Kris Ridley — who helped lead Southern United to the grand final of the Women’s National League — has joined Dunedin club Roslyn Wakari as men’s head coach.
Ridley (42) will lead Roslyn Wakari in next season’s Southern Premier League, a competition in which the club were runners-up last time out.
In the club’s announcement, Ridley said: “When offered to coach at Roslyn, a very welcoming club that has such a rich history that they are very proud of, which I absolutely respect, it was quite an easy process for me when signing.
“I love coaching football and connecting with players, who I’m pretty excited to meet and get to work with.
“I feel I can help the lads play exciting football, absolutely enjoy what we do, and hopefully finish as high in the league as possible.
“Nothing is easy when coming in as a new coach, and to such a historical club like Roslyn, but I absolutely love a challenge and I’ll be putting the work in to help build on what is already here and to create something special for the players, supporters and Roslyn as one.”
Roslyn Wakari reached the quarter-finals of the Chatham Cup last season and lost to Canterbury’s UC Football in a play-off to decide which side was promoted to the 2024 Southern League.
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Ridley, who joined Southern Football as its Football Development Officer last year, was appointed head coach of Southern United for the Women’s National League.
The squad, a composite side brought together for the competition, exceeded many expectations, reaching the grand final before losing to Auckland United.