having defeated all comers at the Nations Cup, Hudson says he was not fazed about the identity of whichever opponents were drawn but is glad the preparations can now begin in earnest.

“We were open to playing any of the sides and were always going to prepare properly, whoever we faced,” he says.

“More than anything, I think we’re just pleased the draw has now been set and we can plan the rest of our campaign, we know who we’re facing and can now plan accordingly.”

The All Whites will meet New Caledonia, who they beat in the semi-finals of the Nations Cup, both home and away between November 7 and 15 of this year, before doing likewise against Fiji from March 20 to 28, 2017.

New Zealand will have a bye for the rounds scheduled for June 5 to 13 as this window will be FANZ: THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

Celebration time: The All Whites with the OFC Nations Cup after winning the tournament for the first time since 2008. New Zealand beat host nation Papua New Guinea after penalties and extra time in the final. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

used to prepare for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, which takes place in Russia during June and July.

The top team in each group advances to a two-legged final — to be played between August 28 and September 5, 2017 — with the winner going on to meet the fifth– placed team from CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, for a place at Russia 2018.

One of the key features of the format is the chance for the All Whites to take the field on home soil — the first time they will have done so since a scoreless draw with South Africa at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium on May 30, 2014.

It will be a special moment for Hudson as he yet to lead the team in front of the New Zealand public and is relishing the prospect.

“With the U–23s and the senior team, we’ve now played 16 games in the last 12 months and they’ve all been away,” he says.

“We’ve been waiting for a long time to play here and I know the players are looking forward to it so I’m very excited.”

The home-and-away nature of Stage 3 will make it a very different proposition to the condensed tournament format of the Nations Cup, where all matches were played at one venue in Port Moresby in just over two weeks.

“It will be a lot easier because some of the games will be at home.

That will make a difference to the conditions, the pitch and the ability to train – there’s a lot of factors in there that will be different,” Hudson says.

“Tournament football is always very unique anyway, you’re using a whole squad and are away for a long time so this will be quite separate from what happened in Papua New Guinea.”

Having had time to reflect on the Nations Cup with the rest of his

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Key dates Stage 3 OFC Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup November 7–15, 2016 New Zealand vs New Caledonia New Caledonia vs New Zealand March 20–28, 2017 Fiji vs New Zealand New Zealand vs Fiji August 28–September 5, 2017 Two-legged final (Winner of Group A vs Winner of Group B) Winner plays fifth–placed team from South American qualifying competition.

June 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Russia 5

All Whites defender Michael Boxall at the OFC Nations Cup. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

coaching staff, Hudson is proud of what the team achieved in lifting the trophy for the first time since 2008.

“We were missing six or seven starting players so to go to a tournament like that and still be consistent was a big achievement.

Four years ago, we came third and this year we won it so it was a huge success,” he says.

“We now look forward to continuing to build the squad and making sure we’re ready for next year.”

Of the 16 times — which includes U–23 and training matches — Hudson has taken a New Zealand team in the past year, 15 of those games have been won with the other drawn and only a couple of goals conceded.

“It’s something that doesn’t get reported a lot but we’re very proud of it,” Hudson says.

“We know that we’re doing the right things and we believe in it.

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We’re going to continue to build on this really strong platform we’ve got. We’re excited because everyone in the camp believes we can do something special.”

Meanwhile, All Whites skipper Rory Fallon said his side looked forward to testing themselves against the best teams in the world at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.

The FIFA Confederations Cup, which is held every four years, is contested by the holders of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC, OFC), along with the FIFA World Cup holders Germany and the host nation Russia, to bring the number of teams up to eight.

“To win this [OFC Nations Cup] is well up there with everything I have done in my football career,” Fallon said.

“To get an international trophy with a New Zealand team is really

difficult so we are going to savour this moment. I just can’t wait for Russia now.”

All Whites coach Anthony Hudson said the FIFA Confederations Cup will be a good benchmark to where they stand in world football and also a good preparation for their FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

“What this tournament next year does is gives us an opportunity to see these players and push them into significant games and a significant tournament that they deserve because we have some good players here.”

— Story courtesy of www.nzfootball. co.nz

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SUPPORTING OUR NATIONAL TEAMS

Rio, here we come!

BEFORE the first ball has been kicked at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ferns coach Tony Readings admits to having faced one of the biggest challenges during his time in charge.

Simply picking the 18 names of the players to head to Rio has been a tough call.

But Readings believes his vastly experienced squad will represent New Zealand well, despite drawing arguably the toughest group of the competition.

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SUPPORTING OUR NATIONAL TEAMS

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‘We are not the sort of team who just wants to get out the group; we want to get through to right to the end of the tournament.’

New Zealand coach Tony Readings

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he New Zealand Women’s Team, ranked 17th on the FIFA World Rankings, will face the defending Olympic Champions USA, Colombia (24th) and France (3rd) when their campaign begins on August 3 in Belo Horizonte.

“This will be my third Olympic Games, along with some of the players, and this has definitely been the toughest squad to choose,” Readings told NZFootball.co.nz.

“There have been some players who have been very unfortunate to miss out and that just shows the depth of our squad.”

Seven players in the squad — captain Abby Erceg, Anna Green, Amber Hearn, Ria Percival, Kirsty Yallop, Katie Duncan and Ali Riley — travel to Brazil for their third Olympic Games. Five of the squad have played 100 games or more for New Zealand — Erceg (126), Duncan (nee Hoyle) (115), Hearn (112), Percival (116) and Riley (101) — while Yallop, if selected, will play her 100th game for the team in the opener of the Olympics against the USA. There are a number of others — Annalie Longo (91), Betsy Hassett (91), Rosie White (81), Sarah Gregorius (78) and Hannah Wilkinson (74) — who have been regulars in the New Zealand Women’s Football team over the past eight years or more and have helped the team climb to their highest ever FIFA World Ranking.

Readings said experience is one of the most important factors when it comes to big tournaments. His team has done a lot of research on what leads to success at major events and the common trend is the teams with the oldest age and experience.

“Having girls who have been to three Olympic Games and to numerous age–group world events

means they have been there and done it before,” he said.

“That experience will be a key factor when we get to the Olympics, no doubt.”

Meanwhile at the other end of the experience spectrum, two of the New Zealand Women’s team in Jasmine Pereira and Meikayla Moore are heading to the Olympics for the first time. Katie Bowen was in the travelling reserves for the 2012 London Olympics but is selected in the squad for the first time at an Olympics. Meanwhile, all of the travelling reserves — Catherine Bott, Daisy Cleverley, Paige Satchell and Victoria Esson — are all heading to Rio and hoping to play in their first Olympic Games.

“The good thing about young players is they play with no fear and they fully express themselves which will be important for us at this tournament,” said Readings.

Readings said being matched against the World No.1 USA first up was the best draw they could have been given. The New Zealand Women’s Football team is excited by the challenge of their tough group in Rio and inspiring the New Zealand Olympic team to a great start as the first team in action.

“We are not the sort of team who just wants to get out the group; we want to get through to right to the end of the tournament. You will likely have to play the USA at some stage in the tournament and you need to beat them. For us to play them first up is a great opportunity,” he said.

“We want to make a big statement as a team in this Olympics and we know that we can,” said Readings.

“In 20 years’ time hopefully we can look back with pride on the legacy we left in women’s football in New Zealand. To see the girls work so hard to achieve something like that has been incredible to be a part of.”

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Winston Reid, All Whites captain.

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RECOGNISING ACHIEVEMENT

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Amber Hearn ... 112 appearances for New Zealand and now becomes the first score 50 international goals for her country. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

The games in Brazil Group G fixtures Wednesday August 3 at Belo Horizonte United States v New Zealand Saturday August 6 at Belo Horizonte Colombia v New Zealand 10

Tuesday August 9 at Salvador New Zealand v France

ootball Ferns striker Amber Hearn has broken new ground on the international stage by becoming the first player — male or female — to score 50 goals for New Zealand.

Hearn struck her historic 50th goal against Iceland in the play–off for third and fourth at the Algarve Cup, before the 19th-ranked European nation went on to win 6–5 in a dramatic penalty shootout.

In typically understated fashion, the 31–year–old Hearn — playing in the German Bundesliga with USV Jena — described how her landmark goal came about.

