Darren Bazeley

Darren Bazeley
Born	Darren Shaun Bazeley (1972-10-05) October 5, 1972 Northampton, England
Occupation(s)	Football coach, former footballer
Years active	1989–present
Known for	Football player (right back, right midfielder), head coach of New Zealand men's national football team and youth teams
Notable work	Head coach of New Zealand U-23 and Olympic squads

Darren Shaun Bazeley (born 5 October 1972) is a former English footballer and current coach, known for his roles as a right back and right-sided midfielder. He presently holds the position of head coach for New Zealand’s men's national football team, as well as overseeing the national U-23 and Olympic squads.

Watford

Originating from Northampton, England, Bazeley began his football journey with the local side Northampton Orion. Between the ages of 11 and 13, he trained weekly at the FA's School of Excellence, where scouts from Watford identified his potential and signed him at age 14. Bazeley made his first-team debut under manager Colin Lee as a substitute in the closing game of the 1989–90 season against Hull City at 17 years old. During the 1990–91 campaign, he featured ten times, predominantly coming off the bench, with fewer appearances following the managerial change to Steve Perryman.

Prior to the 1991–92 season, Bazeley secured his first professional contract and netted his inaugural senior goal in September 1991 during a 3–0 victory over Barnsley. He concluded that season with 38 appearances and seven goals, also earning a solitary cap for the England under-21 side in a friendly versus Hungary. The subsequent 1992–93 season saw him make 26 appearances, half of which were as a substitute. Under new management by Glenn Roeder in 1993–94, his playing time was curtailed to just ten matches due to a medial collateral ligament injury. However, he bounced back robustly in 1994–95 with 37 appearances and four goals, highlighted by a hat-trick during a 4–0 away win at Southend United.

Over the following two seasons, Bazeley was an integral figure for Watford, consistently making over 40 league appearances each year. Although Watford faced relegation at the end of the 1995–96 season, they regained stability competing in the Second Division the next year. During the 1997–98 season, after limited involvement early on, he established himself as a regular starter as Watford secured the league championship under manager Graham Taylor. In the 1998–99 season, Bazeley was ever-present from October onwards as Watford reached the First Division play-offs. He played full-time in both semi-final legs against Birmingham City, successfully converting the fourth penalty in the shootout win, and appeared in the final at Wembley, where Watford triumphed 2–0 to gain promotion to the Premiership.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

During the summer of 1999, Bazeley opted not to renew his contract with Watford and transferred to First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers, reuniting with manager Colin Lee. He completed every minute of Wolves’ league fixtures throughout the 1999–2000 season. On 23 December 2001, Bazeley sustained a knee injury during a match against Sheffield Wednesday, which prematurely ended his tenure at Wolves and sidelined him for the remainder of that season plus all of 2001–02. His total contributions to Wolves included 80 appearances and four goals.

Walsall

In July 2002, Bazeley reunited with Lee at the First Division side Walsall. During the 2002–03 season, he earned the supporters' "best new signing" accolade as Walsall achieved their best league position in over four decades by finishing 17th. The following season, 2003–04, saw the club relegated, and Bazeley left in November 2004 after making 100 appearances. He is remembered as "one of the finest attacking fullbacks the Saddlers have ever seen."

New Zealand Knights

Bazeley signed for the newly rebranded New Zealand Knights ahead of the inaugural Australian A-League season, joining former Wolves and Walsall colleague Neil Emblen. He featured in every minute of the Knights' 21 fixtures during the 2005–06 campaign and was appointed captain midway through the season following Danny Hay's move to Perth Glory. Bazeley stayed with the club until it was disbanded in the 2006–07 season.

Subsequently, he joined Waitakere United for the 2007–08 New Zealand Football Championship season, where he contributed to winning the league title. Bazeley also participated in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup held in Japan, where Waitakere were defeated 3–1 by Iranian team Sepahan in the playoff round.

Coaching career

Holding a UEFA A License, Bazeley has concentrated on nurturing youth talent within New Zealand.

Waitakere United

In 2008, Bazeley took on the role of head coach for Waitakere United's youth squad and was promoted to assistant coach of the senior team in June 2009 under head coach Emblen. During this tenure, Waitakere clinched three consecutive New Zealand Football Championship titles.

