South Island United have confirmed Scott Hales as their new Head Coach ahead of the 2027 OFC Pro League season.
The English-born coach has been a mainstay in New Zealand for many years, having built his career through roles with Central Football, New Zealand Football, the Wellington Phoenix academy, Miramar Rangers, Team Wellington and Western Springs.
Hales led Team Wellington to the 2021 New Zealand national title, having previously served as an assistant during the club’s 2018 OFC Champions League triumph and FIFA Club World Cup™ appearance.
He joined Western Springs in 2023 following a sixth-place Northern League finish and led the club to third in its first National League Championship appearance in 2024, before winning its first Northern League title in 2025.
Hales said hard-work on the field and community engagement off the field would be two defining parts of the team’s identity.
“I want us to be a professional team that puts community engagement first. We want people to speak positively about what we do off the pitch just as much as what we achieve on it,” Hales said.
“That starts with showing up and supporting our community. We have to earn people’s support through the relationships we build and the contribution we make.
“We want this team to truly represent the South Island and what it means to be a South Islander: humble, hard-working and tough to the core. Those qualities should be clear in how we play, how we carry ourselves and how we connect with people across the island.”
South Island United reached the semi-finals of the OFC Pro League in 2026 under the guidance of Robert Sherman, and Hales will be keen to take the club to the next level when the new season kicks off in January.
The New Zealanders will begin their campaign in Papua New Guinea, where they take on Tahiti United on Sunday, January 24.
Their first Kiwi derby of the new campaign will come during circuit series 3 in Aotearoa, when they face defending champions and the side who eliminated them last season, Auckland FC on Sunday, March 7.