Former All White captain Ryan Nelsen. Photo: AFP
Former All Whites great Ryan Nelsen and Football Ferns centurion Kirsty Yallop have been called in to support New Zealand Football's high perfomance department and new general manager Keir Hansen.
Hansen, a former head of high performance at Netball New Zealand, will start as New Zealand Football's general manager of high performance in March.
He has been with Netball New Zealand since 2016, leading the high performance programme that saw the Silver Ferns win the Netball World Cup in 2019. Prior to that he was the National Strength and Conditioning Manager with High Performance Sport NZ.
To support New Zealand Football's high performance department, Nelsen and Yallop will join the High Performance and Player Welfare Committee, bringing their elite level professional football expertise to the organisation.
Nelsen captained the All Whites at the 2010 Football World Cup, played at two Olympic Games and made 49 appearances for the national team.
He made over 250 appearances in the English Premier League and MLS over a 13-year professional playing career.
Yallop made 104 appearances for the Football Ferns playing in two Women's World Cups and three Olympic Games.
She played professionally for over a decade across Australia, Norway, Sweden and the USA. She has also worked for FIFA as a consultant.
New Zealand Football chief executive officer Andrew Pragnell said Hansen would bring a "wealth of experience" to the position.
"He understands the landscape of operating high performance sides in Aotearoa and the importance of alignment across the organisation and national teams.
"We have an ambitious programme lined up for our national teams and we believe Keir is perfectly placed to bring it to fruition."
Prganell said NZF was keen to take advantage of the wealth of experience our former national team players.
"The High Performance and Player Welfare Committee plays a crucial role in guiding what we do in the high performance space and Kirsty and Ryan's knowledge and lived experience here will be invaluable."