NEW ZEALAND

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When you work with SBC you become a part of a wider New Zealand family, with direct access to the best New Zealand soccer-football has to offer through our relationships with our experienced partners. We have strong connections to all areas of New Zealand men's and women's side of the game, along with strong connections in the investment community and with schools and sporting facilities. 

Contact Gary Ireland garyjamesireland@gmail.com or call (650) 387 4128 to learn more. 

- Youth & Adult Team Tours (including 2023 Women's World Cup) 

- Individual player placement in club and school/college 

- US College Team Tours 

- Facility access for training and games

- US College Coach ID events and US college events for NZ players

- New Zealand Club and facility diligence, investment and acquisition

- Sport Tech venture investment  

With a quality of life that is envied around the world and a stable environment, New Zealand is the ideal destination for football teams and players. New Zealand is a South Pacific nation and home to 5 million Kiwis (New Zealanders), with a global diaspora of approximately 750,000 well traveled Kiwis living abroad and providing important linkages to the rest of the world including our own SBC founders who lived, studied, played for the Canterbury State team and for St Bede's College in Christchurch and ran player training and coach education clinics for Canterbury Football and the New Zealand Football Federation. In fact our founders were the first Kiwi's to play soccer in US college, paving the way for others to follow. We took Canterbury State Boys team to play against Chelsea and Spurs in England. We also took USA NCAA Champions UNC on a post season tour to play vs New Zealand. The father of SBC founder Gary Ireland even invented the 'Lamburger' with former New Zealand Prime Minister Mike Moore. In 1982 we traveled with the entire New Zealand Men's National team to Singapore for the final playoff match between New Zealand and China which New Zealand won and moved onto the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. We stayed with the New Zealand team at the same hotel for the duration of the event and took the bus to the national stadium with the team and were among only a handful of supporters in the vastly pro Chinese fans. 

Safe, Stable Country- New Zealand is a popular destination. New Zealand is one of the world’s most stable democracies and is ranked second on the 2021 Global Peace Index of safest countries to live allowing people to come and go safety, making it easy to enjoy all the sights, adventures and experiences New Zealand has to offer. 

A 12-hour flight from California, New Zealand, also known as ‘Aotearoa' - The land of the long white cloud’, is one of the most stunningly beautiful countries on the planet. It is known for its refined quality of life and famous for its outdoor lifestyle, clean air, breathtaking scenic diversity including lofty mountain peaks and glaciers, to accessible and empty beaches. New Zealand attracts adventure seekers as well as food and wine lovers. The country's flora and fauna are remarkable and none of them are poisonous or dangerous! The magnificent Southern Lights ‘Aurora Australis’, can be seen from the South Island and Gisborne, New Zealand is the first place in the world to see the sunrise. 

New Zealand is the home to: the Americas Cup, the mighty All Blacks (the most successful international sports team in history), McLaren Racing one of the most successful F1 motorsports teams in history, founded by Kiwi Bruce McLaren, Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to conquer Mount Everest, Ernest Rutherford was the first to split the atom, and in 1893 New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote. "The Lord of the Rings", "Avatar" and a growing number of iconic movies and TV series are being filmed in New Zealand. New Zealand hosted the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. New Zealand punches above its weight in many ways. It has produced some of the most world-changing innovative products and concepts, history-makers and athletes. New Zealanders invented the inboard motor, the referee's whistle, the worlds first flying machine (9 months before the Wright Brothers), Bungee Jumping, Pavlova Cake, and instant coffee.

FILM & MUSIC: 

New Zealand has been the filming location for some the worlds most recognizable films. It's capital city Wellington is known as ‘Wellywood'. New Zealand has produced some of the world most famous films, some by the world renowned Peter Jackson. ’Wolverine’ featuring Hugh Jackman, ‘The Hobbit Trilogy’, ‘The Last Samurai' featuring Tom Cruise. ‘The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe’-‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Prince Caspian’ and another movies featuring Tom Cruise in ‘Mission Impossible-Fallout’ were all filmed in New Zealand. The star of ‘Gladiator’ Russell Crowe is a New Zealander and rock bands Split Enz/Crowded House are global recognized names along with their frontmen brothers Tim Finn and brother Neil Finn. The Power of the Dog was filmed in New Zealand. The lead actress in the TV series Shogun is New Zealand born Anna Sawai. 

PEOPLE: 

New Zealand has a highly educated population and a harmonious society. It’s people are humble and understated and there are few cultural and linguistic barriers for English speakers to hurdle. New Zealand's friendly, laid back people people are known for its physically hard ruggedness yet sensitive and empathetic nature. New Zealander's are charmingly offbeat. 

After interviewing dozens of Kiwi expats and many non-Kiwi's who have traveled to the country, Gary Ireland came up with ttese 10 words describe New Zealand culture, ethos, values, mores, tradition, the land and its people: rugged, innovative. humble, proud, unified, friendly, honest, hospitable, unpretentious, genuine, inclusive, pioneering, adventurous. 

INNOVATION- ‘NUMBER 8 WIRE MENTALITY’:

The ‘Number 8 Wire Mentality' came to represent the ingenuity and resourcefulness of innovative New Zealander's. This ‘get stuff done with little money’, bootstrapping approach has helped New Zealand individuals and start ups create novel and life changing concepts. Unfortunately most start ups are underfunded and don't have access to capital and markets and tend not to survive long- thus, they have a smaller window of time to succeed. Due to this industriousness New Zealand punches above its weight in many ways. It has produced some of the most world-changing innovative products and concepts, history-makers and athletes. Did you know the referee's whistle, the worlds first flying machine, Bungee Jumping, Pavlova Cake, and instant coffee are all New Zealand made. New Zealand was the first county in the world to give women the right to vote and the father of Nuclear Physics, Sir Ernest Rutherford was the the first scientist to split the atom and discover its nuclear makeup.

MIGRATION OF FINANCE AND HUMAN CAPITAL TO NEW ZEALAND: 

New Zealand has become a popular destination for overseas capital and people during the Covid pandemic. It has attracted many individuals relocating their businesses, investing in New Zealand companies and moving personal wealth and family there. New Zealand was also an escape of choice for many Americans during the Covid pandemic, however, even before the pandemic man people moved to New Zealand to take up residency, mainly from USA, England, Australia, China, Singapore and Hong Kong. The list of wealthy US individuals capitalizing on island's natural beauty is long. US Hedge Fund. VC, wealth management and retired Americans have taken out New Zealand citizenship and this trend will likely increase in the near future: 

• In July 2021, co-founder of Google Larry Page, became a New Zealand citizen, moving his family there. 
• Peter Thiel of the Founders Fund & major investor in Facebook has resided in New Zealand for some time. 
• Peter Cooper, a Newport Beach developer splits his time between California and New Zealand after building a luxury property boathouse fitness and spa facility with an on-site vineyard. 
• Titanic director James Cameron who directed and starred in a New Zealand tourism video in 2016, owns an organic farm in New Zealand 
• American financier Richard Kayne built the most expensive members-only golf club in New Zealand is investing NZ$50m/USD$30mil on 2 public courses on 764-hec. next to his private golf course in order to create a world golfing destination, including accommodation, clubhouse, luxury home sites, public camping ground, retail center surfing shops and created 200 hectares of land gifted as a reserve.  
• Julian Robertson of Tiger Management spent considerable time in New Zealand and his family own luxury retreats & golf courses as well as several wineries. He also donated $115 million of art to a New Zealand art gallery featuring Cezanne, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Dali

copyright. Gary Ireland 2022