Christchurch United name Riera new coach
- Dave Worsley
- Nov 13, 2025
- 3 min read
Christchurch United have appointed Albert Riera as their new Head Coach for the 2026 Southern League and National League campaigns.
Riera arrives after a successful stint with Auckland City, eight years as a player, and three seasons as Head Coach, during which he coached the team to two National League titles and three OFC Champions League trophies, as well as the 2022 Chatham Cup.
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The 41-year-old will take over from Ryan Edwards, to allow the current Rams coach to focus on his dual role as General Manager of Christchurch United and Chief Executive of South Island United.
Riera says he had admired the progress Christchurch United have made over the past few years and used a break in his coaching career this year to meet with Ryan Edwards and President Slava Meyn and find out more about the club.
“I had heard a lot of good things of what the club was doing with his academy and obviously I followed them in the National League. When Ryan and Slava explained the vision of the club, I was blown away to be honest and it resonated with me in every aspect of the game,” explains Riera.
When Christchurch United offered Riera the opportunity to coach their first team, he admits it was not an easy decision to move with his Spanish partner and three-year-old son down south, but the lure of a new adventure was too much for him and his partner.
“I’m keen on a new challenge and as a fairly young coach, this is a the right move for me right now,” says Riera who is not worried about early morning training sessions in sub-zero temperatures.
“I was born in Barcelona, but we moved inland when I was about eight and I can tell you that inland Spain can get much colder than Christchurch or even Wellington,” explains the Spaniard, who arrived in New Zealand as a backpacker in 2010 and ended up as a professional footballer with the Wellington Phoenix.
Riera’s football journey is the stuff of legends, playing semi-professional in the lower leagues in Barcelona, before embarking on a world trip, which landed him in New Zealand working as a paramedic.
A chance meeting with Auckland City coach and fellow Spaniard Ramon Tribulietx led to a training session “that changed my life”.
Riera soon became a stalwart in the Auckland City midfield, where he won three OFC Champions League and one National League titles, competed at the Club World Cup, and after a stand-out performance in a friendly match against the Phoenix in 2013, was offered his first professional contract at the age of 30.
Riera has described his three seasons at the Phoenix as a “football fairytale”, which included an invitation to play with the A-League All Stars against Italan giants Juventus.
Christchurch United General Manager Ryan Edwards says that the appointment of a coach with Riera’s pedigree sends a strong signal to their own supporters and other teams that the club remains focused on National League success, despite the club’s involvement in South Island United in the OFC Pro League.
“Christchurch United has a long and successful history in the National League and we want to put ourselves in the position to be title contenders for years to come. We are incredibly proud and excited that Albert has accepted our invitation and he will bring an invaluable amount of experience to our club and our team,” says the General Manager.
Before accepting the job, Riera says he had to be sure that the club shared his passion and his values for the game to create the right environment to be successful.
“Everyone I have met down there is just as passionate as me about football. The club has a fantastic vision and they know exactly what they want and where they are going.
“The club has lot of good professional people down there, which is important to me, because at 41 years I am still really very young as a coach and eager to learn.”