“It was on a counter and came from Ria (Percival),” Hearn said.

“There was a ball over the top, the ‘keeper came out and I headed it over her and I just connected with it on the half–volley.”

So focussed on her role within the Football Ferns team Hearn, playing in her 109th game for her country, said she had no idea the historic total was even within reach at the tournament.

“It’s something you don’t count yourself, you don’t really know your own statistics. It’s definitely an achievement and I’m proud of it but I was definitely unaware of it.”

Hearn’s international coach Tony Readings was more effusive of his striker, saying her goal total is no accident.

“It’s a massive achievement for Amber and is a credit to how hard she trains day in and day out,” Readings said.

“To get 50 goals for your country, there aren’t many players who have done that, and she is the first in New Zealand.

“It’s testament to her excellent work ethic and we want to be in a position where she can add more goals to that tally as we get closer to the Olympics and at Rio.” — Story courtesy of nzfootball.co.nz

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Katie Duncan and Amber Hearn become the latest players to join the Ferns 100 Club. They were presented with caps to mark their achievement by NZ Football Chief Executive Andy Martin and executive member Sue Jenkins. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

Welfare fund for Ferns A NEW PLAYER welfare initiative will support members of the Football Ferns who compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

New Zealand Football (NZF), New Zealand Players Football Association (NZPFA) and New Zealand Football Foundation (NZFF) have joined forces to create the player welfare fund.

With the considerable demands being placed on the players in the build–up to Rio, where the Ferns are targeting medal success, the initiative is designed to provide extra bespoke financial support to players not able to hold down employment during the intense training period.

Both the NZPFA and the NZFF have provided grants of $60,000 to NZF towards this initiative

demonstrating just how important player welfare is deemed by all three parties.

New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andy Martin said: “It isn’t easy for those Ferns based in New Zealand competing for a place in the squad for Rio. They are required to train full-time which presents challenges for them in securing funds to meet the costs of living.”

The Chairman of the NZPFA Harry Ngata said: “We are delighted that all key stakeholders have contributed to this initiative to support our elite players. In what is such an important year for the Ferns, it is imperative that their preparation for Rio is

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not jeopardised in any way. The contribution and continual support from the NZPFA, NZFF and NZF will ensure our players are in the best possible shape to perform and win on the international stage.”

Chairman of the NZ Football Foundation Mark Stewart said: “We are delighted to approve this grant.

Since the Foundation’s inception in 2010, the Foundation has approved over 170 grants, totalling more than $1.3 million being allocated to develop the game of football in New Zealand. The Fern’s preparation application was an easy one to consider and we had no hesitation in granting approval.”

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SPECIAL FEATURE

NZ Football’s quiet leader DERYCK SHAW recently completed his first year as president of NZ Football — a tumultous year for global football with changes at FIFA and the need to rebuild relationships within Oceania. FANZ editor Josh Easby finds out more about the man at the helm ...

Deryck Shaw has enough letters after his name to start his own Scrabble club.

As well as the ONZ (Member of the Order of New Zealand) he received in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday honours list, he can add the letters B.Sc. (Waikato), Dip. Nat.Res. (Canterbury), M.Appl.

Sc. (Hons) (Canterbury), AFNZIM, MNZAE, MNZPI, MRNZS, MMRSNZ, MNZInstD, MNZRA.* They represent a lifetime of achievement in academia, business and community. On paper, at least, he brings to the presidency of New Zealand Football an impressive list of credentials for governance.

But does he understand the offside rule and or know what it’s like to put up nets on a wet winter’s morning?

Shaw, who turns 60 this year, smiles and acknowledges he needs to put forward the credentials that will help the football community understand where the “new guy” has come from.

“I’ve come through the typical route of club football where I did

the lot from coaching juniors, to refereeing and ending up as a club chairman,” he says.

As a university student at Lincoln University, he considered himself an “average footballer” whose favourite form of the game was indoor (his team won the university competition one year, providing the highlight of his time as a player).

His real passion for football developed when his three sons, Nelson, Olly and Jeremy, began playing the sport at Glenholme Primary School in Rotorua, where Shaw and his wife Sally had settled while he started to build his consultancy business.

Once the boys started playing, the Shaws found themselves increasingly involved with the Central Junior Club, which was aligned to the Glenholme school.

“And yes, we did put up the nets, and I did find myself refereeing, coaching and doing just about everything else we expect volunteers to do at club level,” he recalls.

Shaw’s track record shows that when he has a go at something, he doesn’t stop until he’s had chance to make a real difference.

His commitment to Rotorua and some of its key community organisations has seen him make the most of his background in economic and business development, market research and resource management.

He’s been the chair of the Lakes District Health Board since 2010.

He’s deputy chair of the Te Puia New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute where he’s been on the board since 2007.

* For those who wonder what the letters after Shaw’s name represent, he has a Bachelor of Science, majoring in biological and earth sciences. He holds professional memberships with the New Zealand Institute of Management, the Royal Society of New Zealand, the New Zealand Planning Institute, The Market Research Society of New Zealand and the New Zealand Association of Economists.

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From Rotorua to Mexico — Shaw led the New Zealand representation at the FIFA World Congress held in Mexico in May, at which new President Gianni Infantino promised global reform in the way the sport is run. Photograph: FIFA.

He previously chaired the Waiariki Institute of Technology board for eight years, and spent five years on the board for the Institute of Technology and Polytechnics of New Zealand, including a year as vice president. And he’s been on the national executive of the District Health Boards of New Zealand.

In 2014, he was named Rotorua Businessperson of the Year, an honour he’s particularly proud of.

As Shaw concedes, he doesn’t do anything by halves.

So it was with football.

His experience with the Central juniors led to his work with Rotorua United where he was chairman for seven years. From there, he put himself forward as a member of the board running WaiBOP Football, the federation responsible for the 13,000 players and 106 affiliated schools and clubs in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

In December 2014, he was elected to the NZF Executive Committee, becoming the first WaiBOP–based representative since Bevan Clement was a councillor in the early 1990s.

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Patsi Davis, who was then chair of WaiBOP Football, said of Shaw: "He has a depth and breadth of governance, commercial and football experience and is ideally equipped to make a major contribution to the code at national level.

"Deryck has an extensive background in project management, an ability to think strategically about issues and a proven track record in analysing data in a decision–making context.

"Just as importantly for someone serving on a national executive, he has strong listening skills and a commitment to professional ethics.”

Shaw gave a couple of brief interviews upon his election, telling one reporter: "In many ways I am like a volunteer who puts the nets up on Saturday morning, but just working in a different sphere. I regard myself as one of the team, I do the best job I can for the game.

“But I am not there to spin my wheels. If I don't feel I am making a contribution at executive committee level, I will go.”

Shaw certainly didn’t spin his wheels. Little more than six months after joining the national body, he was elected president at the National Congress in Auckland in June 2015.

Outside of the Bay of Plenty, few in football knew who the new president was.

Unlike his two immediate predecessors, both of whom were former All Whites, Shaw’s football profile was low key — the man who had been flying beneath the radar.

For a few months, he was allowed to ease his way into the role without fuss or media attention.

The FIFA U–20 World Cup was seen by the public as a success, and the country’s U–17s and Ferns teams were getting results internationally.

Then came the uproar over the eligibility of players in the U–23 team trying to gain a place at the 2016 Olympic Games. Allegations of corruption within FIFA forced NZF to take a stance, opposing president Sepp Blatter. Relations between NZF and Oceania Football Confederation were strained.

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While Chief Executive Andy Martin took most of the heat, and High Performance Director Fred de Jong lost his job over the eligibility saga, Shaw too was having to get used to being the “guy at the top” who must in some way take some of the flak.

“It wasn’t an easy introduction to the role, I admit, and the things that dominated the publicity tended to overshadow what had otherwise been a positive year for the sport,” he said.

Despite the media attention and controversies, Shaw was still beneath the radar — not deliberately, but more, he says, because he prefers to work in the background, bringing people together and looking for a collaborative approach to problemsolving.

“I’m also a glass half–full person.

It’s amazing how many people start off by telling me that something we’re doing will never happen, or that change will only take place ‘over my dead body.’

“But I have worked in other sectors where over time, people and groups who said they would never make something work have eventually been brought together and they’ve achieved something not thought possible.”

