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Otago Daily Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Rejoining Southern United ‘best challenge' for coach
Kris Ridley in 2022. PHOTO: ODT FILES Sometimes taking a step back helps you move forward. Kris Ridley stepped down from coaching Southern United earlier this year after three seasons to avoid any conflict as he took over as the Dunedin City Royals women's head coach. But having a hand in the women's game all year round had been good for Ridley, who threw his hat in the ring and will re-join Southern United as the national league head coach again this season. Coaching at club level differed from the national stage. But having coached various levels in Australia, Ridley knew it was the "best challenge" for him. "Coaching a club football team for 20 games-plus is a challenge beyond just a nine-week national league challenge," Ridley said. "You get the love for football again. "Even coaches like myself who coach all the time, you fall out of love every now and then with football and you're like ... 'what's my why?'. "Albeit, the national league is a very serious competition. It's the biggest competition in women's football here in New Zealand — so why wouldn't I want to be a part of that?" He is excited to get stuck in to another big national league campaign. "Always excited. Very grateful that I've been selected again to lead the girls, and the staff, and look forward to that challenge every time. "Probably more so this time ... when you consider trying to replicate 2023 — that'll be our aim," he said. Southern United made it through to the final in 2023, falling just short to Auckland United, who were in some form. Southern United finished eighth last year with three wins, two draws and four losses and their biggest loss was only by two goals. "Last year we were a competitive side but the results just didn't come out way. "We didn't get thumped. We were very unlucky. "On paper, we had an amazing team but it just didn't work last year and that happens in football and sport." Shontelle Smith was named the league's MVP last year, scoring five goals in seven games. The national league kicks off later next month.
Otago Daily Times
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Queen's HS pupil ‘excited' to be representing NZ
You can chase your dreams from anywhere. Charlotte Summers is proof of that. The gun footballer is the only player from the South Island to be selected in the New Zealand team to compete at the OFC under-16 women's championship in Samoa next month. "I'm very excited," Summers said. The Apia tournament is a qualifying event for the Fifa Under-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco later this year — that tournament is now being held annually — and New Zealand are out to defend their title. New Zealand, coached by Alana Gunn, who previously spent six seasons as head coach of the Canterbury Pride, have been drawn in group B alongside American Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. Summers, 16, is part of an 18-strong squad, featuring 14 domestic players and four based in Australia and the Netherlands, and looks forward to testing herself. "I'm excited to get to know all the girls better and obviously playing football with them will be great," Summers said. "I'm excited to play the other countries. I think that'll be really cool." Summers, a striker or attacking midfielder, started kicking a football around at 7 when she joined Melchester Rovers, playing in a "wee boys team" that her father, David, helped coach. Melchester later amalgamated with several Dunedin clubs to form the Dunedin City Royals, where she now plays for the women's reserves team. Summers also plays representative football for the Southern United youth side, and represents the Queen's High School First XI, coached by Royals and Southern United defender Hannah Mackay-Wright, who is a teacher at the school. Mackay-Wright and Queen's director of sport Tessa Nicol both played representative football for New Zealand growing up and were great mentors. "It's great for us because they have some great experience," Summers said. Dunedin goalkeeping coach Tom Stevens, who has been an assistant with Southern United in the national league for several years, is part of the coaching team heading to Samoa. New Zealand kick off their title defence against Tonga on August 2. It will be a busy August for Summers, who will jump off the plane back home to head straight to Taupō for the girls premier tournament with Queen's for winter tournament week.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
10 years of toil paying dividends for 15-year-old
Nearly 10 years to the day since he first picked up a football, Oliver Thompson-Henderson got a call that changed his life. The Dunedin footballer is jumping on a plane today and is destined for Switzerland as part of the New Zealand under-16 team playing at the Fifa Youth Series. The 15-year-old can still hardly believe it. "It's pretty surreal, to be honest," Thompson-Henderson said. "I wasn't expecting it, especially being from Dunedin." Thompson-Henderson is part of a 22-strong squad, which includes Wellington-based former Dunedin player Zach Cashmore, whom Thompson-Henderson played alongside at Maori Hill and the Dunedin City Royals academy. New Zealand, coached by Martin Bullock, have been drawn in group A for the tournament alongside hosts Switzerland and Guatemala. After their pool games, they will play their equivalent position in the other pool, which involves Malaysia, Paraguay and Tunisia, in the playoffs. It will be the highest level of football Thompson-Henderson has experienced and one he is very excited about. "Probably just the experience of playing other countries around the world and seeing what their level is compared to New Zealand." Thompson-Henderson, who is in year 11 at Otago Boys', started playing football at 5 and immediately loved it. He moved through the ranks, making the First XI at school, and joined the Royals academy last year before moving up to their southern premiership men's team this season. He has had a great sounding board in former national representative and Royals academy manager Blair Scoullar, who has also had Thompson-Henderson training with the Southern League side recently. "When Blair came in, it was really good. "He had a set pathway and explained the goals and how to achieve it. He's been a good coach that I talk to for my progress." The left back is dedicated to his craft, currently taking on six training sessions a week, including early morning sessions with former Southern United player Danny Ledwith for the past nine months through his football skills business, Proex. "It's been really good. It's helped me a lot, actually." Switzerland is not the only international destination being stamped on his passport this year. Thompson-Henderson, who played for Southern United under-17 last year, has been selected to play at the Iber Cup in Portugal in December with a team from Ricki Herbert's academy, RH3. Herbert, the former All Whites coach and player, struck up a relationship with the Royals last year through his long-standing connection with Scoullar. New Zealand's Fifa Youth Series campaign gets under way against Switzerland on Sunday, followed by Guatemala on Tuesday. Both games start at 2.30am (NZ time). The tournament will be streamed on Fifa+.
