Ifill signs as coach for Wairarapa United

Wairarapa United have pulled off a major coup with the signing of former Wellington Phoenix star Paul Ifill as player-coach of their Central League football squad for the 2015 season.

The 35-year-old Ifill had hoped to continue a professional career which had seen him score a record 33 goals for the Phoenix over five A-league seasons, but the ruptured achilles that brought his Phoenix appearances to an abrupt halt in December 2013 has not responded sufficiently to a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for that to happen.

It has not, however, stopped him from playing for Team Wellington in the ASB premiership and he is "pretty confident" it won't stop him playing for Wairarapa United on a regular basis either.

"It's not where I need it to be to be any chance for the Phoenix but it's certainly not as bad as it was. I'm still not making the impact I would like on the field but there has been progress and I guess that's a positive."

Detailing Ifill's professional playing career would virtually take a book and even then you would struggle. His English league appearances included 238 games for Millwall from 1998 to 2005, during which time he scored 40 goals and was a member of the team that reached the 2004 FA Cup final where they lost 3-0 to Manchester United.

From Millwall Ifill transferred to Sheffield United, playing 42 games for them from 2005 to 2007 and scoring nine goals in the process, and then from 2007 to 2009 he was with Crystal Palace. He also scored nine goals for them in 61 matches.

It was on July 21, 2009, that Paul Ifill signed a two-year contract with the Wellington Phoenix. It didn't take him long to make an impact, scoring his first goal for them at only his second appearance. He quickly became a crowd favourite through his uncanny ability to outsmart opposition defences through a mix of nifty footwork, superb ball control and rapid acceleration. He had the "X Factor" in bucketloads and there was never any doubt his contract would be extended. Phoenix management couldn't get pen to paper quickly enough.

Wairarapa United boss Phil Keinzley freely admits he went after Ifill as coach of their Central League side - a role Keinzley has held for several seasons - as soon as news broke his achilles injury threatened to end his stint with the Phoenix.

" I suppose you could say I harassed him majorly about coming to Wairarapa, he had everything we were looking for ... profile, personality, character, ethics, he was pretty much the complete package. Even if he couldn't play he had all the credentials to be an excellent coach, it was a no-brainer really."

Keinzley said acquiring Ifill's services was akin to All Blacks captain Richie McCaw being signed to play for Wairarapa-Bush in rugby. "He's got that reputation, he's a true icon in the footballing community."

While any extension of Ifill's contract with Wairarapa United will depend on results the man himself says it is "very definitely" not a one-off in his mind. He and wife Elle had purchased a property at Opaki and along with their two young daughters, Romy, 8, and Stephanie, 3, were intent on being here for the longer term.

"I know you will get some people saying that I'm just using this is a stepping stone but, honestly, that's not true. I'm not looking any further ahead than settling in here and making a success of what I do, that's the whole focus for me."

It goes without saying that with his background in the sport Ifill - who incidentally has made 10 appearances for Barbados on the international scene - was never going to have difficulty attracting talented players from all over the country, and even further afield, to join him at Wairarapa United. Names have yet to be identified but you can expect a good muster of "imports" from the ASB premiership and a couple from Australia as well. And then there is a Brazilian who has a Wairarapa girlfriend and is likely to take up residence here as well.

Ifill is well aware, however, of the need to develop Wairarapa talent as well and he says there will be Wairarapa players in the mix too.

He has been impressed by the enthusiasm and talent at the training sessions he has attended and emphasises reputation will count for nothing when it comes to game selections, form will be the number one criteria.

"Players have to perform, it's as simple as that. They have to be fit and they have to buy into the patterns we want to play, there will be no short cuts."

The Ifill coaching philosophy is relatively simple. He works on the principle that the ball should be worked out of defence quickly because it's easier to create goals when you are operating at the attacking end of the field.

"I always find it difficult to understand why some teams spend a lot of time on the ball in their own half, it's risky and doesn't make a lot of sense.

"The big thing for me is to get the ball to the players who can hurt the opposition the most, the more chances you give them the more you are likely to score."

Wairarapa United have never won the Central League title, with their main claim to fame being their 2011 Chatham Cup final success and Ifill says the aim will be to do well in both those competitions in 2015.

"I am not going to predict we will win either of them, but I do believe we will have a team which is capable of being very, very competitive. That's a good start, isn't it?"

Away from coaching the Central League squad, Ifill will also be heavily involved in a junior coaching academy which will be based at Memorial Park in Masterton to take advantage of the new artificial turf being installed there, the same turf on which Wairarapa United will play their home CL games.

This academy will be for players in the 11 to 13 and 14 to 16 age groups, and will carry the Ifill name, just like that which is operating so successfully in Nelson.

Coaches will be employed to help, but Ifill intends to be a regular part of the action. Initially the youngsters selected to attend after a series of trials will do so on a twice-weekly basis during school terms, but Ifill is hopeful of seeing the academy grow to where they could attend five days a week.