All Press Releases

New Zealand Buzzerbeater U21 Season One Review: Progress, Pain, and Promise

1/21/2026  0 replies  (1)  

New Zealand Buzzerbeater National Panel Appoints Hodgo as U21 Manager

10/21/2025  0 replies    

Strong finish

9/1/2025  0 replies    

Looking ahead

4/1/2025  0 replies    

Season recap

11/26/2024  0 replies    

Re-elected

9/25/2024  0 replies    

Recap of first two seasons

8/21/2024  0 replies    

Season 64

3/12/2024  0 replies    

Season 61 Consolation Tournament

8/22/2023  0 replies    

Season 60 Asia Cup

5/18/2023  0 replies    

The climb begins...

2/18/2023  0 replies    

Train a Kiwi!

11/22/2022  0 replies    

Change of manager as NZ U21 look to kick on into the future

1/19/2022  0 replies    

Unfinished Business

6/9/2020  0 replies    

New Beginnings!

11/29/2019  0 replies    

46-47

5/17/2019  0 replies    

46

5/14/2019  0 replies    

New Chapter

10/11/2017  0 replies    

Calling all NZ U21 trainees

3/21/2017  0 replies    

IMPORTANT: Game Shape & Training

9/18/2016  0 replies    

Training & Game Shape

8/12/2015  0 replies    

Training & Game Shape

8/12/2015  0 replies    

NZ claim Top 20 scalp to go 2 and 1

9/22/2014  0 replies    

NZ grab epic win

3/17/2014  0 replies    

Another game, another win....

10/21/2013  0 replies    

Kiwis make it 3 and 0

10/14/2013  0 replies    

NZ gets 2nd win over Japan

10/7/2013  0 replies    

Where the hell is Azərbaycan?

9/30/2013  0 replies    

Chuck Knight wins MVP

9/11/2013  0 replies    

Iran loss brings changes to NZ U21

9/6/2013  0 replies    

NZ gets 2nd round victory

8/26/2013  0 replies    

Another big loss for NZ

8/19/2013  0 replies    

China wakes NZ from dream

8/12/2013  0 replies    

NZ beats Lebanon in friendly

8/5/2013  0 replies    

NZ finish 1st round off with another win

7/29/2013  0 replies    

NZ grabs 3rd win

7/22/2013  0 replies    

Management takes Las Vegas over Philippines

7/11/2013  0 replies    

New Zealand opens season with a win

6/24/2013  0 replies    

NZ U21 under new management

6/17/2013  0 replies    

Players decide not to front up for Indian match

11/28/2011  2 replies    

NZ Look To Begin Asia Championships Strongly

4/29/2011  0 replies    

Mercurio Hero In NZ Win

5/5/2010  2 replies    

NZ One Win Away From Round 2

4/27/2010  0 replies    

NZ U21 Beat Vietnam

4/12/2010  4 replies    

U21's Go Into Training Camp

4/2/2010  2 replies    

Press Announcements

New Zealand Buzzerbeater U21 Season One Review: Progress, Pain, and Promise

The highly unofficial yet ever-watchful New Zealand Buzzerbeater National Panel can confirm that Hodgo has survived his first season at the helm of the U21 programme, with results that suggest the arrow is at least pointing in the right direction.

Over the course of the season, New Zealand’s U21 ranking improved from 86 to 64, a solid step forward and one that reflects a group that consistently punched above its weight. 83% of the NZBB Population vote in favour of the job that Hodgo has done (at the time of writing) and we can only hope that whoever voted against is training a stack of Kiwi talent.

Unfortunately, qualification for the Asia U21 Championship Tournament proved just out of reach. The campaign ultimately hinged on a narrow two-point loss to Lubnan, a game in which New Zealand controlled large portions but couldn’t quite land the finishing blow. That result left the side falling short on points differential, missing qualification by 17 points overall.

There were, however, some standout moments. The squad recorded impressive wins over higher-ranked opponents, including Macau and Kazakhstan. On its day, this group showed it could compete with some of the bigger teams, hence the ranking steadily improving.

The squad itself was generally well balanced, though in hindsight Outside Defence was an area that suffered from a lack of focus across the wider training community. It’s a small reminder that at U21 level, even one neglected skill can leave a noticeable gap in the overall game plan.

A sincere thanks goes out to all managers who committed training time to New Zealand prospects this season. That support is what keeps the programme moving forward.

As always, I’m happy to hear from anyone with questions about players, training, or upcoming matches. Flick me a BB-Mail anytime.

Hodgo
NZ U21 Manager
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