New boss for New Zealand Football

Andy Martin has been appointed as the new chief executive of New Zealand Football after an extensive worldwide search. Photo / Getty

Andy Martin has been appointed as the new chief executive of New Zealand Football after an extensive worldwide search that canvassed more than 170 candidates.

Martin, who as chief executive of London Irish Rugby Club recently oversaw a two year project that led to the successful buy out of the club by a consortium of Irish businessmen, has now come back full circle to football - his first love.

"I am excited by the many opportunities and challenges facing New Zealand Football at the moment,'' Martin said.

"We are at a potentially transformational point in its history.''

It was football which influenced his decision to enter the world of banking; as a passionate junior footballer (and fan of Liverpool), Barclay's bank recruited him as a 16-year-old.

Since then he has held a number of senior roles within the bank most recently as a board member and managing director in the corporate bank.

"I am very much looking forward to the coming period of change,'' he said.

Andy has an MBA from Henley Business School, UK, and is married to Catherine and has two children.

He will be taking up the new role in February and takes over from Grant McKavanagh who stood down in July after two years in the role.