Ferns return from hibernation to play 2 games in Costa Rica, February next year. Ticas ranked 43rd by FIFA, behind USA, Canada, Mexico & Jamaica in CONCACAF.
Mayne to stay as interim coach, until Preistman completes her coaching suspension in July??
Ferns return from hibernation to play 2 games in Costa Rica, February next year. Ticas ranked 43rd by FIFA, behind USA, Canada, Mexico & Jamaica in CONCACAF.
Mayne to stay as interim coach, until Preistman completes her coaching suspension in July??
Hopefully we see the large number of overlooked/yet-to-play players to get involved - the likes of Neville, Niedermayr, Anton, Page, Pijnenburg, Jenkins, Radosavljevic, Jackson, Blake, etc
Neville, Pijnenburg, and Blake I'd say all in with a good shout.
Grace Jale should be dropped and with Steinmetz injured is a midfield spot up for grabs. But the others are mostly playing in so so leagues, and not that sure they are any better than the incumbents.
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
Talking a good game. But do the Ferns have the quality of attacking players, to be a more exciting watch?
Note quite a few like Clegg, Fraser will be out of season for these friendlies next month.
And yeah Mayne won't make many changes. He'll go in low risk. He's basically auditioning for the full time job. He avoids 2 losses, team looks competitive, that helps his case.
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.
Mayne hoped that under his leadership, the team would look more dangerous on the attack.
“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.
Don't follow Kiwi Women Overseas that closely but can see some of the following missing out this time - Sheaff, Moore (out of season), Riley (injured), Steinmetz (Unattached), Rennie (out of season & only in Swedish 2nd tier) & Jale. Question mark on Fraser
Possible inclusions (some of them longshots) - Brianna Edwards, Aimee Danieli, Liz Anton, Grace Neville, Kiara Bercelli (playing Serie A), Maya Hahn, Alyssa Whinham, Deven Jackson, Emma Pijnenburg, Olivia Page, Hannah Blake, Maggie Jenkins
Don't imagine there will be too many changes. They might pick a 24 player squad? Ali Riley and Malia Steinmetz (injured) will be out. Devan Jackson (injured) Ins probably Alyssa Whinham or Maya Hahn and either Grace Neville or Liz Anton. Blake and Jenkins pushing for inclusion over Hand, Rennie and Jale. Wildcard being Emma Pijnenburg
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
Tyler's mum gets a new job. Last I read she was at London City Lionesses in the UK 2nd tier as an assistant coach, but see she's now with her son at Reading FC. Good to see Sam Wilkinson also get involved.
Joining Bindon will be goalkeeping coach Will Britt and assistant coach Sam Wilkinson.
Britt, a former professional goalkeeper, is the goalkeeping coach at English WSL Championship side Southampton.
Wilkinson has previously held technical roles with FIFA and academy coach and player development positions at Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, in addition to having been assistant coach for the New Zealand men’s U-17 and U-23 teams.
Interim head coach Michael Mayne has appointed an all-new coaching staff ahead of the Ford Football Ferns’ first tour of the year next month against Costa Rica, including former Ferns goalkeeper Jenny Bindon as assistant coach.
Know of anyone eligible to play for New Zealand (i.e. current or eligible NZ passport holder) based overseas that NZ Football may have missed? NZ Football are on the look out for any players eligible for our senior men's and women's and age group sides: https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2025/01/29/national-body-on-global-hunt-for-talented-players-eligible-to-wear-the-fern/ “For players based in New Zealand, we have systems and processes in place dedicated to discovering and monitoring top talent. For players overseas, our high-performance department tracks hundreds of players. However, we may not be aware of everyone who could potentially wear the fern. If you are playing at a high level and believe you are eligible for Aotearoa New Zealand, or if you know someone in this situation who is not currently being monitored by New Zealand Football, please click on the relevant link to inform us of your eligibility for international selection.”
Football Ferns Squad announced for upcoming games against Costa Rica
The full 23-player squad is:
Liz Anton (19 caps) Canberra United, Australia Mackenzie Barry (20 caps) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand Hannah Blake (6 caps) Durham FC, England Kelli Brown (debut) Perth Glory, Australia Claudia Bunge (31 caps) Melbourne Victory, Australia Geo Candy (debut) Melbourne Victory, Australia Milly Clegg (12 caps) Halifax Tides FC, Canada Brianna Edwards (1 cap) Sydney FC, Australia Manaia Elliott (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand Victoria Esson (24 caps) Rangers FC, Scotland Michaela Foster (22 caps) Durham FC, England Macey Fraser (6 caps) Utah Royals, USA Maya Hahn (debut) FFC Turbine Potsdam, Germany Jacqui Hand (31 caps) Sheffield United, England Grace Jale (34 caps) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand Katie Kitching (14 caps) Sunderland AFC, England Annalie Longo (136 caps) Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand Meikayla Moore (67 caps) Calgary Wild FC, Canada Ruby Nathan (5 caps) Canberra United, Australia Grace Neville (10 caps) London City Lionesses, England Emma Pijnenburg (0 caps) Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands Indiah-Paige Riley (27 caps) Crystal Palace, England Kate Taylor (21 caps) Dijon FCO, France
Ford Football Ferns interim head coach Michael Mayne has named his first squad of 2025, ahead of his side taking on Costa Rica later this month, kicking off a new cycle for the team with three debutants called up.
