The New Zealand Black Foils have doubled down on Olympic-class pedigree for the new SailGP season, confirming the appointment of Matt Steven as head coach and Will McKenzie as booth operator.
Both arrive from Yachting New Zealand and bring deep roots in the Olympic 49er programme, a pathway that continues to shape SailGP coaching and sailing talent worldwide. Steven coached McKenzie and Isaac McHardie through their silver medal-winning 49er campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a partnership now transitioning directly into SailGP’s data-driven, high-speed environment.
Steven will lead all aspects of high performance within the Black Foils setup, applying Olympic-level preparation, analysis, and race-to-race refinement. His appointment replaces Sam Meech, who has joined the Artemis SailGP Team, while Jo Aleh has taken up a role with Emirates Team New Zealand.
McKenzie’s role in the coaching booth draws directly on his 49er racing experience, where tactical clarity, rapid decision-making, and precision under pressure are non-negotiable. Since Paris, he has balanced elite sailing with engineering studies, positioning him neatly at the intersection of performance, systems thinking, and technology. That skill set is increasingly central to SailGP’s coaching booths, where marginal gains are unlocked through data interpretation as much as instinct.
Black Foils co-CEOs Blair Tuke and Peter Burling highlighted the strong 49er lineage within the team, noting that six current members have high-level 49er backgrounds. The latest appointments reinforce that legacy and underline the class’s ongoing influence on SailGP performance structures.
Steven and McKenzie link up with the Black Foils in Australia ahead of the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix, carrying proven Olympic processes straight into one of sailing’s most demanding arenas.
