Michael Mayne stepped in as Football Ferns coach for the last two matches while Jitka Klimkova was stood down. Photo / Photosport
Michael Mayne stepped in as Football Ferns coach for the last two matches while Jitka Klimkova was stood down. Photo / Photosport
Michael Mayne has bold plans to implement a new style with the Football Ferns.
The interim New Zealand senior women’s coach is not naive about the on- and off-field dissatisfaction within the group that has developed over the past 18 months under former coach Jitka Klimkova.
But it’s dissatisfactionhe hopes won’t bleed into the camp when they take the field against Costa Rica in two friendlies next month.
“There’ll be a change in the system,” Mayne told the Herald.
“It’ll be players probably playing the system a little bit differently than other teams would but I believe it’s designed perfectly for this group and this team going forward.“
It’s an attitude and mindset the team is in desperate need of.
NZ Football anticipates recruitment for the full-time role to get under way in February, with Mayne telling the Herald in December it’s a position he’s vying for full-time.
Under Klimkova, the Football Ferns failed to advance beyond the group stage at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics (with Mayne as interim coach).
Klimkova oversaw 39 games, in which they won 11, with seven draws and 21 defeats as they reached an all-time low on the Fifa rankings, dropping out of the top 30.
Mayne hoped that under his leadership, the team would look more dangerous on the attack.
Milly Clegg celebrates after scoring her first goal for the Football Ferns. Photo / Photosport
Mayne has been the interim head coach since May last year after his former mentor Klimkova went under investigation for an off-field incident. He took the helm in Paris before Klimkova confirmed her exit in September.
He acknowledged 2024 had a messy end after 11 players broke their silence to the Herald in October under the condition of anonymity about their experiences in the national team, dating back to late 2021.
Mayne said since stepping in he has had a focus on improving the toxic culture.
“It’s making sure that we’re a team that comes in and, and understand our role in high performance and that’s to turn up in a position where [players] are prepared to perform at the highest level.
“Making sure that we understand what the Football Ferns want and that’s about the results but at the same time I’m probably looking at like the opportunity here at the start of a new cycle.”
Mayne said in the early days as an assistant to Klimkova, they had “a really good professional working relationship”.
“But like any challenging relationship, there are always processes that you like and there are other things that are a bit different.
“I think my time with Jitka, there’s plenty around the way she operated in terms of the detail and what you look for that I’ve definitely taken and built into what I do.
Former Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova (2023). Photo / Photosport
“But for me, it’s probably just, I guess putting my slant on what I believe this team can do is how we go about our football in possession and that’s, that’s gonna be one of the [focuses].
“I think that’s what the players, the supporters, everybody wants to see is how we can control games, manage games and that’ll be the change hopefully you see in Costa Rica.”
One thing he won’t enforce is a changing of the guard when it comes to the veteran players within the group.
“We need the best players in the system“
“I don’t think my role initially is anything to do about changing the guard — It’s just we need to understand who the players are that come in and fight for each position and that is, in turn, the standard on the training pitch and hopefully the results.
“We’ve got experienced players that I know are determined to continue to stay in good shape and perform and be called up when they get the opportunity and also we’ve got new players, young players, that have been in the system that are really eager to come back in”
Mayne confirmed he has a group of about 40 he’s monitored over the summer and spoken to at length.
“I do feel like there’s a lot of ambition in that group.”
“Naturally, like in any sport, in this group, they’ll determine when they want to finish international football but for the time being it’s not my role it is for me just to create competition in this team and make sure that we’ve got the best players available.”
The squad is set to be announced for next month’s tour later this week or early next.
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Feverpodcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a full-time journalist.
