When Bev Priestman was involved in the drone-gate scandal at the Paris Olympics in 2024, little did anyone think the same coach would be announced as the Wellington Phoenix’s women’s manager.
Though controversial, the club’s decision to hire controversial coach Bev Priestman – after her year-long ban from football-relatedactivities – is genius.
Bonnie Jansen explains why the signing is one of the club’s biggest power moves yet.
Wellington Phoenix 1, Auckland FC nil
As Aucklanders wait in frustration for their local club to deliver the long-promised women’s team, the Wellington Phoenix are quietly pulling ahead.
This summer marks the Phoenix women’s fifth A-League season, and with Bev Priestman now at the helm, it’s clear the club is serious about giving the women’s side the respect it deserves.
Her appointment is a major statement.
With international success, experience at the game’s highest level and the prestigious Uefa Pro Licence to her name, Priestman brings a wealth of credibility and ambition to the ‘Nix.
While the team have yet to crack the end-of-season playoffs in their four years of existence, each campaign has shown steady progress. They’re becoming more competitive, deepening their academy talent pool and establishing themselves as a proven pathway to the Football Ferns.
And with Priestman now involved, they are in an even better position to go one further.
Meanwhile, just a few hundred kilometres up the road, Auckland FC remain in limbo.
The success of their men’s team shouldn’t come at the expense of the wāhine. Whether the delay is down to the club or the league, players and fans are still waiting for even a hint of an announcement about the Auckland women’s team.
This silence feels increasingly out of step with the times. Women’s inclusion in sport is becoming less a token gesture and more an investment and priority.
A recent report by Nielsen Sports and PepsiCo predicts women’s football alone could rank among the top five global sports by 2030.
Just this week, the Women’s Euros in Switzerland shattered attendance and viewership records, with 65,000 fans turning out for England’s championship parade at The Mall and Buckingham Palace. That’s a staggering leap from the 7000 who celebrated their 2022 win.
The old adage that “any publicity is good publicity” might just apply in the team’s favour.
Kiwi links
It would be most footballers’ dream to play under a coach of Priestman’s calibre.
With an Olympic gold and bronze, a Fifa World Cup semifinal and being shortlisted twice for the Fifa Best Coach award, Priestman has a lot to offer young Kiwi talent.
The Herald understands veteran Football Ferns are considering coming out of retirement or returning from overseas to play under Priestman. Meanwhile, her assistant coaches at the ‘Nix have already signed New Zealand’s No 1 goalkeeper, Victoria Esson, for the season.
Football Ferns goalkeeper Victoria Esson. Photo / Photosport
Coming into the Wellington set-up, Priestman brings her personal experience and links to the New Zealand football scene.
Between 2009 and 2013, she was head of football and head of women’s football at New Zealand Football (NZF).
At the time, she was key in developing the national strategy for women’s football alongside former Football Ferns head coach John Herdman.
Braver and bolder than New Zealand Football
Despite the potential criticism that might come with the Phoenix’s hiring of Priestman, it’s a move NZF weren’t brave or bold enough to even consider.
The Herald understands the national body allegedly had an all-male shortlist for the Football Ferns head coach role – even though the high-achieving and much-decorated coach was back in Aotearoa with her wife, Emma Humphries, who heads up the Phoenix academy.
In May, former Ferns told the Herald Priestman shouldn’t be overlooked for the national role.
“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 on NZF’s alleged male-only shortlist for the role: “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.”
In November, former Matildas coach Tom Sermanni, who coached the Kiwis from 2018-21, told the Herald that despite the drone scandal, Priestman has ideal attributes to lead a New Zealand team.
“She’s been in New Zealand, she knows the landscape, the people, the culture, the players and she’s been involved in the Canada system, which is admittedly a bigger scale,” he said.
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand’s Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. 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.
