South Island Utd trials for OFC Pro League
- Dave Worsley
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand’s newest professional football team South Island United on Tuesday trialled 14 players from clubs around the South Island for their OFC Pro League team.
“It has always been our ambition to represent every club in the South Island in this new competition and this trial is the first important step towards creating that vision,” says General Manager Ryan Edwards.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Edwards and Head Coach Rob Sherman last week explained the club’s vision in a meeting with all South Island clubs, and contacted the coaches of players that had been identified as potential squad members.
“We can only be successful if we are transparent and collaborative with the other clubs, so before any player is considered or offered a contract, new Pro League coach Rob Sherman will work closely with the clubs involved."
Edwards says any new recruit will return to their home club once the inaugural Pro League season finishes at the end May to play the remainder of the Southern League with their home club.
Coach Rob Sherman says he has been impressed by the support and enthusiasm by Southern League clubs to make their players available.
Tuesday’s trial included players from Ferrymead Bays, Nomads, Nelson Suburbs and Cashmere Technical.
Some players were unavailable for the trial due to work commitments, while the Coastal Spirit players skipped the trial to focus on their National League commitments.
“We spoke to the Coastal Spirit players and coach to let them know we are following them, but we all agreed that there was no need for them to attend the trial as we can follow their progress in the league,” says Sherman.
General Manager Edwards says that Sherman is coming in with fresh eyes from his last role as the National Coach of Fiji to assess all players, including the current Christchurch United squad.
“Everyone will have to earn their professional contract on merit,” says Edwards.
Once the coaching staff have decided which Southern League players can make the step up to the pro ranks, they will start looking at available players in the North Island and overseas.
OFC allows each club to sign three foreign players and three players from the OFC region, and Sherman says the interest has been high.
“The reality though is that the OFC Pro League will be the first small step into professional football, so we may not be able to match the expectations of some players,” says Sherman.
“We are only looking for players who want to be part of one of the most exciting chapters in football in this country, and a chance to cut their teeth in professional football, not players looking for a big pay check.”
Christchurch United ecured one of the eight available spots in the new OFC Pro League.
