📰 Michael Mayne named Football Ferns head coach

Michael Mayne is the first New Zealand-born head coach of the Football Ferns in 20 years after being named in the role for the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 cycle.

The announcement comes six months after Jitka Klimkova made the decision to stand down from the role with three years left on her contract.

The previous five managers – Klimkova (Czechia), Tom Sermanni (Scotland), Andreas Heraf (Austria), Tony Readings (England) and John Herdman (England) – were all born outside of New Zealand.

Mayne stepped in as 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 Klimkova left the role.

The side have played just twice in 2025, a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica followed by a 1-0 win. Two internationals against Chinese Taipei in Taiwan were cancelled last month because of poor pitch conditions.

Before his current position, Mayne was assistant coach with the Football Ferns for the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 and Paris 2024 Olympic cycle, as well as holding coaching roles in multiple cycles with the New Zealand U-17 and U-20 women’s team, including for the historic bronze medal win at the Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2018.

Domestically, he has coached at the top level of the women’s game in Aotearoa and was among the first coaches in the country to undertake the OFC Pro Licence, the globally recognised gold standard for elite-level coaching.

“To be head coach of your country is something I absolutely do not take lightly, and it is a proud moment for me and my family,” Mayne said.

“There are a lot of people that have invested time and effort in me throughout my coaching career, and this is an acknowledgement to their belief and support they have given as well.

“While in the role on an interim basis, I’ve been really pleased with the work we have been able to start as a team, so it is a real privilege to be in a position to continue to drive that forward.

“This is an exciting, talented, and motivated group of players, and we can move forward now with our plan, with a lot of new energy, and push ourselves to reach that next level, and that starts immediately against Venezuela.”
 
This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.