Can New Zealand be the first team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup?

As our day one listeners will know, we started out as a football podcast (our first ever ep was with Aaron Scott)…

And this week, we’re going back to our roots with head coach of the All Whites, Darren Bazeley.

The All Whites are on the cusp of qualifying for their first World Cup since 2010 with a crucial match against Fiji this Friday and if they win that, a shot at direct qualification to the world’s biggest sporting event to be held in USA, Mexico and Canada next year!

Between that, Auckland FC’s popularity and Chris Wood’s star power, football has never been more popular in New Zealand.

Darren has been a key figure in New Zealand football for the past 15 years - moving here after a professional career in England where he played 400+ games.

In this episode we hear the best stories from his career in England, what he learned from Graham Taylor and Anthony Hudson, what went wrong with the New Zealand Knights and what’s going right with Auckland FC, we put some context around Chris Wood’s incredible season in England, and what the All Whites coach really does.

This is one for the OG Between Two Beers listeners and it was great to go back to our football roots and chat through Darren’s remarkable path to the top of football in this country.

Best Laugh: Seamus’ horrendous butchering of the pronunciation of Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland.

Best Insight: Darren takes us into the realities of what international football can be like in high stakes matches when he recalls his experiences in Peru in 2015.

Biggest Surprise: The chance Kiwi connection in a dressing room in Walsall that saw Darren end up in New Zealand.

We’ve teamed up with guests from the pod to speak at your next event. Head to B2Bspeakers.co.nz to find out more.

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