Brighton bring in All Blacks chief for development and performance role

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 12 Jan 2026 05:12 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

All Blacks' chief Mike Anthony has left rugby behind for football as he is Brighton's new head of player development and high performance.

Anthony has been involved in sports development for 25 years and most of that has been spent in rugby, with four years at Gloucester and the last 14 years with the New Zealand national team.

The BBC reports that he will will work with sporting director Jason Ayto, technical director Mike Cave and first-team head coach Fabian Hurzeler with a focus on player development, sports science and other areas.

Sporting director Jason Ayto said in a statement: “We’re delighted to welcome Mike to Brighton & Hove Albion. His track record within one of world sport’s most successful high‑performance systems speaks for itself.

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“Mike has an exceptional ability to build environments where players, coaches and teams can thrive, and his expertise will strengthen every part of our performance structure. We’re excited for him to get started.”

Technical director Mike Cave added, “Mike’s experience in developing players and high‑performing teams at the very top level is rare. He has spent decades shaping elite cultures and helping athletes maximise their potential.

“His arrival is another important step in our strategy to build sustainable success across the club. We’re very pleased to have him on board.”

Brighton have been praised for their forward-thinking approach since being promoted to the Premier League and are now top-flight regulars. Their 'buy low, sell high' approach in the transfer market has gained the club hundreds of millions of pounds in recent years to ensure stability.

Last season, they played European football for the first time in their history.

Official Brighton statement

"Brighton & Hove Albion are pleased to announce that Mike Anthony will join the club next month as head of player development and high performance.

"Mike brings more than 25 years of experience working across elite-level sport, including a 14‑year spell with New Zealand Rugby in a range of senior performance roles.

His background spans high‑performance leadership, player development and building winning team cultures.

"In his new role at Albion, Mike will work closely with sporting director Jason Ayto, technical director Mike Cave and men’s head coach Fabian Hurzeler, supporting the club’s long‑term commitment to building and sustaining elite performance within the men’s first-team environment.

"During his time with New Zealand Rugby, Mike served as head of high performance, high performance player development manager and high performance sports science manager; working across the national pathway and contributing to one of the most consistently successful programmes in global sport.

"Mike is set to start work at the club in February, and his appointment remains subject to the granting of a work permit."

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His remit, once in place, will encompass driving individual player development, and enhancing an aligned high-performance culture across key departments.