Christian Gray appointed as inaugural captain of South Island United

South Island United have named Christian Gray as the inaugural captain for the first OFC Pro League which will kick off at Eden Park on Saturday against Auckland FC.

The 28-year-old central defender joined South Island’s first professional football club from Auckland City after an unforgettable season, playing in FIFA Club  World Cup and winning the National League Grand Final after scoring the goal that forced a penalty shoot-out.

South Island United coach Rob Sherman says Gray was an obvious choice to lead a relative young team into the professional era.

“Christian is one of the older guys in the squad, but also a quiet leader, who commands respect through his track record and his actions, not by being the loudest in the group,” says Sherman, who named Ollie van Rijssel as his vice-captain.

Van Rijssel is playing on home-turf after playing for Christchurch United in the National League over the past year and has quickly developed as one of the organisers in the team.

“Ollie is the first one to put his hand up to help out and making sure every player from out of town is feeling at home in Christchurch, so he is another strong leader in this group.”

South Island United has assembled a squad from around the South Island, other North Island clubs, as well overseas recruits and New Zealand players returning from overseas adventures, but Sherman has only had three weeks to mould the squad into a competitive football team.

“The boys have worked really hard and I have been impressed by the quality and intensity of the trainings. But we will not know how good this squad really is until we play Auckland FC on Saturday.

“Good chemistry between players will be a vital part in building a competitive team, and having strong leaders like Christian and Ollie, and others in the squad, will play a crucial role in our success.”

Gray says he was bit surprised to be appointed as captain, after only arriving at the club in the New Year, but says he offer all his skills and experience to create a successful squad.

“When someone mentioned that I will always be the first captain of this new South Island United, it really hit me how special it is to be captain of this team, and I will do my best to do them and our supporter proud,” says Gray, who was born leadership skills in his DNA as the son of former All Whites captain Roger Gray and Silver Ferns skipper Sandra Edge.

“It is not natural for me to step to the front, but I won’t shy away from any responsibility now the coach has determined that I have to lead this team into the new OFC Pro League. It is a huge honour.”

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