The Wellington Phoenix wish to congratulate Callum Holmes on his new role with New Zealand Football.
Holmes, who leads our female academy, has been appointed head coach of the New Zealand U-20 women’s side for the next World Cup cycle.
He will continue to serve as head coach of the Phoenix women’s reserves side and be the head of the female academy.
Holmes’ first major assignment with the New Zealand U-20 women’s side will be the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Tahiti in September.
The finalists will qualify the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup to be played in Poland in September 2026.
Holmes is delighted to take on the head coach role and get to work with an 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,” Holmes said.
“This is a really exciting time for football in Aotearoa New Zealand so I can’t wait to get going.”
A proud Wellingtonian, Callum Holmes has a long affiliation with the Phoenix.
He was a coach at the academy before moving to the UK in 2021 to work as an academy coach for Sunderland AFC.
Holmes was lured back to the capital in 2022 to become assistant coach of the Phoenix women’s team, a role he served for two seasons before returning to the academy 12 months ago.
He helped guide the reserves to the semi-finals of last year’s Kate Sheppard Cup, while 15 female academy players went on to represent New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups in the Dominican Republic and Colombia respectively in 2024.
Main image: Callum Holmes talks to the Phoenix women’s reserves after their Kate Sheppard Cup semi-final defeat to Auckland United. Photo: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
