Thomas Makea returns as New Zealand Black Sox head coach
Softball New Zealand has announced that Black Sox legend Thomas Makea will return as head coach of the New Zealand men’s national team.
Makea led New Zealand to a silver medal at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup 2025, marking the Black Sox’s return to the World Championship Final after eight years.
“I’m honoured to be back. This jersey is bigger than all of us, built on the mahi [work] of those that wore it before and the belief of those from the last campaign. We carry that forward as one brotherhood with higher expectations and one goal,” said Makea.
A four-time World Champion as a player and the second most capped Black Sox athlete with 143 international appearances, Makea brings extensive experience both on and off the field. As a coach, he has guided New Zealand teams to multiple podium finishes, including a silver medal with the Junior Black Sox at the 2014 World Cup in Canada.
New Zealand is the most decorated nation in men’s softball history, with 14 World Cup medals, including seven world titles. Between 1984 and 2017, the Black Sox reached 10 consecutive finals, highlighted by a historic three-peat in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
Makea initially took over the Black Sox managerial role following an eighth-place finish on home soil at the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2022, when the team missed the podium for the second consecutive edition.