New Zealand set-up

Bazeley was appointed assistant coach for the New Zealand U-17 side in 2009, aiding their progression to the knockout rounds at both the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup and again in 2011. Elevated to head coach in June 2012, he led the team to an unbeaten performance at the 2013 OFC U-17 Championship, securing qualification for that year’s 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

In September 2013, Bazeley assumed responsibility for the New Zealand U-20 while maintaining his role with the U-17s during their World Cup campaign. Despite New Zealand finishing last in their group at that U-17 tournament, Bazeley prepared the U-20 squad as hosts for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Concurrently, he coached Wanderers SC, a U-20 team competing in New Zealand’s senior New Zealand Football Championship, and from March 2015 served as assistant coach for the senior national team.

At the 2015 U-20 World Cup, New Zealand achieved their inaugural victory in the tournament with a commanding 5–1 win over Myanmar and progressed to the knockout stage for the first time before a close 2–1 defeat against Portugal. Under Bazeley's leadership, the U-20 side won the 2016 OFC U-20 Championship held in Vanuatu, earning a spot at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea. The team once again reached the knockout phase but were eliminated after a heavy 6–0 loss to the United States.

Bazeley also played a role in supporting the senior team's triumph at the 2016 OFC Nations Cup and their participation at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. In September 2017, New Zealand secured victory in the third round of OFC qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, advancing to an intercontinental playoff against Peru. Although they were defeated 2–0 on aggregate and missed out on World Cup qualification, Bazeley continued as sole assistant coach alongside head coach Anthony Hudson following changes within the coaching staff.

Colorado Rapids

Following the playoff loss, Hudson was named head coach of the Major League Soccer team Colorado Rapids, with Bazeley joining him as assistant head coach in December 2017.

Newcastle Jets and return to New Zealand setup

In April 2020, Bazeley took on the role of assistant coach at A-League club Newcastle Jets, collaborating with former Wolves teammate Carl Robinson. He departed in October 2020 to rejoin the New Zealand U-20 team as head coach and to assist with the national and Olympic squads, citing family commitments and COVID-19 related travel limitations.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Watford	1989–90	Second Division					2	0
	1990–91						2	0
	1991–92				1	0	2	1
	1992–93	First Division					2	0
	1993–94
	1994–95				5	0	2	0
	1995–96		41	1	3	0	3	1	—		47	2
	1996–97	Second Division	41	3	4	3	3	0	3	1	51	7
	1997–98		16	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	3
	1998–99	First Division	40	2	1	0	2	0	3	0	46	2
	Total
Wolverhampton Wanderers	1999–2000	First Division	46	3	3	0	2	0	—		51	3
	2000–01		24	1	0	0	5	0	—		29	1
	2001–02		0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		70	4	3	0	7	0	0	0	80	4
Walsall	2002–03	First Division	43	0	4	0	3	0	—		50	0
	2003–04		39	0	1	0	2	0	—		42	0
	2004–05	League One	7	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	8	0
	Total		89	0	5	0	5	0	1	0	100	0
New Zealand Knights	2005–06	A-League	21	0	—		—		—		21	0
	2006–07		20	0	—		—		—		20	0
	Total		41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41	0
Waitakere United	2007–08	Premiership	17	2	—		—		7	0	24	2
Career total

Personal life

In 2015, Bazeley acquired New Zealand citizenship while maintaining his British nationality.

Managerial statistics

Overview of managerial performance by team and period

Team	Start	End	Performance record					Ref.
			G	W	D	L	Win %
New Zealand U17	2011	31 October 2013
Wanderers SC	1 November 2013	30 June 2015
New Zealand U20	1 November 2013	2 December 2017
New Zealand U20	6 October 2020	31 December 2022
New Zealand	1 November 2022	present
New Zealand U23	1 November 2022	present
Overall Career			—

Honours

New Zealand U-20

• Progressed to the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015, hosted by New Zealand
• Champions of the OFC U-20 Championship in 2016
• Reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017 held in South Korea

New Zealand

• Competed in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 in Russia
• Winners of the OFC Finals in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
• Champions of the OFC Nations Cup in 2024