We are excited to announce our new coaching appointments for our Women’s teams for the 2026 Season. As we look to build in 2026, we have been fortunate to have 3 long-standing UHCF members step into our Head Coach roles. Lorraine Bowring will take on the Women’s 1st Head Coach position and work closely with Noel Raggett, who will be taking on the role of Women’s Reserves Head Coach. Ruby Reid, with close support from Noel, will coach our U17 CDL Girls.
Lorraine has been involved with UHCF in some capacity since relocating from the UK in 2007, coming to us with a wealth of experience as a coach and player. She has coached juniors to masters and everything in between, including organising tournament tours both domestic and overseas. Lorraine has previously coached up to the National League Women’s division and has hosted girls’ development at UHCF, supporting players’ transition along the pathway into senior teams. Since having her son Lewis, Lorraine has focused on analysis for Men’s and Women’s Central League, Coaching Development and continued to coach across school and club in junior, youth and senior space. Her focus is to support the love of the game, grow and support individual needs. Lorraine will be headed to Fiji this weekend for the final Part II of her B Coaching License.
Noel has been involved in our junior and youth space for nearly 10 years. Having previously been Junior Club Captain, Noel has spent the last three seasons working with our youth girls teams and has helped to bring the latest generation of players through to the senior women’s space. With Noel’s experience working with our Girls’ Development teams, he has been able to create pathways for youth development into our Women’s 1st team, with several girls seeing their debut into Senior Women’s football this season.
Ruby has been involved with the club for over 10 years, where she played junior football and was part of the UHCF Girls Development Squad. Since returning to senior football in 2020, Ruby has moved from our Reserves team to currently being part of our Women’s 1st squad, where she has 50 appearances as a 1st team player and over 100 across Senior Women’s teams. After coaching juniors last season, Ruby has completed her Senior Level 1 Coaching Certificate and will be working towards gaining her C License and closely supported by both Lorraine and Noel. Ruby is really looking forward to stepping into this role and continuing to build and develop the pathway that has been steadily growing over the past few years. “There is a lot of exciting talent in our female youth space, and working closely with Lorraine and Noel will be fantastic to guide the players through to lifelong love of the sport, whether that be playing for fun with mates or wanting to play professionally.”
When speaking to Lorraine about what it means to her to become UHCF Women’s 1st Head Coach, this is what she had to say: “I’m excited to step into the role of Head Coach for the Women’s First Team next season, and to work alongside Noel and Ruby as we lead our senior women and female youth programmes. Our focus is to continue building a positive environment where people feel seen, supported, and inspired.
There’s a real sense of energy in the group, and it’s been humbling reconnecting with people and listening to experiences that will help shape a season grounded in strong values, positive leadership, and genuine connection. It’s also been inspiring to find new ways to support each other and strengthen our lifelong connection with the game.
Good environments don’t happen by chance. They’re created by good people. I’m looking forward to working with those who bring energy, care, and a commitment to lifting each other.
Looking forward to building something meaningful together.”
As we begin this new chapter within our Women’s and Girls’ space, we welcome all who would love to come on this journey with us to reach out and see how you can be part of it. Please email us at WomensCaptain@upperhuttcityfootball.org.nz for more information
Finally, we would like to thank Callum Martin for his past 4 years as Women’s 1st Head Coach and Sarah Bourne for her past 2 years as Women’s Reserves Head Coach. We wish you the best of luck in your future coaching endeavours.