Shaw says the style of his APR consultancy business has been to let others take the limelight and to work behind the scenes, trying to get people to work together.

In the football context, he says he wants his term as president to see greater collaboration between the national body, its seven federations, the professional football sector and groups such as Friends of Football.

The keys to bringing everyone together are having a collective vision and a strategic plan.

Shaw says the Beyond Football document produced by NZF in 2015 is largely an expression of the sport’s vision, a desire to find ways

for success to happen on a recurring basis and not just randomly (such as in 1982 and 2010 when the All Whites reached FIFA World Cup Finals).

The next tool will be a strategic plan that NZF developed in late 2015 and has been signed off by the board.

“I know we’ve got a job to do with the communication of that plan,” Shaw says.

Getting people to understand and buy into the sport’s grand plan will be crucial.

“I think we’ve got a lot of opportunities around the profile of football and we need to figure out how to make the most of them.”

For a man still only a year into his job, Shaw’s not pretending he’s got all the answers.

But he is making progress with asking the right questions and prides himself on being a good listener.

And he’ll be happy if football in New Zealand reaches new levels of performance and no one recalls who was president at the time …

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‘I have worked in other sectors where over time, people and groups who said they would never make something work have eventually been brought together and they’ve achieved something not thought possible.’

NZ Football President Deryck Shaw

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New FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Photograph: FIFA.

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ew Zealand’s qualification pathway for future World Cups could change markedly with new FIFA President Gianni Infantino promising he will look "very closely" at options.

The Swiss succeeded the deposed Sepp Blatter when he received 115 of the 207 of second round votes cast in the February election at an extraordinary congress in Zurich.

New Zealand Football President Deryck Shaw confirmed his body’s vote went to Infantino, the former European confederation secretary general.

Shaw said New Zealand’s vote had gone to Infantino because he was the best placed of five candidates to implement a reform package approved at the congress and designed to restore FIF’A’s flagging reputation, tarnished by ongoing scandals.

Other key elements of Infantino’s election platform were a US$5 million payment to each national association every five years and his support for increasing the number of teams at the men's World Cup from 32 to 40.

Shaw acknowledged that the possibility of an improved qualifying path for the All Whites had encouraged the New Zealand support for Infantino.

"The 40–team World Cup is something to be looked at, but that will require the consent of the new (36–member) council which 16

replaces the (old 24–member executive committee)," he told reporters on his return to New Zealand.

"The (proposal) is potentially looking at a direct slot for Oceania as part of that process.

"The other thing he is looking at very closely now is actually moving the half-slot that (Oceania) has into Asia. That is something that could happen relatively quickly. There is a lot of things like that to really make a difference for us."

The second option could see the Oceania winner go into the final 12 teams of Asian qualifying.

At present, the Oceania champion faces a home and away intercontinental play–off against an Asian, Central American or South American team to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Shaw stressed that Infantino would have "a lot of other things" of more immediate priority.

Leading that list was a reform process to modernise FIFA, making it more transparent and trustworthy.

Infantino's role on the FIFA reform committee was crucial to gaining NZF's support ahead of the candidate they previously supported, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.

"I've spoken to people on the committee that worked with (Infantino) and they said he was very, very active in that process.

"The difference, ultimately, was (his) ability to deliver on the reforms for the game in a very timely way.

Infantino just had a bit more detail around what he was going to do and he is already in the football environment delivering things now."

NZF was the sole member of the 11–nation Oceania confederation to not vote for Blatter at the previous election.

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LEARNING LEADERSHIP

The leadership philosophy of

PEP GUARDIOLA

By Mark Wager

THE CAREER of Pep Guardiola is a catalogue of success both as a player and as a coach. So what has made him so special?

While he was a player, Pep Guardiola played 47 times for Spain and won 17 trophies, including the European Cup and six national championships with FC Barcelona.

When he became a coach the trophies continued with three more Spanish league titles, again with Barcelona and two Champions League trophies among his collection of 17 trophies gained as a coach.

Today Pep Guardiola is widely considered to be the best coach in the world of football.

Pep Guardiola has always been a leader, but he is a rarity in the fact that he is a leader and a coach.

I deal with many leaders across a range of industries and they are great leaders but poor coaches because to be a great leader you need to know what leadership is yet in order to be a great coach you need to understand leadership.

You can be what you know but you can only teach what you understand and Pep Guardiola truly understands leadership which is why he has had so much success both as a player and more so as a coach.

It’s reasonable to argue that his leadership career has only just started because despite all his 18

success he is still only forty five years old.

Let’s explore the leadership philosophy that Pep Guardiola has implemented in order to be successful.

Define the essence of the team Organisations are now becoming more aware of the need to identify and promote the fundamental reason for the organisations existence or the “why” yet Pep Guardiola took this a step further by taking a particular belief system and aligning it to the mission objective.

Pep Guardiola didn’t just get his players to buy into the mission but into a particular way of playing.

Barcelona have always had a reputation for playing with flair.

For the fans, winning is not enough, you have to win with style.

When Pep Guardiola took over, the team became more disciplined with a much greater emphasis on possession football a style that became known as Tiki–taka.

Establish an objective greater than victory The most successful teams in all sports create a legacy that is greater than each individual victory. The All Blacks rugby team is a perfect FANZ: THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

Photo: Thomas Rodenbucher

example and so is Pep Guardiola’s work at Barcelona and more recently Bayern Munich.

No matter the victory on the pitch he never lets the players forget that they are part of a legacy that is much greater than they are.

This helps manage the ego of the individuals and further motivates the team because they realise that being the best is not enough, what matters is leaving a legacy.

It’s all about the culture When Pep Guardiola was given the coaching role at Barcelona he had just finished a successful season with the Barcelona B team.

His fist decision as first team coach was to say that several first team players, including its two main stars Ronaldinho and Deco, had no future at the club.

Many of the stars moved on and several young players from the successful B team moved up. Pep Guardiola realises that for a team

‘Gentleman, if you lose today you will continue to be the best in the world, but if you win today you will be eternal.’

— Pep Guardiola to be successful it needs to have a winning culture, a brotherhood of team members that are all winning to put the needs of the team ahead of the desires of the individual and anyone not wanting to buy into the culture have no future with that team.

Understand the team members Every effective leader knows that you have to have strong

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relationships with each and every member of the team yet few understand how to establish relationships with very different people.

Mark Wager is a leadership expert and keynote speaker. Mark designs and facilitates leadership development programmes. You can contact Mark at mark@eliteld.co.nz 19

Supercoach and leader Pep Guardiola.

Photograph: Harald Bischoff.

Pep Guardiola is known for understanding the ambitions and personality of each player and adapts his communication accordingly. Lionel Messi, the world’s best player was called up by Argentina to play at the Olympics much to the disappointment of FC Barcelona who didn’t want to risk their best player getting injured.

Pep went against the wishes of the club and supported Messi playing at the Olympics because he knew how important this was to Messi and the loyalty he would receive in return from the player.

Don’t criticise; instead, add value When things are not going well it’s difficult not to allow your emotions to overtake you and influence your decision making.

Successful leaders know that you can’t lose sight of the objective.

When things go bad your focus

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needs to remain on want needs to happen to correct performance and the diagnosis of how and why the situation happened and what can happen later.

When asked about this kind of situation Pep Guardiola replied “We’d never start telling them off.

If the game’s going badly you only earn credibility by correcting what they’re doing rather than shouting about it.”

Successful leadership is the same regardless of nationality or industry.

Anyone who wants to become a quality leader can’t ignore the lessons of leaders like Pep Guardiola who have achieved extraordinary levels of success.

By defining the essence of the team, creating an objective greater than victory, establishing a winning culture and understanding each member’s personal ambitions you too can lead a successful team.

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Grazie Mister Blogger ENZO GIORDANI on the champion of underdogs, Claudio Ranieri.

I DO HESITATE before adding to the piles and piles of stuff that’s already out there on Leicester City.

Amongst the last things the world needs today are more superlatives to describe their achievement, truly monumental though it is, emanating from bandwagon jumpers like me and 99% of the mainstream media who have only meaningfully written about four or five different English clubs in the last 20 years!

But it is a special achievement in the world of sport, and at the heart of it is a man I have held in the highest regard for the last five years — Claudio Ranieri.

