Canterbury United has retained the coaching services of Willy Gerdsen for the remaining two years of their National League licence.

Gerdsen, who has been at the helm of the club since 2015, took the Dragons to within 5 minutes of O-League qualification in the 2017/18 ISPS HANDA Premiership. The Canterbury outfit qualified for the playoffs with 3 rounds to go, an “outstanding achievement given our resourcing in comparison to some of the North Island clubs” says John Thompson, Canterbury United Chairman.

“Willy has been able to bring a squad of relatively young players, with a heavy local flavour, together and build a culture which is second to none in the premiership, we are delighted to have him as Head Coach through until 2020.” adds Mr Thompson.

The average age of the 2017/18 Dragons squad was 23.6 years, with local talent like, Jacob Richards, Seth Clark, and Liam Gerathy all given the chance to debut during the season.

In his 3 years with the Club, Gerdsen has made the post-season twice, a major factor in renewing his contract. The 2-year extension gives him the opportunity to continue his work in identifying and developing the local talent, especially as New Zealand football looks to reduce the number of overseas players per squad.

“It is important for Canterbury United to develop their own players and use the avenue of the National League to give them exposure, this will be a big focus for me through the winter months. We want to be a playoff contender and see the Dragons go one better and make the finals in the next campaign” says Gerdsen.

The role will also see Mr Gerdsen working with Mainland Football’s technical team in a coaching mentoring role and assisting with the growth of the regions youth footballers.

“Having a coach with Willy’s capabilities and background is a major advantage to our region, and the opportunity to have Willy working with our technical staff and assisting with the development of our exciting young footballers will help align our player pathway.” says Julian Bowden, Mainland Football CEO.

The job of filling backroom staff, the playing roster, and building on the previous campaign will begin over the coming weeks. Willy will be working with the local MPL coaches and clubs to ensure the region’s top footballers are running out in the red and black in the next edition of the ISPS HANDA Premiership.

ENDS