Talent development scheme
The partnership, which is supported by FIFA, will see New Zealand Football and Wellington Phoenix collaborating on a talent development system to maximise the impact of both parties’ resources, aligning with the New Zealand Football High Performance and Talent Development Plan to support New Zealand’s best football talent.
As part of the partnership there will be additional scholarship positions at the Wellington Phoenix academy for Kiwi talent, and steps to align the development pathway for players from the domestic game to the A-Leagues and beyond.
About the talent development programme
NZF’s Talent Development Programme is designed to aid player development at club level.
The programme, for players aged 13 to 17, is run by clubs across the country in alignment with NZF, and has three core objectives:
Produce better footballers in Aotearoa New Zealand by increasing the number and quality of training opportunities.
Provide clear training guidelines based on international best practice for youth footballers who are showing potential to play at a higher level.
Create a clear aspiration pathway for youth footballers in Aotearoa New Zealand.