Why only five years? Because five years ago he took over as manager of my favourite football club — AS Roma. And, like many Leicester fans were when he was unveiled as their manager, at the time I was completely underwhelmed.

He arrived at the end of the first tenure of our current coach, fan favourite Luciano Spalletti. We were replacing an exciting character who preached fun attacking football, with someone perceived as boring and old–fashioned. In his previous job at Juventus Ranieri had failed to win a trophy — a cardinal sin there — and his signings for ‘La Vecchia Signora’ uninspiringly consisted mostly of English Premier League cast–offs.

During his first press conference as Roma manager, he famously

quipped “I don’t do Champagne football” — a comment that was interpreted as a dig at his widely adored predecessor.

In his first few weeks at Roma, his saving grace was the fact that he’s a true Roman.

Born and bred in the working class neighbourhood of Testaccio, he played two seasons for Roma in the mid–seventies and describes himself as a Romanista.

After that, while he didn’t win any trophies at Roma, he certainly won us over with his ‘simpatico’ personality and the way he turned our languishing fortunes around.

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ENZO GIORDANI is the publisher of the popular blog In–The–Back–of– the–net: A Footballaholic in New Zealand (http:// in–the–back–of–the.net).

“I just love watching football, photographing it and writing about it.

So that’s what I do. I go to as many local games as I can, watch most of whatever New Zealand television deigns to broadcast, and when my beloved AS Roma is playing, I yell and scream at frozen pixelated blurs on the internet. Roughly twice a week I blog about the games I’ve been to and what football matters are at the forefront of my mind. I tend to write about the experience of being a fan more than the finer points of the game.”

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Claudio Ranieri (left) returns to Stamford Bridge where he was Chelsea’s manager before becoming a surprise choice for the lowly–rated Leicester City. Chelsea’s manager (right) is Gus Hiddink . Photograph: @cfcunofficial.

He only lost four times as manager in his first season at the Olimpico and, in conjunction with a run of 24 games unbeaten, this resulted in a final league position of second — just two points shy of delivering our club its fourth scudetto. We also finished runners–up in the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa that year.

He couldn’t repeat his success in his second season with us. He resigned on February 20, 2011, after a 4–3 loss at Genoa — our third on the trot – and was replaced by Vincenzo Montella.

In the final analysis of his stint with us, Ranieri just couldn’t shake that ‘always the bridesmaid never the bride’ tag that, to be fair, goes hand in hand with our club at times as well — which didn’t help.

The reaction of almost every Roma fan to his appointment at Leicester was “they’ll be thrilled with second!”

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Of course, he went on to exceed both our real expectations and the joke ones — and not for the first time.

From a Roma fan’s perspective, it has been such a joy to see his success.

His smiling face delivering such brilliant new Ranierisms from “YEEEEEEEES BIG REVENGE, I WANT TO KILL HIIIIIIM” to “DILLY DING DILLY DONG” made us remember why we loved him so much and still do. He is unquestionably one of the nice guys of world football.

It will be fascinating to see for how long he can, not to mention if he can, keep it going this time.

Lots of challenges await — not least building a squad capable of competing across multiple competitions with mid–week Champions League fixtures to factor in now.

I really hope he can do it though, because there is literally nobody in the world I would rather see achieve every success in life than Claudio Ranieri.

Except perhaps Spalletti.

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HERITAGE OF THE GAME

Barrow AFC’s Kiwi connection For almost 20 years, Palmerston North football fan Ralph Sheppard has been keeping supporters of English National League club Barrow informed through his email newsletter, the Holker Street Newsletter. It’s all part of a long tradition of New Zealand links with the club that plays in the fifth tier of English football.

Through Sheppard’s involvement with Barrow, the club’s match programme editor, Phil Yelland, shares with us this article he wrote for Barrow’s game against FC Halifax Town.

By Phil Yelland

B

ack in August last year, we signed winger Benjamin van den Broek who has since won a cap for New Zealand. Ralph Sheppard, who many of you will know from the internet Holker Street Newsletter, then suggested I might like to tell people of a number of former Bluebirds who have gone on to play football in New Zealand.

The first of the famous five — it could be six but I’ll come back to that — was Tom McNab who was born in Baillieston, a suburb of Glasgow, in 1933. He joined Partick Thistle in December 1951.

In those days, Thistle played in the old First (top) Division and he played 18 first–team games before National Service intervened. He joined the RAF and played games for Nottingham Forest Reserves

before joining Thistle again in June 1955. Over the next two years, he struggled to get out of the Thistle Reserves team, making just twelve first–team appearances. So in March of 1957, he joined Wrexham in Division Three North for a reported fee of £2,500. He spent two years in North Wales before joining Barrow in March 1959 for a small fee, having played 43 League games for Wrexham and also collecting a Welsh Cup winner’s medal. He made his Barrow debut in a 1–0 home win over Crystal Palace and made eight appearances over the rest of the season. The following term he was a midfield regular for the first half of the season but then dropped out of the reckoning having played 26 games and scoring three times.

Tom made a further eleven appearances for the club in 1960– 61, playing his last game on the final day of the season in a 3–1 home win

over Stockport County. Tom moved back to Scotland to join Second Division side East Stirlingshire in the summer of 1961 and helped the Falkirk–based club to promotion to the old First Division in 1963. He played 83 times for them.

One year later he emigrated to New Zealand, joined the Eastern Suburbs club in Auckland as player–coach and led them to three National Cup Finals and a National League title, as well as two Northern League titles. He spent nine years with the club and then finished his career with Metro College AFC. An accident at work finished his playing career and ultimately left him wheelchair bound.

He won five New Zealand caps playing in central defence, the first coming against Australia in November 1967, and made his final appearance against New Caledonia just under two years later. In 1983,

The home of Barrow AFC. he presented a trophy to be played for between Auckland and Franklin (later Counties–Manukau). He died in 2006.

Liverpool–born goalkeeper Phil Dando was one of our first ever loan signings. He joined us early in 1970–71 and made his debut in the club’s first Division Four win of that season — 3–2 at Southend United on November 6. He played a total of ten games for us, without keeping a clean-sheet, before returning to Liverpool in January 1971. He never played a first-team game for Liverpool and even a spell on loan with Bury in 1971 failed to yield another League appearance.

In the summer of 1972, he moved to New Zealand to play for Christchurch United and during his five-year stint with the South Island team he won two New Zealand caps.

In 1977, he moved to Australia and made 23 appearances for Brisbane Lions before joining Newcastle KB United where he played 113 times.

He finished his career with Nelson United back in New Zealand, having moved there in 1983 and played for the club for five more years. His two international appearances were against Iran in a 0–0 draw in August 24

1973 and against Macao in a draw two years later.

Sam Malcolmson was born in Scotland, although he made his first senior appearances for Falmouth Town in the Western League when serving in the Royal Navy. He made a single appearance for Airdrieonians in 1971, before having a spell with Portadown in Northern Ireland. He then joined Queen of the South, making eight appearances. In those days Sam, who was, I think, a schoolteacher, mainly played in attack.

In March 1973, Barrow player– manager Peter Kane, who was still based in Clydebank, signed Malcolmson along with winger Willie Borland from St Mirren.

Malcolmson made his debut at Skelmersdale United, scoring his only Barrow goal in a 2–2 draw.

Work commitments normally ruled him out of midweek games and he played just seven times for us before leaving in the summer of 1973. He scored once in 25 outings for Albion Rovers in the Scottish Second Division the following season before emigrating.

His first club in New Zealand in 1974–75 was Wellington Diamond

and he then had a spell with Stop Out before joining Eastern Suburbs, Tom McNab’s former club, in Auckland in 1979. In 1981, he joined Manurewa and a year later moved to East Coast Boys. In 1982, he was named in the New Zealand World Cup Finals squad for Spain, meriting column inches in several Scottish papers and he was now playing in central defence.

Sam began his international career with New Zealand in attack, making his debut in a 2–0 win over Burma in 1976, celebrating with a goal. His only appearance in the World Cup Finals came against his native Scotland. I remember watching the game, which Scotland won 5–2, and thinking he was good in the air but slow on the ground.

Ralph Sheppard tells me he still pops up as a TV pundit from time to time.

