Ricki Herbert

All Whites Coach and former coach of the Wellington Phoenix

Acclaimed All Whites Coach and one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ricki Herbert has appeared 84 times for New Zealand at National Team level including a playing member of the New Zealand World Cup Team at the “FIFA World Cup 1982,” in Spain. There Ricki played Scotland, Russia and Brazil.

After the World Cup (from 1984 – 1986), Ricki played in England for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

He was honoured by being included in the team voted the Best Playing XI (1970 – 1995) of all time New Zealand National Team players.

In 2001, Ricki began working for Football NZ as Director of Technical Development. His role was to develop a National Team Structure. Part of this was the compiling of all the national team coaches from the age of (14) through to (20) for both male and female teams. Ricki also developed a “technical programme” which has become the working document leading into each World Cup Tournament, from National Team right down through each age group.

In 2005, Ricki Herbert took over as Head Coach of the National Team. New Zealand is currently ranked 54 in the World, moving up from a position of 156, which was the position when Ricki took over.

In 2010, after three draws against Slovakia, Italy and Parguay, New Zealand were the tournament’s only unbeaten team at the World Cup in South Africa. As a result of New Zealand’s success at the tournament , Ricki was named as a finalist in the Coach of the Year at the Halberg Awards; was voted Manager of the World XI (2010 World Cup) selected by 442 Magazine (UK) and was named International Coach of the Year 2010 (New – Zealand)