new zealand

This book review by Player Development Project Magazine Editor, Dave Wright of the best-selling book, Legacy by James Kerr outlines some fantastic examples of best practice. In this summary of some of the key points, Dave gives his view on the value of this book and shares several core concepts that you can utilise in your environment. “Excellence is a process of evolution, of cumulative learning, of incremental improvement” In your own personal development, having a breadth of reading and a desire to look outside…

Former New Zealand footballer, Cameron Knowles may not be a household name but is journey is one of challenge and adaptation. From the bumpy fields of Auckland’s North Shore to the stadiums of MLS and defending against the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donovan, Cameron was somewhat of a late bloomer – working hard to overcome his lack of technical development through persistence, effort and intelligence.   With four years of college football at the University of Akron (including two MAC Conference Championships) and…

Manager of the New Zealand National Women’s Team, the Football Ferns, Tony Readings has come up against some giants of the women’s world game. Taking on the likes of the USA (#1) , China (#14) and Brazil (#6), the Ferns have performed well beyond expectations. Tony and his team have created a truely unique team culture, which seems to be the key ingredient in the Ferns’ ability to consistently produce world class results.   PDP: How would you describe the culture of the Football Ferns? TR:…

Interest in women’s football is at an all-time high and on the surface it appears to be flourishing. Coverage of the Women’s World Canada 2015 is a testament to this. However, as a parent of both male and female youth players, it is evident that the gap between the women’s and men’s game is huge; a gap that exists from grassroots right through to the top level.   At youth level, I see coaches with higher qualifications assigned to boys’ teams and parent coaches allocated…