From a Barrow point of view, if you blinked you were likely to have missed Leo Bertos’ one and only appearance for us which came at the start of November 2005. Lee Turnbull’s team had been stripped to the bone through injuries and Bertos, who had been released by Chester, agreed to play a game to FANZ: THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

HERITAGE OF THE GAME help out, appearing in a 2–2 draw at Holker Street against Moor Green.

Born in Wellington, Bertos had begun his career in New Zealand with Wellington Olympic and scored seven times in 48 games before coming to England in 2000. He scored once in twelve appearances for Barnsley before a successful two–year spell with Rochdale, where he scored thirteen times in 82 games. He played five times for Chester City before joining us and then moved on to York City (four games), Scarborough (like us, one game) and then Worksop Town (seven games and two goals).

He returned “Down Under” in 2006 and joined Perth Glory in the “A” League and scored once in 35 games over two years before returning to New Zealand. He joined Wellington Phoenix and spent six years with the club, making 127 appearances, scoring nine times.

He joined East Bengal in the Indian Premier League in 2014 and made eleven appearances followed by a four–game loan with North East United. Over a ten–year period, Leo made 56 appearances for his country, as well as featuring for the U–23 team (5 games, one goal) and the Futsal team (2 appearances, one goal).

Then there is the case of Scott Smith who is worth mentioning because he was set to sign for us having played in a pre–season game against Dundee in 1997. At the time he was a New Zealand U–23 international and had been persuaded to have a game for Barrow by goalkeeper Steve Farrelly who had played with him at Rotherham United.

Born in Christchurch, Smith made 36 appearances for the Millers from 1993 to 1997 when he was released.

After trialling with us, he had a six– game stint with Kettering Town before joining Woking, playing 186 games, and the switching to Kingstonian in 2003.

One season and 44 games saw a move to Basingstoke Town but he had a loan spell back with Kingstonian before joining them permanently.

Then he played 23 times for Bisley Sports in the Hellenic League. He made 28 appearances for his country, winning his first cap against Chile in 1998 and his final one against France in the Confederations Cup in 2003. He is unusual because he won all his international caps whilst playing abroad.

So that’s our New Zealand connection — at least for now.

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Leo Bertos ... 56 games for the All Whites, but one appearance for Barrow AFC maintained a fifty–year connection between New Zealand and the Cumbrian town of Barrow–in–Furness.

Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

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A DAY ON THE GOLF COURSE EVENT: Friends of Football Golf Day VENUE: Akarana Golf Club, Auckland

More than 30 teams of football enthusiasts took to the golf course in April forthe Friends of Football second annual charity golf day.

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FOSTERING FRIENDSHIP

The $32,000 SsangYong Tivoli car was up for grabs to any player who struck a hole–in–one on the third hole. It didn’t find a winner this year but we’re sure to have more great prizes for next year’s tournament.

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Friends of Football thanks New Zealand Football for its promotion and support of its second annual charity golf day.

We also thank all the sponsors who donated prizes, and especially Sleepyhead and SsangYong.

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THE WINNING team at this year’s Golf Day was Hickey’s Hackers, led by former All White Noah Hickey, who won a $1,200 Nike prize pack. Second home were Team Cicero, winners of Sleepyhead duvets and pillows worth $600. Third were Team Chant who won$400 of SsanYong products.

Dave Chant won $250 from YHI NZ Ltd for landing nearest the pin on hole 11, while Sonny Te Kanawa won a magnum of Moet Champagne (donated by Global Cargo Solutions) for getting closest to the pin on hole 8. Greg Watson won two dozen Nike golf balls for being the closest on hole 16.

Friends of Football are grateful to the following sponsors who donated other prizes on the day: Coleman Camping, Hurricane Press, The Golf House, Soccer Scene, Titirangi GolfClub, The Golf House, HRG Executive Travel, Marcus Wheelhouse, Auckland Tennis, Vodafone Warriors, Fieldhouse and the TAB.

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FOSTERING FRIENDSHIP A DAY AT THE RACES EVENT: Friends of Football Race Day VENUE: Avondale Racecourse, Auckland

ABOUT FORTY football enthusiasts had a relaxing day at the races when Friends of Football sponsored the July 15 mid–winter raceday at Avondale Racecourse in Auckland.

Members of Friends of Football and their guests enjoyed a sumptious lunch in the top floor function room of the main stand.

Princess Raaj ran home the winner of the Friends of Football Maiden 1600, returning a $27 dividend for her supporters a ­ nd spearheading a $63,000 dividend for the First Four.

If anyone in the Friends of Football party struck the big divvy, they managed to remain remarkably quiet about it ...

The outing was the second race day held by Friends of Football at Avondale and is part of our group’s efforts to bring football enthusiasts together, and not just at football–related events.

PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS ISSUE Unless otherwise stated, all the photographs in this magazine are the work of Phototek’s Shane Wenzlick, the Official Photographer to Friends of Football.

We are grateful to Shane for giving us access to his photographic library.

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RECOGNISING ACHIEVEMENT

M

cDonald’s and New Zealand Football are to reward junior coaches by running a Coach of the Year competition with the national winner receiving a trip for two to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Every year, more than 6,000 coaches volunteer their time to help kiwi kids “kick start” their football dreams. They spend their weekends coaching local teams and making sure children get active, develop their football skills and, most importantly, have fun.

Nominations are encouraged for positive behaviour both on and off the pitch, including supporting players positively from the touchline, introducing new players to the game and helping out in their local community.

Regional winners will receive a coaching equipment pack to use for training and games and will be entered into a draw for the national winner. The national Coach of the Year winner will receive the amazing football experience in Japan, including a behind-thescenes look at Auckland City FC’s preparation for the world’s premier club tournament.

“As the primary supporter of junior football, McDonald’s are delighted to be offering a competition for Coach of the Year,” says Simon Kenny, Head of Communications for McDonald’s NZ. “As a junior football coach myself, I recognise the importance of the coaching role and understand the commitment that is involved throughout the season. Whether children want to have fun, make new friends or follow in the footsteps of their heroes on the world stage, junior football coaches support them to kick start their dreams.”

New Zealand Football Junior Development Manager Owain 30

Prosser is pleased to be able to recognise the efforts of the country’s volunteer coaches and believes they have a vital part to play.

“Volunteer coaches are key to helping young footballers fall in love with the game,” he says.

“Their role is to help children have a positive experience at an early age, igniting a passion for the game and learning skills that will be with them for life. New Zealand Football are delighted that McDonald’s are rewarding our junior football

coaches, valuing the high-quality work they do and the sacrifices they make.”

You can nominate your team’s junior football coach by clicking here (please make sure you download the form onto your computer before filling out the information or the process may not work properly).

Nominations are open until August 12 with the regional winners to be announced the following week and the national winner on August 26.

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RECOGNISING ACHIEVEMENT

Honours list for Bowden F

ormer Football Ferns midfielder Hayley Bowden has been awarded the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to football.

Bowden, who retired from international play after 92 appearances for her country last year, becomes one of the youngest New Zealanders, at 32, to receive the award.

She had managed to balance the challenges of motherhood with international and professional football careers, acting as an inspiration to other aspiring athletes.

Bowden’s ability as a player first became apparent at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States, leading to her landing a professional contract with Ottawa Fury in Canada.

From there she moved to the United Kingdom and a place with the Chelsea squad in the FA Women’s Super League.

A transfer to Lincoln City followed and then a move to Japan and a pro contract with Iwata Bonita.

Bowden’s international career included appearances at the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and she participated at the 2008 and 2012 London Olympics when the Football Ferns reached the quarterfinals.

When she announced her retirement last year, Football Ferns coach Tony Readings said: “Words can’t do justice to the impact Hayley has had on the team.

“She has been in the squad for over 10 years and the transformation the team has made in that time has been pretty incredible.

“Hayley was part of the teams that did get beaten heavily and she has been part of these recent teams.

“It shows the character and the ability of someone who can keep improving her performance to keep track over that period of time.”

Bowden was awarded her ONZOM in the New Year Honours List.

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OBITUARY TREVOR DIAMOND, one of Eastern Suburbs’ most dedicated advocates, has died after a long illness.

His death broke an 82–year family link with the club as Trevor's father Selwyn was one of the club’s founders in 1934.

