Hockey: Towns confirmed as coach of NZ women's team

Kevin Towns

New Zealand men's hockey team coach Kevin Towns has been appointed coach of the national women's side, Hockey New Zealand announced today.

Towns' contract is for two years. His first task is to secure a spot for the women's team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Hockey NZ chief executive Ramesh Patel said today the selection panel were pleased to confirm Towns' appointment after considering some "very high quality applicants".

"The women's team are currently ranked eighth in the world and are entering a crucial period of competition with the goal to secure qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics," he said.

"We believe Kevin is the best person to lead the women through this important phase."

Patel said he was happy the opportunity had arisen to keep Towns in coaching.

"After six years with the Black Sticks men's side, Towns had been looking for a new challenge, including possibilities outside of hockey.

"But he still has a burning desire to coach and this role provides him with a fresh challenge."

Towns succeeds Australian Ian Rutledge who held the reins for four years and decided this year not to extend his contract.

Towns said his goal for the women, who had been ranked around the top six for the past nine years, was to build on Rutledge's work in developing younger players.

On ending his role with the men's team, he said that after six years at the helm, he believed it was a good time to introduce new strategies and performance levels.

"The nucleus of the (men's) side is a mature group capable of coping with change without impairing performance.

"There is sufficient time to introduce new strategies prior to the Olympics and I also think the change will inject new enthusiasm and lessen the chance of multiple retirements after Beijing," said Towns, who had a first stint at coaching the men's side between 1989 and 1992.

Two of his recent career highlights have been coaching the men's team to a silver medal at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and winning the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament in China.

The Black Sticks who arrived at the World Cup in Germany ranked ninth, came home eighth.

He has also been involved in the development of women's hockey as coach of the Women's Academy between 1994 and 1996 and the Somerville Auckland women's club side.

Towns will meet Rutledge this week to transfer knowledge and finalise the national women's squad and development squad, both to be named at the end of the month.

The team are scheduled to play a test series against Australia in New Zealand next May in preparation for the Champions Challenge in Azerbaijan in June.

That will be followed by a test series against India in New Zealand in August leading up to the Oceania Olympic qualifying series against Australia.

Hockey NZ will begin advertising for their national men's coach with the deadline for applications on November 15. The new coach is expected to be announced at the end of November.

- NZPA