We are saddened to announce that our CEO Chris Wright will be leaving his role at the beginning of October to take up a CEO role at NZ sports technology company, Friendly Manager. Chris took the reigns of Football South back in October 2015 and prior to becoming our CEO, Chris had worked for various tech companies in both New Zealand and the UK including ADInstruments in Dunedin and TAB Systems in Nottingham. Chris’ departure sees him return to his technology background and will see him and his family relocate to the North Island.   

Chris’ time at the helm has seen lots of development within our region including the construction and opening of the artificial turf, “The highlights for me would be fundraising and delivering on a new artificial turf, how Football South has developed over the past 6 years in terms of our quality of delivery, capability, agility, innovation and the culture in the team is something I’m proud of.” Chris has also overseen Southern United being managed by the federation and is proud of the efforts over the past seasons, “The Southern United journey has been a roller-coaster and how our players and the region have backed our men’s, women’s, youth and futsal teams has been very rewarding. I feel our team has a lot to be proud of and they’ll continue to do great things.”   

One of Chris’ favorite memories from his time at Football South is the official opening of the Logan Park Turf, “Officially opening the Logan Park Turf stands out, but I think the things that will stick in my mind are some of the people I’ve met, worked with, and learnt from. We’re fortunate to have had some amazing people around, both current and past, who have made a real difference in both Football South and our volunteer space.”  

Chris’ time at Football South will come to an end at the beginning of October, “There is a fairly hefty list of ‘jobs’ to check off before I leave at the start of October, and I’ll also be setting things up well for whoever takes over next, as well as being available for the staff and board after my move in case they need anything.” Chris and the board are currently exploring various options for his replacement and further information around this will be confirmed in September. We are tremendously sad to see Chris leave but wish him and his family the best of luck in their next chapter.