For 50 years, Diamond played for various Suburbs teams, playing 151 first team matches and winning a Chatham Cup. In 1974 he was made a life member of the club and became Patron of the Club in 2008.

He coached and managed teams and joined the club management committee, being the club‘s delegate to the Auckland Football Association.

He is survived by his wife Pat and his 2 daughters Tracey and Lisa and families.

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OBITUARIES

Football loses one of its best

Ron Harries, MNZM (1934–2016)

Auckland stalwart passes on AN AUCKLAND football stalwart, Mt Albert–Ponsonby’s Mick King, died early this year after a long illness.

A Life Member a the club, Mick had carried out most roles in the club from coaching, team management and being club President and Chairman.

Mick’s three sons (Paul, Mark and Stu) all played at Mt Albert– Ponsonby and he leaves his wife Anne, to whom he had been married for 50 years.

ONE OF New Zealand’s greatest football referees, Ron Harries, died early this year, aged 82.

Harries (left) was a former President of the New Zealand Football Referees’ Association and a Life Member of New Zealand Football and of Capital Football.

He was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009 in recognition of his services to football.

After retiring from his career with the New Zealand Government Printing Office, Harries was a keen follower of golf and was a Life Member of the Miramar Golf Club.

He died in January at his home in Wellington.

Harries first took up the whistle in 1963 after arriving from the

Falkland Islands via South Africa in 1960.

He rose rapidly through the ranks and was on the initial list of National League referees when the competition began in 1970.

Having refereed the 1972 Chatham Cup Final, he achieved his FIFA referee badge and refereed nine international matches.

Following his retirement from refereeing in 1979, Harries continued his involvement in the game as an inspector, instructor and administrator, holding most administrative positions within the Wellington (now Capital Football) and New Zealand Football structures, including a stint as chairman of the New Zealand Football Referees Association.

A ‘character’ who will be missed CONTROVERSIAL character Dave Cook has died from cancer.

Cook was the chairman of Mount Maunganui FC, helping take the club from lowly ranks of local football to almost taking the country’s national championship and Chatham Cup. In recent years, he was the backer and chairman of Northern League club AFC Fury, and became known for his high profile tangles with football’s rules and hierarchy.

An excellent tribute to Cook, written by Cordwainer Bull, appears at the blog In the Back of the Net. Dave Cook. Photograph: Enzo Giordani.

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F ANZ

THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE ALL WHITES

Stage 3 OFC Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup November 7–15, 2016 New Zealand vs New Caledonia New Caledonia vs New Zealand March 20–28, 2017 Fiji vs New Zealand New Zealand vs Fiji August 28–September 5, 2017 Two-legged final (Winner of Group A vs Winner of Group B) Winner plays fifth–placed team from South American qualifying competition.

June 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Russia

INTERNATIONAL DIARY Getting behind our national teams

Tournament ‘success’ The 2015 FIFA U–20 World Cup was a success for New Zealand as much as it was for the sport.

A debrief report released by the tournament’s organisers shows more than 300,000 spectators attended games and more than a million people watched them on television.

The report also revealed a range of benefits to the national economy as a result of visitors coming to New Zealand for the tournament.

The report shows: * An increase in national GDP of $30.42m providing a 134% return on national investment. * More than 50,000 bed nights resulting from international visitors to New Zealand.

* Around 301,274 spectators, including sold out matches for the first game and the final. * A gross operating surplus of over $2.1m. * A total of $5m investment in infrastructure for New Zealand Football, including playing fields and equipment, particularly by rebuilding football pitches in Christchurch. * An increase of 13.4% in youth football participation in 2015. * More than 1,000 new volunteers with an interest in volunteering again to support in New Zealand.

WOMEN’S U–20

MEN’S U–20

FOOTBALL FERNS NEW ZEALAND’S national women’s team heads to Brazil in August for the 2016 Olympic Games.

They will play in Group G and aim to be one of the two sides to qualify for the knockout stages.

They have been drawn to play current world champions United States, France (ranked 3rd in the FIFA world rankings) and Colombia (ranked 24th).

Group G fixtures Wednesday August 3 at Belo Horizonte United States v New Zealand Saturday August 6 at Belo Horizonte Colombia v New Zealand Tuesday August 9 at Salvador New Zealand v France

2016 FIFA Women’s U–20 World Cup 2016 OFC U-20 Championship Tournament to be played at Port Tournament to be played at at Moresby, Papua New Guinea Port Vila and Luganville, Vanuatu September 3–17, 2016 Group C Group A November 14, 2016 Vanuatu Ghana v New Zealand Fiji Papua New Guinea November 17, 2016 New Caledonia New Zealand v United States Group B November 21, 2016 Tahiti New Zealand v France Solomon Islands New Zealand The top two teams from the group Preliminary Winners (TBC) proceed to the knockout stages of the tournament.

The OFC U–20 Championship is the region’s premier youth competition and, for the first time, the 2016 edition will offer two berths for Oceania at the FIFA U–20 World Cup.

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F ANZ

AROUND THE COUNTRY News from football’s regions

THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

STEPHEN FLETCHER has been made a Life Member of Northern Football in recognition of his dedication to football. Having helped to establish the Northern Football Referee Group in 2000, Fletcher has provided referee coaching and assessments to other referees for 16 consecutive seasons, and found time to referee at least one game a week.

A former chair of the referees’ group, Fletcher received a standing ovation at Northern Football’s AGM. Federation President Alan Yates said: “I have known him for many years both on and off the field, and the respect that Stephen has earned over his years in our community is fantastic.”

AUCKLAND FOOTBALL has made a number of changes to its management team with experienced sports administrator Bill MacGowan arriving as Interim Chief Executive. His arrival follows the completion of Don Manase’s contract.

Phillip Mairs has been appointed as the federation’s accountant and Gordon Watson is the new communications officer, replacing Daniel Markham who has joined NZ Football.

Auckland Football Chairman John Macleod welcomed MacGowan to his role, saying his vast experience would be an asset.

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WAIBOP FOOTBALL have appointed Jasmine Quilligan as their Women’s Development Officer, replacing Holly Nixon who has left WaiBOP for a national role with New Zealand Football.

Jasmine has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree in Community Sport and Physical Activity Development from the University of Cumbria (Lancaster, England). She is a qualified Coach to FA Level 1, NZ Level 1, NZ Senior Level 1, and is currently completing her NZ Senior level 2 course.

Jasmine has spent some time in USA, where she led coach education sessions.

MANAWATU’S Rod Pelosi has been made a New Zealand Football life member. Pelosi (74) has been a stalwart of Central Football and, particularly in the past 20 years, heavily involved with referees.

“It’s a bit special,” he said.

He has been NZF’s chairman on the referees committee and referee appointments panel since 2002 and has recently started as an assessor.

VETERAN REFEREE and former Capital Football board member Jim Murphy has been made a Life Member. Best known as a referee, he has officiated more than 450 matches in his career, excluding

National League, Chatham Cup, local competitions, tournaments, summer leagues and more.

Former Capital Football chair Chris Canton has also been made a Life Member of the Federation, recognising his contribution to football in the Hutt Valley and greater Wellington region.

MAINLAND FOOTBALL have appointed Football Fern Annalie Longo and age group representative Ashleigh Ward in a shared role as its Women’s Development Officer (WDO). “Both are young and close to the international scene, as well as having experience in the USA, NZ National League with The Pride and are multiple winners of the local Premier League.” says Alan Walker, Mainland Football’s Development Manager.

FOOTBALL SOUTH is seeking applicants for an experienced full time Football Development Officer in the South Canterbury region.

Based in Timaru, the South Canterbury Football Development Officer will play a vital role in developing players, coaches and the game during the continued rollout of a national plan which aims to build further on the quality of the football experience throughout New Zealand.

The appointee will be contracted for two years.

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FURTHER AFIELD What’s happening in Oceania

THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

New format on the cards

Auckland City captain Angel Berlanga (centre) receives the 2016 OFC Champions League trophy from NZ Football President Deryck Shaw (left) and OFC President David Chung. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

A NEW AND expanded format that will take Oceania’s premier international club competition across the Pacific is on the cards for the 2017 OFC Champions League.

