Former Wellington Phoenix women’s head coach Natalie Lawrence has been appointed the New Zealand U-17 head coach.
She has also been appointed by New Zealand as their talent pathway manager to oversee women’s football development for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 cycle.
Prior to leading the Phoenix for the 2022-23 Liberty A-League role, she held the assistant coach role at the Phoenix and for the New Zealand U-20 women’s side.
The creation of the talent pathway manager role means New Zealand Football now have a dedicated resource to oversee youth development on both the women’s and men’s side of the game.
Keir Hansen, General Manager of High Performance at New Zealand Football, said:
“It is great to bring Nat back to New Zealand Football full-time in this exciting new role for the organisation.
“We know she will do a fantastic job creating opportunities for our best young players to thrive and progress to the elite level of the game.”
Natalie Lawrence said:
“I’m delighted to be back at New Zealand Football and can’t wait to start working with the next generation of players.
“With the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and of course, the Phoenix, this is a hugely exciting time for women’s football, and I look forward to getting involved in helping our best young talent establish themselves in the game.”
Lawrence will start the role immediately, starting with leading the U-17 team at the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship.
Lawrence will also be part of the Ford Football Ferns staff for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
