Having become the second person to both captain and coach the New Zealand in international football, new All Whites manager Danny Hay says that he wants to give back to the game.
Taking over from Fritz Schmid, Hay has been tasked with taking the All Whites forward, after leading Auckland-based side Eastern Suburbs to the Oceania Champions League last season as his most recent coaching achievement.
Sitting down with 1 NEWS after being revealed as the new All Whites manager, Hay opened up about realising one of his life's ambitions.
"It's a huge honour and privilege first and foremost," Hay said.
"I've been massively invested in the game in this country for a very long time now.
"The All Whites are a very big part of me, and I'm very keen to see them do well on the world stage, which I know they're capable of."
Hay also revealed his mentality after hearing he'd got the job, beating out former Wellington Phoenix and current New Zealand Under 23s manager Des Buckingham.
"I was probably a little bit shell-shocked.
"I thought the interview process went very well, but this is something that's been a lifelong dream for me.
"I think at this current point in time, this current juncture, we've got a really good mix of experienced players, players at the top of their game and some good quality emerging talent coming through.
"It's exciting."
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