For the past two years, the competition has been hosted in a single venue but that is set to change in 2017 after the OFC Executive Committee approved a format that will split the competition into four stages.

Stage 1 will be the Preliminary Competition for the national league champions of American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga which will open the competition calendar in 2017.

For the first time, two teams from this competition will progress to Stage 2, the Group Stage of the OFC Champions League, both the preliminary winner and the runnerup.

In another first for the competition, Stage 2 will be contested by 16 teams — two each from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, New

Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu — which will be drawn into four groups, each one hosted in a different venue.

A round–robin league system will be adopted to determine the top team in each group, the four teams will progress to Stage 3, or the semi–finals.

A draw will be held involving the four qualified teams to determine their respective opponents for the home–and–away semi–final with the winners progressing to the fourth and final stage.

The two–match home–and–away final will determine the winner of the 2017 OFC Champions League and the OFC representative at the FIFA Club World Cup 2017.

The OFC Champions League is the Confederation’s premier international club competition

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and brings together the top teams from around the Pacific to compete for the crown of regional club champion.

The 2017 tournament will be the 15th edition of this prestigious event which offers a much–coveted prize — qualification to the FIFA Club World Cup. Defending champions Auckland City FC will be chasing their ninth regional title, in a competition that has largely been dominated by themselves and Waitakere United.

Papua New Guinea club Hekari United became the first club outside of New Zealand or Australia to claim the prize with their 2010 victory, while Sydney FC, Wollongong Wolves and South Melbourne also have their place in the history books.

— Story courtesy of www.oceaniafootball.com

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AUCKLAND CITY 2016 OFC CHAMPIONS FANZ: THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE

Auckland City players celebrate their victory against Team Wellington in the final of the OFC Champions League at QBE Stadium, Albany. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick.

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Football Dad The wet socks FOOTBALL DAD’S foot stank.

Hunched in a kitchen chair, he slowly peeled off a mud-and-watersoaked Merino sock.

‘Yuck,’ he muttered, followed quickly by a word that rhymed … with multiple meanings.

‘We wonnnnnnnn!!!!!!’ screamed the Youngest One, tearing through the kitchen faster than she had moved all morning.

‘Maaaaammmmaaaaaaa ... we won, and I scored a goal!!!!!! And I smashed this really horrible girl in a tackle!’

The stinky sock was down past Football Dad’s ankle. The dog – believed responsible for the six bite marks in Football Dad’s left gumboot – was nowhere to be seen.

‘I scored a gooaaaaaaalllllllll!’

The excited girl ran through the house again, slid across the kitchen floor, and in one motion swung open the fridge door, grabbing the 2-litre juice bottle just a little too precariously for Football Dad’s liking.

Football Mum appeared at the kitchen door, looking puzzled.

‘Really?’ whispered Football Mum. ‘She scored a goal? Really?’

Football Dad nodded, halfsmiling.

They’d spoken about it the night before, in bed.

Neither parent thought she was capable, not in her first game anyway.

‘Won’t happen,’ Football Mum had said. ‘Not from what I have seen.’

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‘Seriously, odds are massive,’ Football Dad had chuckled. ‘She only managed one in 10 attempts against the ‘keeper at training last night.’

An excited, confident, glowing, beautiful 9-year-old slammed the fridge door with added conviction, grabbing a banana from a bowl.

‘You owe me 20 bucks,’ she said, pointing an accusatory banana at Football Dad. ‘You said yesterday morning … “$20 if you score on

‘How does a kid with two left feet score?’ she hissed, oozing teenage bad attitude.’ debut, darling”…you did, you did, you said that.’

The wet sock hit the floor with a squelch. To Football Dad – hangover downgraded to a seven out of 10 – it still sounded like a sonic boom.

‘Did you not think I could do it, Dad?’ That question. And then the eyes.

A lump in the throat.

‘Shower time for goal-scorers,’ said Football Mum, shepherding the mud-caked child down the hallway. ‘C’mon dear.’

The Eldest One emerged at the

other end of the kitchen, clad in a dressing gown and a towel wrapped around her head.

‘How does a kid with two left feet score?’ she hissed, oozing teenage bad attitude. ‘I set up three goals for Charlotte today. Third one, she had nothing on without me giving her that perfect pass outside the box.’

Football Dad groaned.

‘Sweetheart ... ,’ he started. ‘She’s nine. It’s her first game. Be kind.

Don’t let your frustrations ruin her day.’

The Eldest One changed the subject, embarrassed.

‘I scored a goooooallllllll!’ came the muffled cry from the bathroom, inserting itself boldly into the conversation.

‘I need new boots,’ the teenager demanded. ‘There are some new Nike Mercurial out, and oh Dad… they perfectly match my strip.’

Football Dad groaned again, cast off a damp jacket, followed by a sweater, and further down the hall, his pants.

The Eldest One took her chance to groan.

‘Ewww, Dad, that’s gross! Yucky yucky yucky’ ‘I need sleep ... the boots ... ,’ he mumbled, stalled. ‘Go with your mother. I must sleep. Get your sister her $20.’

From the bathroom, another yelp: ‘A goallllllllllll! I scored a goal … yeeeeyahhhhhh!’

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FOOTBALL DAD A long–time writer, Football Dad’s identity has been a well–kept secret in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty where his Football Dad columns first appeared in the WaiBOP United magazine, The Range. Since then, the columns have been republished as an ebook .... revealing the author to be Jeff Neems. His book is available at www.amazon.com.

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FRIENDS Our aims & purpose FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL is an independent group of people with a common interest in sharing their love of the ‘beautiful game’ and its rich and proud history as the globe’s most popular team sport.

We’re passionate about protecting and promoting the positive aspects of the game to others — young and old — and the benefits it provides to the wider community.

Our Vision We’ll create opportunities for people to share their love of football without boundaries of age, colour/ ethnicity, gender or status.

Our Mission  To promote the positive aspects of football as widely as possible, particularly among young people.  To foster fellowship and a love for the game among friends spanning all spheres of football — playing, administering, officiating or supporting — from the cradle to the grave.

Our Goals/Objectives  To promote and enhance the profile of football through our membership.  To acknowledge and salute those who have made a significant contribution to NZ Football 40

 To encourage greater publicity and promotion for football at all levels and to support national men’s women’s and junior teams both at home and abroad  To foster social and business networking opportunities between members.  To generate the same passion and zeal for our national teams playing at home similar to cricket’s ‘Beige Brigade’ and the Phoenix ‘Yellow Fever.’  To develop a ‘home’ for football memorabilia which could, in time, become a showpiece for local and international visitors.  To provide a means to be able to offer talented juniors the opportunity to train and trial with a professional club in New Zealand or abroad.  To inspire talented young Kiwi male and female footballers through a connection with the game’s sporting icons.

Football’s Heritage We believe the heritage of our game should be nurtured and

HOW TO JOIN US It costs just $25 a year to be a member of Friends of Football.

To join, write to FoF Treasurer Barbara Cox, 38 Disraeli St, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024, or email details to b_cox@xtra.co.nz.

Send cheque made out to Friends of Football to Barbara (see address above), or you can pay by direct deposit (online or at any bank) to the Friends of Football bank account at the BNZ Dominion Rd branch: Account details: 02 0144 0285148 02 (please give your surname and initials as reference).

preserved, to recognise those who have contributed in the past and to inspire those in the future.

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OF FOOTBALL

The committee of Friends of Football. From left: Earle Thomas, Josh Easby, Armin Lindenberg, Sam Malcolmson, John Morris (chair), Brian Turner (founder), Barbara Cox (treasurer), Mark Burgess, Andrew Dewhurst. Photo: Shane Wenzlick.

Meet our committee

John Morris, ONZM, Chair A member of the Blockhouse Bay side which won the National League–Chatham Cup double in 1970, goalkeeper Morris represented New Zealand from 1970–73 and was Auckland Player of the Year 1977.

He gained NZFA Regional and NZFA Staff Coach certification, coaching school, regional and National League teams. He was NZ Football chair (2002–08) and was a member of FIFA’s Technical Committee.

After 20 years as Headmaster at Auckland Grammar School, he now works as an education consultant here and overseas.

