KEY POINTS:
Kevin Towns has quit as New Zealand women's hockey coach, ending almost 20 years' involvement with the sport at the highest level.
He told Hockey New Zealand chief executive Ramesh Patel yesterday he would not reapply for the job.
"You can't have results like I did in Beijing
and expect to carry on."
Patel made it clear he did not blame Towns for the Black Sticks' failure to win a game at the Olympics.
"I have never been one to blame coaches for on-field results," said Patel.
"We are all in these things together. In times like this you have to look at the game as a whole, including the players, coaches, support staff and administration. There has never been any doubt in his ability as a coach."
He said applications for the position could be called as early as next week.
Patel is not ruling out Towns' continuing involvement in the sport.
"Certainly, we would like to see if we can find a way to keep Kevin's knowledge and expertise in our sport. He has done so much for hockey. He is, no doubt, a good coach.
"What we must do now is wait for the independent high-performance review which is nearing completion and see what that recommends."
Towns, 60, is adamant he has made the right call.
"As an organisation, Hockey NZ could not reappoint me. I have said that all along. You can't have results like that when an organisation is funded in the way it is.
"Sport is one area where the realities are obvious. No one fails in general life but in sport you have failures.
"The stark reality is we didn't win a game. I took it on with eyes wide open. As an individual I'm obviously disappointed in the results. But I have enjoyed the 18 months I had coaching the team."
Asked if he thought some of the players were not good enough, Towns said: "Some will say it's their fault. No one, as far as I know, was blaming the coaching but I certainly don't think the players lacked determination or work ethic."
Towns, who took the role after two stints with the national men's team, which included getting them to the Barcelona and Athens Olympics, said in the two major competitions the women played under him, they lost too many games by just one goal to really be competitive.
He made the hard call on selection, discarding some players who had played under his predecessor, Australian Ian Rutledge, and brought back others whom Rutledge had discarded.
A return to a high-performance role and coaching coaches might bring the greatest reward for Towns and the national association.
After Athens he took that task for three months but was then asked to return to coaching with the mandate of grooming the next men's coach. He quickly did that, bringing in Shane McLeod, who has since been handed the reins until the London Olympics.
Towns, who is employed by HNZ until the end of the year, admits he has unfinished business but is happy in the meantime to take a step back.
Former international Tina Bell-Kake, who reversed Auckland fortunes at last week's NHL in taking the team from last a year ago to beaten finalists on Sunday, is considered a possibility to replace Towns.