Michael Utting is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 soccer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player who plays as a goalkeeper.

Early years

Utting grew up in Ngaio

Ngaio, New Zealand

Ngaio is an inner suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is situated on the slopes of Mount Kaukau, 3500 metres north of the city's CBD. It was settled at the same time as the neighbouring suburb of Khandallah, and like its neighbour many of its streets are named after places on...

, Wellington, the youngest of four children. His father is a civil engineer, his mother a nurse; they separated when he was 10. He went to Ngaio School and Nelson College

Nelson College

Nelson College is a boys-only state secondary school in Nelson, New Zealand. It teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private Preparatory School for year 7 and 8 boys...

. He played cricket and volleyball, but football was always his number one passion. By the time he reached the final year of high school, Utting was keeping for both the Nelson College first-XI and national league side Miramar Rangers

Miramar Rangers

Miramar Rangers AFC is a semi-professional New Zealand association football club in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. They are current holders of the Chatham Cup, the fourth time they have won the trophy...

.

Club career

A much-travelled player, Utting served clubs in his native New Zealand, as well as in Australia and South Africa.

During his New Zealand years, he also played for winter clubs Gisborne City

Gisborne City

Gisborne City FC is a soccer club in Gisborne, New Zealand who play in the eastern league 1st division. Their home ground is Childers Road. They have won the National League, Air New Zealand cup, and the Chatham Cup....

 and Waitakere City.

International career

Utting has played for the New Zealand national soccer team

New Zealand national soccer team

The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, is the national association football team of New Zealand and is governed by New Zealand Football . The team plays in an all-white strip rather than the traditional New Zealand sporting black due to a former FIFA regulation that...

, the All Whites. Since making his debut for the All Whites in 1991, he had rarely been a substitute goalkeeper, until 1999, when his career was marred by alcoholism.

He was included in the New Zealand side for the 1999 Confederations Cup finals tournament in Mexico where he was an unused substitute. He fared better in 2003 as he was recalled for the 2003 Confederations Cup finals tournament in France, playing in all three group games before New Zealand were eliminated.

One for the Road - Utting's alcoholism

He had been into trouble with alcoholism, and his problem became public in 1999. He was axed in 1999, and again in 2002 after a botched initial attempt to quit the booze (a problem he had since 1992). He was recalled again in 2003, but by then, he had taken up a contract to play in Brunei

Currently Utting is back in New Zealand to see out the rest of his football career, but an international recall is seen as unlikely.

External links

• Player profile - Waitakere Utd
• Player profile - Youngheart Manawatu
• 2007/2008 season stats - NZFC
• Career stats - National Football Teams