Latest news with #Noffke
Otago Daily Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
‘Privilege' to coach Volts
Ashley Noffke. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Former coach Ashley Noffke says it was a "privilege" to coach the Volts for a season, and he leaves with nothing but fond memories. Noffke left his post halfway through a two-year deal to pursue an international coaching opportunity with Pakistan. The Australian has since been relatively quiet but said in a tribute on LinkedIn that he was grateful for his time with Otago. "I want to make public that while I wasn't looking for another opportunity, one came my way," Noffke wrote. "While I'm grateful for what lies ahead, I'm equally saddened to be leaving Otago Cricket with time still left on my contract; something that I had never planned to do. "I was excited about the year we were all building toward together and I am confident that the team and organisation are in great hands moving forward." Noffke said he had the "deepest gratitude" for everyone at the Otago Cricket Association. He directed a message of thanks to the players he worked with for a single summer. "It's been incredibly rewarding to see how hard each of you has worked this past season, not only on your individual skills but in coming together around a shared purpose. "Your commitment, resilience and hunger to improve have driven us forward and delivered some fantastic wins and achievements across the season. "It was also brilliant to see so many players make their debut this year ... adding an exciting dimension to the team and the future of Otago Cricket. "There's so much talent here in Otago." He made special mention of captain Luke Georgeson and vice-captain Max Chu. Noffke said the OCA staff had displayed "unwavering passion and commitment" to the cause. He highlighted the support of OCA high performance general manager Steve Martin. "The quiet, behind-the-scenes actions of people like Steve and his wife Wendy, and the many players and staff who went out of their way to welcome and support us — from setting up our house (even putting the furniture together), turning on the heating in winter and greeting us with a friendly smile — were small gestures that meant more than they'll ever know. "While I lived fulltime in New Zealand, my family travelled between Australia and New Zealand to be with me. "It wasn't always easy, but we were committed to making it work, and the support and warmth we received from Otago Cricket made all the difference. "Otago is truly a family-focused organisation." Former Black Caps coach Gary Stead is overseeing the Volts in an interim role while the OCA works on making a permanent appointment.
Otago Daily Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Volts in market for coach after Noffke's exit
Ashley Noffke is one and done with the Otago Volts. The Australian coach has resigned his position with the Otago Cricket Association with immediate effect. It is not exactly a huge shock, as it was revealed recently Noffke had been given leave to join Pakistan as an assistant coach and the OCA was unsure whether he would return to fulfil the second year of his contract with the Volts. Still, it means Otago are looking for a third coach in as many seasons, and that is not often a recipe for a stable environment. Otago Cricket performance general manager Steve Martin said Noffke was permitted leave to take up the opportunity offered by Pakistan's new head coach, former Volts and Black Caps coach Mike Hesson. Noffke served as bowling coach for Pakistan in their recently completed series against Bangladesh. While there has been no official announcement, it seems likely the Australian has been given reasonable indication he is a contender for a permanent role with the national team. That is always going to be a significant carrot, especially as it may mean Noffke will have to spend less time away from his family in Australia. Noffke came to Otago from women's cricket, where he was coaching the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash and the London Spirit in The Hundred. He played one ODI and two T20s for Australia, and took 386 wickets in 118 first-class games and 138 wickets in 121 list-A games. In his single season in the South, Noffke guided the Volts to one win from eight Plunket Shield games, five wins and five losses in the Ford Trophy, and four wins in 10 Super Smash games. Those might sound like moderate results but there were some signs the Volts were taking some positive steps, and new players were blooded. Martin highlighted the "great progress" Noffke had made over the past year in the development of players and the team. "Ash has been instrumental in the development of our players whose improvement throughout the 2024-2025 season was clearly noticeable," Martin said in a statement. "His people management skills, his game knowledge and his drive for improvement created confidence in players and support staff. "As much as we are sad to see Ash leave, our men's high-performance programme has grown considerably as a result of his efforts." Otago Cricket has immediately advertised for the role and expects to have a replacement head coach in place within the next two months. Cricket never really stops, so the association is "progressing with an interim winter coaching resource" ahead of the appointment of a permanent head coach. The extra complicating factor is that Otago was some way down the track to finding an assistant coach, following the departure of Ben McCord, to work with Noffke. Any firming up of an assistant's role will presumably now have to wait until a new kingpin is in place. It is all change at Otago Cricket headquarters following news late last week that Welshman Gareth Davies was inbound to be the new Sparks coach.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Otago facing possible loss of Noffke
The Otago Volts might have to start the search for a new coach very soon. Volts head coach Ashley Noffke has taken annual leave from his role to join Pakistan for their T20 series against Bangladesh. But here is the kicker. The Otago Cricket Association is planning for the possibility he will not return. Chief executive Mike Coggan told the Otago Daily Times there was no guarantee Noffke, who still has a year to run on his contract, will return. ''I think we've got to prepare for a possibility that he doesn't come back,'' Coggan said. ''But we're also preparing, giving him leave with a view that he does come back. ''We've just got to be realistic around the potential for him to be perhaps offered a longer [stint with Pakistan]. ''But there are too many what-ifs.'' Former Otago and Black Caps coach Mike Hesson was recently appointed as Pakistan's white-ball coach. He joined Noffke's team at Otago late in the season when the Volts were missing one of their assistant coaches. The pair developed a good relationship and Hesson has brought Noffke in as a bowling coach, while Hanif Malik will assume charge of the batting. Coggan said the uncertainty was far from ideal. They have been in recruitment mode since December when former Sparks coach Craig Cumming announced his imminent departure. They have also been looking for a replacement Volts assistant following Ben McCord's decision to return to Christchurch. They had got a long way down that route but will have to revisit that process once they know whether Noffke will return. ''To be fair it is not ideal. However, with professional coaches in the modern environment, we've got to be prepared for anything that is thrown up at us. ''And this is one of those situations where, due to circumstance, we've got three important positions currently. ''But we're well down the track in terms of the Sparks head coach. ''It's a matter of some paperwork being sorted at the other end. ''Sometimes those visas may take three or four weeks, so you can glean from that that it's not a New Zealand appointment.'' Noffke replaced Dion Ebrahim as the Volts coach. The former Zimbabwean international, who held the post for three years, resigned suddenly with another year to run and never offered a reason for his departure. Coggan hopes he will have some clarity around what Noffke's plans are by the end of the white-ball series in early June, so they can press on with finding a new coach or, if Noffke returns, appoint his assistant. ''The fly in the ointment at the moment is having the uncertainty around the head coach of the Volts, because they need to play a key role in the appointment of that assistant position. ''So we've sort of put that on hold for a little while until we have far greater clarity of what's happening with the head coach.''
