Newly-appointed head coach Steve Corica says one of his main priorities is identifying New Zealand players who should be signed for Auckland’s new A-League expansion club.
“It’s important we bring in New Zealand players,” he told NewstalkZB‘s Jason Pine.
“(There’s) definitely going to be a good blend of New Zealand players in there. It’s important for the league, and for the country itself, to get right behind them.”
Finding players, primarily in New Zealand and Auckland, was an immediate priority but he also needed to establish basics such as where the squad will train and play.
He had not had time to consider who would be in his coaching staff.
“This happened very quickly,” he said, saying he had only recently been approached by the yet-to-be-named club’s director of football, Terry McFlynn.
Since leaving Sydney FC in November, where he had spent 18 years as a player and coach, he had taken time out for personal development, visiting clubs and coaches overseas.
These included a trip to English club Tottenham Hotspur, whose manager is former Australia national head coach Ange Postecoglou, and a visit to Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinas, whose manager until November was former Socceroo Kevin Muscat.
Corica (50) said he had also visited English Premier League club Bournemouth, owned by the same backers as the new Auckland club.
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Listen to Steve Corica’s interview
Corica talked with Jason Pine for 11 minutes in his interview first broadcast on Saturday December 23, 2023.
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