Danny Hay walks away from All Whites

Danny Hay is stepping down as All Whites coach, opting not to try and renew his contract which expires at the end of the month.

Hay’s decision follows a review of the side’s World Cup qualfying cycle which highlighted a lack of alignment between the All Whites staff and New Zealand Football’s high performance department.

New All Whites coach Danny Hay.
Photo: Photosport

New Zealand Football said Hay was invited to reapply for the head coach position, as part of an open recruitment process for the 2026 World Cup campaign, but declined.

New Zealand failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar which starts next month but the review found that while the team was as well prepared as possible for the qualifying campaign a number of issues need to addressed.

“I want to thank Danny for his time as All Whites head coach” said NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell.

“There is no doubt he has played a key role in the development of the team during a challenging period for international football.

Last month Hay said he was unsure if he’d look to remain in the role citing, NZF’s plan to not schedule matches for the All Whites in the upcoming November international window, meaning they would go at least six months without a match.

“The fact the team didn’t play for two years, and now there is going to be a hiatus,” Hay said.

“For me as a football coach, this is a tough role in the fact that you’re not getting to work with the players on a regular basis…

“100 per cent, the All Whites need to be playing. That’s a big thing.”

New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Pragnell said re-aligning the All Whites with NZF’s high performance department will be a major focus.

“It’s critical the All Whites are fully integrated with the organisation if they’re to produce the best possible results on the international stage.”

Pragnell’s promised the All Whites will play in every possible window after this year’s World Cup, giving them much more time together than the previous Covid-19 disrupted cycle to continue their development.

“The plan now for New Zealand Football is to announce a new All Whites head coach as soon as possible once the recruitment process has been completed.”

Recommendations outlined in the de-brief include:

*Significantly reviewing the way the All Whites team staff work with New Zealand Football’s high performance department to ensure there is a collaborative, planned approach moving forward

*The need for proactive investment in coach development at All Whites level

*Examining possible ways to introduce greater professional football expertise within NZF, including potentially adding high profile former All Whites to the High Performance and Player Welfare Committee.

*The need for the communication style of the coaching group (led by the head coach) to evolve to meet the needs of a wide range of players from a cross-section of backgrounds.

*Placing a greater focus on creating a strong culture of transparency and honesty, including ways to improve the scope for player feedback and collaboration (such as the establishment of a more formalised leadership group).

*Ensuring that the team rituals become part of the DNA of the All Whites and that they are passed down from generation to generation.

*Having the team play as often as possible (ideally in every FIFA window), setting a plan in place to target higher quality opposition and to have the team play in New Zealand more often.

-RNZ