Michael Mayne (left) and New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell. Photo / Photosport
Former Football Ferns have condemned New Zealand Football following claims it overlooked female coaches in its hunt for a new manager.
The Herald understands the national body had an all-male shortlist of coaches with international and club experience before interim coach and former assistant, Michael Mayne, was appointed to the head job on Friday.
Gary van Egmond (Australian Socceroo and former head coach of Newcastle Jets men’s and women’s side), Olli Harder (former West Ham United women’s and Norwegian club SK Brann coach) and Ives Serneels (current Belgium women’s national team coach) are those understood to have been on the shortlist alongside Mayne.
Sources told the Herald an experienced international female coach with a pro-coaching licence applied for the role, but didn’t receive an interview.
Rebecca Sowden, who played for the Ferns between 2004-07, told the Herald it’s “worrisome” to hear that women were neither considered nor shortlisted for the head coach role.
“You have to call into question how effective the legacy work and plan from the Fifa Women’s World Cup was and what still has to be done to ensure we see women in top football roles within New Zealand,” Sowden said.
Fifty-capped Fern Maia Jackman told the Herald it’s not about having token women in the role.
“I’m really excited for Michael Mayne. I’m really excited to see what he does, and it’s not about Michael.
“It’s about the processes – it’s not just for optics, to have a woman, either as a candidate or even given the role, but for the ongoing development and empowerment of the sport.”
New Zealand Football (NZF) said in a statement: “New Zealand Football refute any claims of a lack of diversity in the hiring process for the Ford Football Ferns head coach role.
“New Zealand Football undertook a robust recruitment process with player high-performance coaching experts, and New Zealand Football representation on the selection panel.”
“As is standard for any recruitment process, candidates for a role are confidential, but every application for the position was considered.”
Former Canada women’s coach Bev Priestman has returned to New Zealand after leaving her last role late last year.
As NZF’s former head of football and head of women’s football, Priestman would have been a more than qualified candidate, however, the Herald understands no female coaches were shortlisted as part of the process that resulted in Mayne being appointed late last week.
Priestman is serving a one-year ban from all football-related activities until July 27, following her role in the “Dronegate” scandal from last year’s Paris Games.
Despite that, Jackman said Priestman’s credentials – which include an Olympic gold medal won in Tokyo and two nominations for the Fifa Best Coach of the Year award, would make her a strong candidate.
“Priestman’s in the country. I understand there’s a bit of controversy around her,” said Jackman. “But at the end of the day, she’s an Olympic gold-medal winner.”
Sowden said: “NZF likely had a chance to access an Olympic medal-winning coach, which in normal circumstances they wouldn’t likely have been able to. She also has a strong connection with New Zealand...So she would have culturally been able to step into the role well.”
At Mayne’s announcement last week, NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said when asked if NZF had received a CV for Priestman: “I won’t go into the individual names of who received and didn’t receive, but I have seen [she’s in Aotearoa].”
Having a female head coach would not be new for New Zealand. The Football Ferns’ former head coach was a woman, Czech manager Jitka Klimková.
However, Klimková stood down from her role with three years left on her contract. In September 2024, the Herald revealed allegations of her inappropriate behaviour towards a player.
Sowden said she respects NZF must secure the best coach possible, man or woman, but visibility across all parts of the game is also imperative to the growth of the women’s game.
“After a World Cup, increased investment, attention, programmes around women’s inclusion in the game, you have to have a hard look at why we are not seeing more women even considered for these roles and none on a shortlist.
“Is it a lack of shoulder-tapping during recruitment? A lack of training opportunities and a clear pathway? Is it a lack of remuneration to attract top women coaches from abroad? Is it the environment within football in New Zealand not attracting women coaches? Is it a bias issue where men are provided the opportunity to rise to the challenge, whereas women need the right CV to get the role?”
NZF said: “New Zealand Football is deeply committed to creating coaching pathways for female coaches and runs a number of initiatives, including female-only coaching courses, many of which have been amplified as part of the legacy programme from the Fifa Women’s World Cup.”
Pragnell told the Herald the interview process was thorough.
After reaching a shortlist of four candidates, he said they had a good range of people on the interview panel.
“We took in wide advice, technical expertise, high-performance expertise, and some player advice. Psychometric testing is always really critical as well.”
When asked if they were all male coaches on the shortlist, Pragnell replied: “I won’t go into the gender, but I will say that there was a real variation in backgrounds, a range of international coaches, some with more club-based experience, some with some international experience.”
Jackman explained the importance of having female coaches in high-performance spaces.
“We can bring a level of understanding from different perspectives. Fundamentally, the game of football is football, and so everyone is learning how to coach and what type of style you have to bring to the game. But I think women for women, a level of understanding of the woman’s body, what they need, emotionally, mentally, and it’s good to have that diversity, in there.”
Nikita Runnacles and Jenny Bindon are the two female assistant coaches in the Ferns’ current tour in Spain against Venezuela.
The women’s under-20 team is led by Callum Holmes. Alana Gunn oversees the under-17 squad.
Football Australia have drafted three A-League female coaches into the Matildas coaching staff for their upcoming international window in an attempt to accelerate their development.
Mayne, of Ngāti Awa and Ngāpuhi, brings a Maori perspective to his work as coach.
“It’s pretty special,” he told the Herald. “I’m pretty proud.
“That is something that in my own journey around my whakapapa probably adds a different level of pride for my people. It’s something that’s very unique and special to the role.”
Mayne stepped in as interim head coach for the Paris Olympics, where the Football Ferns suffered three defeats and failed to advance to the knockout stage. He has had limited opportunities to prove himself since Klimková left the role.
Mayne said the interview process was crossing over with his duties as the interim coach. He was forced to select a squad for their upcoming fixtures against Venezuela in Spain, the same week interviews were conducted.
“It was really tricky.
“It was very detailed, and there were a lot of specifics they wanted; they were long-format interviews.
“I probably wouldn’t have got through this process if I weren’t consistent in my language and in my ideas.
“I always wanted this job of merit, not because I’ve been in the role or I’ve been around for a little while. I wanted this role because it made the most sense.
“So to get the final nod, it was pretty pleasing.”
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.
Jacqui Hand scored the winner in the 73rd minute.