Holmes NZ Women's U-20 head coach
- Dave Worsley
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
Callum Holmes has been appointed New Zealand Women’s U-20 Head Coach to lead the team for the next FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup cycle.
Holmes, who formerly was assistant coach of the Wellington Phoenix A-League Women side for two seasons from 2022 - 2024, takes on the role with immediate effect.
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Prior to his time with the Nix, Holmes held a number of football and futsal development roles with Capital Football, as well as being an academy coach with English Football League side Sunderland AFC.
Holmes will split the role with his current position as Women’s Development Lead at Wellington Phoenix.
His first task will be selecting a squad for the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship, kicking off this September, where Aotearoa New Zealand has been drawn in Group B alongside New Caledonia, hosts Tahiti, and Vanuatu.
Should the team reach the final at the tournament they will secure a place at the next FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, set to be played in Poland in September 2026.
Keir Hansen, GM High Performance at New Zealand Football, said:
"We are pleased to welcome Callum to New Zealand Football in an important role for the game in Aotearoa.
"The game continues to grow rapidly so it is really important that we have an aligned and robust development system to nurture the best talent.
"Callum has held a number of development and coaching roles, including in the women’s professional game, so is perfectly placed to take on this position and we look forward to him getting started."
Callum Holmes, New Zealand Women’s U-20 Head Coach, said:
"I’m delighted to take on this role and get to work with this exciting group of players.
"Having the ability to get around the country and see as many players as possible is a priority as we progress towards the qualifiers in September.
"This is a really exciting time for football in Aotearoa New Zealand so I can’t wait to get going."