Former 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.
Readings (47) will join from FIFA where he has been the Regional Technical Consultant for Oceania for the past three years.
Main photo: Tony Readings … brings international experience to his role. Photo credit: FIFA.
Also confirmed for the next FIFA World Cup cycle is 69-cap All White Simon Elliott who will continue 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 United States, joining with the team for FIFA international windows.
Before his role with FIFA, Readings spent 12 years with New Zealand Football, including being head coach of the Ford Football Ferns (2011-2017) and he spent 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.
All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley said:
“We are delighted to have Tony join the team as we build towards the FIFA World Cup qualifiers next year.
“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.”
Readings said:
“It is an exciting time to be back at New Zealand Football.
“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.”
READ MORE: All Whites to play DR Congo and Greece in upcoming international windows >>>>
Fixtures
October window
Game to be played on Saturday October 14, 2023 (NZT)
New Zealand v DR Congo
Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain, 5am (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday October 18, 2023 (NZT)
New Zealand v Australia
Gtech Community Stadium, London, 7.45am (NZT)
READ MORE: Brentford’s stadium to host October’s historic Soccer Ashes match >>>>
November window
Game to be played on Saturday November 18, 2023 (NZT)
Greece v New Zealand
OPAP Arena, Athens, Greece, 6am TBC (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday November 22, 2023 (NZT)
Ireland v New Zealand
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 8.45am (NZT)
READ MORE: All Whites to face Ireland in Dublin in November international window >>>>
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