Wellington Phoenix striker has retired from playing to take up a coaching role with the New Zealand club.
Wellington Phoenix striker has retired from playing to take up a coaching role with the New Zealand club.
Greenacre, 34, has been confirmed as assistant coach at the Phoenix after a successful three-year stint as a striker with the club, and has already been running pre-season training while head coach Ricki Herbert was away with the New Zealand under-23s.
Giving up playing wasn-t easy for Greenacre who entered football as a Manchester City apprentice aged 16.
“You never want to hang up your boots; you think you can play for ever. But it comes to a point where you have to be realistic and look at where your next options are,” he said.
“Retiring from playing has probably come a bit earlier than I hoped but this opportunity might not have been on the table in a year-s time.
“Maybe I could have played another couple of years, and I had offers from two Australian A-League clubs to do so, but in the end I had to look to the future.
“Ricki spoke to me some time ago and offered me the assistant coach position and I am grateful to him and the owners for the opportunity.
“It is a great chance to establish myself as a coach with an elite group of players and it is a bonus that I can do it at this football club.”
