Farewell

Farewell |

Today I want to let you know that we will be saying ‘farewell’ to our Director of Football Kevin Ireland and First Team Coach Dan Cooke.

Kevin and Dan have been instrumental in lifting the culture and quality of our club’s offerings during the most extraordinary times. Kevin and Dan can be credited for the high-quality development programmes introduced to meet high standards set by the national New Zealand Football Association.

While we are disappointed to be losing them this year, we are extremely proud of what they have achieved in their time with our club. Since 2018, their expertise, experience and skills have navigated us through stringent requirements to become a high-quality club, and I know it’s not gone unnoticed by the wider football community, based on feedback I’ve received.

Kevin and his wife Moriah have made plans to return to Moriah’s home country (America) with their young son Kaiden, to be closer to family. However, I’m pleased to say that Kevin’s staying on with us until November.

The energy and camaraderie of our first team makes me proud, and I’m sure they will be disappointed with the news of Dan leaving, but will no doubt continue his legacy. Moving forward, Dan will be finishing his PhD research and continuing to support players to ‘reach their version of the World Cup’ through physical and mental skill training.

A huge thank you to Dan for his excellent leadership, commitment to the club and mentoring of our coaches and players. Dan was a popular figure around the club and will be greatly missed.

We wish them both every success in the future and can't wait to see what they achieve next.

Keep a look out for the announcement of our new Director of Football and First Team Coach coming very soon!

I hope everyone stays safe and well.

Russell Fisher

President