Major changes are on the horizon for the All Whites following the announcement of the new CEO.
Andrew Pragnell will take on the role permanently after filling the position on an interim basis for the past 10 months.
High on his priority list? – To secure the All Whites more games and a possible change of responsibilities for the coach.
Pragnell was thrust into the hot seat at New Zealand Football last August when the organisation was in disarray.
But now he's the fulltime CEO and more optimistic about the future.
"Yea it is the start of the rebuild it's really exciting," Pragnell said on Monday.
His list of priorities is long, but chief among them is more game for the All Whites.
"There's something wrong if we can't have the All Whites playing regularly and have them playing home, so it's a massive priority," he noted.
It's been nearly a year since the national men's team played a game, with the flagship women's team - the Football Ferns - and other sides prioritised instead.
The situation has left All Whites coach Fritz Schmid twiddling his thumbs.
"I think it would be concerning for anyone who's in that position," said NZ Football president Johanna Wood.
It's so concerning, New Zealand Football's hinting at shaking up the job.
One of the things that Andrew's talked about is, do we have roles fit for purpose. So maybe we need to look at other ways we can engage our stuff more appropriately in their roles," Wood added.
That won't solve the problem of the inactive All Whites.
Pragnell hopes the answer to that lies in a proposed League of Nations FIFA hopes to get underway in 2021.
"That would change the entire friendly model in which we currently operating, which really is disadvantageous for us," Pragnell said.
If approved it could signal a new era for the international game and New Zealand Football's confident they've got the right man to lead them into it.
Newshub.