Cathleen Bias, Committee Having worked for New Zealand Football between 2006 and 2015, Cathleen brings to our committee a thorough knowledge of the processes that drive the game in this country. Her work for NZF

Cathleen Bias.

covered projects and events, and overseeing Goalnet, the sport’s player database. She has also worked as team manager for the NZ U–17 women’s team and follows other sports, including BMX. Dr Barbara Cox, MBE,Treasurer A former captain of both New Zealand and Auckland Football representative teams. She has coached and administrated football at all levels of the game and has written extensively on the history of the women’s game in New Zealand.

She is currently CEO of the Bill McKinlay Park Trust and chairperson of University–Mt Wellington AFC .

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Brian Turner, Founder Debuting as a 16–year–old, Turner played 102 times for New Zealand, including 59 full internationals, between 1967 and 1982, and in three World Cup campaigns. He played professionally for Chelsea, Portsmouth and Brentford and was three times NZ Year Player of the Year, and three times Auckland Player of the Year.

As an assistant coach or manager, he took part in two World Cup campaigns, and was coach Ricki Herbert's assistant with the undefeated All Whites squad at the 2010 finals in South Africa.

He was admitted to football's Hall of Fame in 1995.

Sam Malcolmson, Committee A member of the 1982 All Whites who qualified for theWorld Cup finals in Spain, Malcolmson continues his involvement in football through media work and coaching school football in Auckland.

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He’s coached at senior level and been an administrator, utilising business skills gained with sports companies such as Adidas, New Balance, Umbro and Starter.

Armin Lindenberg, Committee During 18 years as a newspaper journalist, Lindenberg covered the 1981–82 World Cup campaign and two Olympic Games, winning NZ Sports Writer and Sports Journalist of the Year awards.

The last 25 years, he has worked as a communications consultant, specialising in media relations, corporate and stakeholder communication.

He is a Life Member of Eastern Suburbs AFC and of the NZ Sports Journalists Association, and a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand.

Mark Burgess, Committee A dual New Zealand international, Burgess played 50 cricket tests for his country and played once for the New Zealand football team (against Manchester United).

As a youngster, he was New Zealand Football Player of the Year in 1965, and represented the national U23 team.

In the 1990s, Burgess served on the national council of New Zealand Soccer (now NZF).

Andrew Dewhurst, Committee Andrew began broadcasting with The Radio Network in Wellington in the 1990’s before moving to Auckland as one of the original hosts on Radio Sport.

Now director of his own media and PR company Gracie Productions, Andrew splits his time between broadcasting with SKY Television as football and tennis commentator and managing sports clients such as the SKYCITY Breakers, Triathlon New Zealand, Basketball New Zealand and Badminton New Zealand.

He played National League (briefly) and Northern League football.

Earle Thomas, Committee Thomas played 49 times for New Zealand between 1967–80, scoring 19 goals, and he captained the All Whites 1975–76.

For his club Mt Wellington, he scored 99 goals in 187 games. He has held senior management roles with sportsgoods firms Spalding, Top Flite and Calloway.

He’s now a director of a sports importing business, and still coaches junior football.

Josh Easby, Committee Cambridge–based Easby has written about football for 40 years, editing books, match programmes, websites and since 1997, the daily email newsletter There’s Only One Arthur Bottom for fans of English League Two club York City (of which he is a former director).

He's on the committee at Cambridge FC where he coaches women’s football. He's the owner of book publishing company Hurricane Press and was deputy chair of Radio New Zealand until April 2016.

Steve Laus

Steve Laus, Committee Laus played more than 300 games at top level for various northern clubs including Bay Olympic, Central United, East Coast Bays and Onehunga Sports. He’s the North Island manager for a national auto parts supply company, and brings his commercial expertise as well as his knowledge of football to our committee.

PHOTOGRAPHER Phototek’s Shane Wenzlick is the Official Photographer to Friends of Football. We are grateful to Shane for giving us access to his photographic library for use in our publications and at our events.

A REMINDER TO FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL MEMBERS ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS are due (from September 1) and we urge members to pay as soon as possible to get the full year benefit.

Our committee has decided to hold the subscription at $25 to encourage growth of membership —it works out at less than 50 cents a week!

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You can pay either by sending a cheque (made out to Friends of Football) for $25 to: Barbara Cox, Treasurer, Friends of Football, 38 Disraeli St, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024 Or you can pay by direct deposit (online or at any bank) to the Friends of Football bank account.

We bank at the BNZ Dominion Rd branch.

Account details: 02–0144–0285148–02 Please give your surname and initials as reference.

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The best $25 you’ll spend in football

S

urely, there’s no better value in football than the $25 required to remain a financial member of Friends of Football.

We’ve held our subscription fee to this token amount since inception to encourage membership.

Friends of Football is now steadily growing with more than 100 paid– up members, and interest starting to grow outside of Auckland (where we began).

Your $25 provides you with many benefits:  Discounted prices to FoF events — you’ll save $14, for instance, on the price of a ticket to our Celebration of Excellence dinner in November.  Priority to special deals on tickets and functions at top football events (such as this year’s FIFA U–20 World Cup).  Preview copies of this magazine before it is made available to the public, and you can order hard copies at cost price.

Access to various Friends of Football events held throughout the year.

Our group is expanding the range of its activities all the time, looking to host events that foster friendship, recognise achievement or show support for the game in New Zealand.

During 2015, we held our first golf day, hosted several social events, staged a lunch in Cambridge and attended matches together.

Subscriptions are due from September 1 each year and can be paid either by sending a cheque (made out to Friends of Football) for $25 to: Barbara Cox, Treasurer, Friends of Football, 38 Disraeli St, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024.

Or you can pay by direct deposit (online or at any bank) to the Friends of Football bank account at the BNZ Dominion Rd branch: Account details: 02 0144 0285148 02 (please give your surname and initials as reference). 

Our members and supporters keep in touch through our Facebook group which you can find at: facebook.com/ friends of football nz

WWW.FRIENDSOFFOOTBALLNZ.COM Friends of Football keeps members up to date through its website, designed and edited by Dwayne Barlow, a long–time football enthusiast based in Matamata.

PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS ISSUE Unless otherwise stated, all the photographs in this magazine are the work of Phototek’s Shane Wenzlick, the Official Photographer to Friends of Football.

We are grateful to Shane for giving us access to his photographic library.

To read the previous issues of FANZ, go to: http://issuu.com/hurricanepress

GET OFF THE GRASS

The final word from Sky Sport commentator Andrew Dewhurst I AM GOING against all of my own previous personal instincts and prior views on this but I wonder if the time has come to make changes to the way the game is played.

Euro ‘16 highlighted for me that maybe the critics have a point — the scoring system is simply too boring and not enough happens to keep fans and in particular, neutrals excited.

In the past I have dismissed such talk out of hand, I am a traditionalist and believe in the purity of the game — I think there are plenty of entertaining nil–nil draws and usually there is plenty in a game to keep people interested — but after Euro ‘16 I am waning and leaning towards the need for more goals.

In 51 games played there were a paltry 105 goals, and incredibly 24% of those goals came in just five high–scoring fixtures, leaving a measly 80 goals across the other 46 fixtures — BORING BORING FOOTBALL I can hear ringing out

around the world.

Portugal won the tournament scoring 9 goals in seven games — and winning just one of those games inside 90 minutes.

If the game can be changed and more goals scored as a result without affecting the purity of the game, surely that is a good thing.

Imagine if 4–all or 5–3 becomes as common as 0–0 or 1–0 today, isn’t that going to attract even more fans to the game, more sponsors, and broadcasters and take the game to even greater heights?

What then to do, here are some thoughts, perhaps you have some of your own you might like to contribute and we can list them in the next issue:

• Change to the offside law — perhaps even go as far as field hockey and eliminate offside all together. Not sure what the effect would be but worth a trial surely? It has worked in hockey.

• Make the goals bigger — sounds too simple but over time the goal has not changed while the size of players most certainly has.

The average height of the human male in industrialized countries has increased 10cm over the past 150 years — make the goal bigger by the same margin.

• Limit the number of players in the penalty area at set piece time — not sure where this came from but I am searching for things to try. Maybe in doing so give the attacking team a one player advantage — 4v3 might result in more goals and some interesting tactics!

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To read the previous issues of FANZ, go to: http://issuu.com/hurricanepress

FANZ: THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE