South Island United name Hales new head coach
South Island United has appointed Scott Hales as Head Coach ahead of the 2027 OFC Pro League season reinforcing its commitment to creating pathways into professional football.
Originally from Stratford-upon-Avon, England, Hales his career includes roles with Central Football, New Zealand Football, the Wellington Phoenix academy, Miramar Rangers, Team Wellington and recently Western Springs where he took the side to the Northern Region title last year..
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Hales is currently an OFC Pro Licence candidate who previously led Team Wellington to the 2021 national title and served as an assistant during the club’s 2018 OFC Champions League triumph and FIFA Club World Cup appearance.
He joined Western Springs in 2023 following a sixth-place Northern League finish. Under his leadership, the club finished third in its first National League Championship appearance in 2024 before winning its first Northern League title in 2025.
South Island United CEO Ryan Edwards said Hales’ success in different local environments was central to hiis appointment.
“Scott has shown he can build on the success of an established team and develop a club over several seasons into a title winner. That combination, alongside the positive feedback from players who have worked with him, gave us real confidence he was the right person to lead our next chapter,” said Edwards.
“His appointment also reflects our belief in the talent within New Zealand football. Just as we are creating opportunities for players with strong South Island connections, we want coaches and staff who have worked their way through the domestic game to see a future here. When the right people are already in New Zealand, we do not need to look overseas.
“We want an ambitious junior, academy or senior team coach to see South Island United as a club where there is a genuine pathway into professional football. Keep developing, pursue your licences and demonstrate the quality of your work. We want to create opportunities for people who earn that next step.”
Hales said hard-work on the field and community engagement off the field would be two defining parts of the team’s identity.
“I want us to be a professional team that puts community engagement first. We want people to speak positively about what we do off the pitch just as much as what we achieve on it,” said Hales
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“That starts with showing up and supporting our community. We have to earn people’s support through the relationships we build and the contribution we make.
“We want this team to truly represent the South Island and what it means to be a South Islander: humble, hard-working and tough to the core. Those qualities should be clear in how we play, how we carry ourselves and how we connect with people across the island.”
