HERBET TAKES THE REINS

Friday February 25^th 2005

ALL WHITES CONFIRMED FOR LONDON APPOINTMENT

Distinguished former All White Ricki Herbert was today confirmed as new All Whites Head Coach by NZS CEO Graham Seatter at a press conference in Auckland.

New Zealand born and bred Herbert was also given his first assignment with a match against Australia confirmed for June 9^th in London.

In making the appointment Seatter made reference to the technical qualifications of Herbert but also spoke of the passion and commitment he brings to the role.

“Ricki is one of the proudest New Zealanders you could ever hope to meet. His drive and desire to see our teams succeed at all levels is there for all to see, I have no doubt he will bring that same desire to the national team and help instill a strong sense of pride and belief in his teams. Further to that the board was unanimous in their faith in Ricki’s ability to cope with the technical demands that the job brings – and they are considerable.”

Herbert’s CV is impressive, as a player and also in his quest to better himself as a coach. The former central defender is part way through gaining his UEFA A Coaching Licence after having already qualified to the highest level in New Zealand with the International Team Coaching Licence.

Herbert described the appointment as one of the more memorable and yet challenging moments in his career.

“I am honoured to be recognized by the Board in such a manner and to be given the responsibility of guiding our best players over the coming years. It is a responsibility I take very seriously and one I take on with the same pride and commitment I displayed whenever I wore the silver fern as a player, said Herbert.

“I am also acutely aware of the need to rebuild the All Whites after a disappointing 2004. The next few years offer a chance to do just that and to lay a solid foundation for future success. This is not about Ricki Herbert, this is about the team and what they mean to the success of our game.”

Herbert would not be drawn on who his assistants may be or his captain, other than to say he has clear thoughts on both.

“There will be no internal speculation on these or any other matters regarding the All Whites while I am coach. I have people in mind for key roles but until I talk directly to them and the appropriate process is followed, there will be no comment. I want to make that perfectly clear that I will not discuss such matters in the public domain until the people involved have been fully briefed, be they coaches, players, managers or medical staff. All will be given that respect.”

Herbert was prepared however to name three senior players he sees as being key to the future success of the team, naming Ryan Nelsen, Ivan Vicelich and Danny Hay as being the basis of the All Whites under his stewardship.

That first opportunity was confirmed by Graham Seatter as being in London on June 9^th against Australia. The match has been mooted for some time but has only been confirmed in recent days.

“I have made my desire clear for the national team to play more internationals and this is the first opportunity, said Seatter.

“While ideally we would be playing at home, matches in Europe make sense from a financial and a logistical point of view. The majority of our players are there so travel demands are reduced as is time away from clubs and clearly it is a considerably saving to our organisation. Our dialogue with Australia has been frank and positive and I would expect this to be the first of many such opportunities.”

Football Federation Australia CEO John O’Neil is looking forward to the clash of traditional rivals for a number of reasons.

“"We see the game as vital preparation for us ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany, said O’Neill.

"New Zealand is a traditional sporting rival of ours and matches between our two national teams are always highly competitive. Playing the game in London will allow the Australians and New Zealanders living in Europe the chance to see their national teams in action."

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport and negotiations are underway to provide a live radio commentary as well, both of which will fall into the early morning of Friday 10^th June in New Zealand.

New Zealand v Australia

Craven Cottage, Fulham

London

June 9^th

7pm KO (to be confirmed)

For further information, contact:

Andrew Dewhurst

021 535 501

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