Perth Glory forward Kelli Brown, Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Geo Candy, and FFC Turbine Potsdam midfielder Maya Hahn, who recently committed to play for Aotearoa New Zealand at senior international level, have all been called up to the Ford Football Ferns for the first time.
All three players were part of the bronze medal winning team at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup where Michael Mayne was an assistant coach.
Wellington Phoenix’s Manaia Elliott and Feyenoord’s Emma Pijnenburg have also been named as uncapped players who have yet to take the field for the Ferns.
Interim head coach Michael Mayne is looking forward to kicking off a new cycle with the team and starting to build towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027:
“I feel very privileged to be naming a Ford Football Ferns team for the first time as interim head coach and I’m excited about getting back into our environment with the players.
“It’s been a thorough process since taking this role on after the Olympics and I have spent the time connecting with our wider squad of around 40 players to understand how we can start this cycle and make sure we have clarity on where we are at, and where we need to be, by the time the team hits Brazil in 2027.
“As this is the start of a new cycle it is an opportunity to test some new and more inexperienced players, and there is a great opportunity for those selected for this tour to show me where their strengths lie and how that will support the team getting success on the pitch.
“The priority remains to put us in the best place to win games and get out of the group at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, and this is a great opportunity to begin creating some competition for positions.
“The team will be playing regularly in the build-up to the next World Cup so there are ample opportunities for a range of players to be involved early in the cycle.
“We want to make sure that come the next major tournament we have tested a number of options and systems that allow us to be more threatening on the pitch, more exciting on the ball, and be a team that looks and feels different in the way we win games.”
The Ford Football Ferns play Costa Rica (FIFA rank 43) on Sunday 23 February at 1pm NZT (Saturday 22 February at 6pm local time) and Wednesday 26 February at 11am NZT (Tuesday 25 February at 4pm local time).
Both games will be played at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
High turnover from WC squad. Those asking for the old guard to be replaced, should be happy.
The Niche Cache @thenichecache
This’ll be a fun one to dig into
Gotta imagine the absences of Bott, Bowen & Stott is workload/rotation since the defence is very much not the issue
No Anna Leat either (hasn’t played since the Olympics so fair enough)
Chuffed to see Pijnenburg and Blake rewarded with call ups
Some other notable omissions:
Malia Steinmetz (ACL) Deven Jackson (injured) Ally Green Maggie Jenkins Murphy Sheaff Grace Wisnewski (probs not match fit) Ava Collins Gabi Rennie Alyssa Whinham
Only 14/23 players from the Olympics are here, only 8/23 from the World Cup
I wonder if some of this is about travel minutes. We know players from Aus, NZ, Japan, Brazil etc. tend to travel the most of all in the womens game, so perhaps Mayne and co have said to those key players that this tour isn't a critical one and they can sit it out. All three of their spots should be safe for the World Cup barring any massive downturns/injuries.
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
Yes it's obviously a rest/rotation thing. Some younger olayers get a chance in their absence.
From what Mayne is saying NZF plan to give the Ferns a full schedule of games this year, so plenty of time to bring the older experienced players back into the squad later on.
You imagine the Ferns will be in the last pot in the draw for the 2027 WC, regardless of how they go in friendlies the next few years.
The risk for Mayne is that this young group, loses both games in Costa Rica, and even worse looks toothless in attack. That won't help his chances of getting the job permanently. Lets see what happens. I rate Sam Wilkinson as his assistant.
Not sure about what you say with the pots - for example we are currently 21st out of the 32 teams that played in the World Cup in 2023. Some lower ranked teams from North America, Africa and Asia tend to qualify which helps our cause if we stay around the same place.
Costa Rica are 43rd in the world by the way (we're 32nd)
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
I bow to your superior knowledge. With our WR down at 32nd I would have thought in a 32 team WC, we would definitely be in the last pot.
I guess that shows a lot of better higher ranked teams than us in Europe especially, miss out on qualifying.
Though with the last pot being spots 25th-32nd, and us being the 21st ranked team at the last WC, won't take much of a rankings slide to be in that last pot in 2027. Plenty of nations in womens football on a fast improving trend.
Niche Cache with some interesting comments on the new coaching staff. All these changes does yes make you feel, yes Mayne will get the gig permanently.
THE COACHING STAFF
Michael Mayne took this team to the Olympics working within Jitka Klimkova’s old structures. American coach Keri Sarver remained alongside as his assistant, although Natalie Lawrence was brought in to take Mayne’s old spot. Duncan Reed was the goalkeeping coach.
This time there’s an entirely different look to things. Jenny Bindon has been hired as one of the assistants. As a legendary former player with good coaching experience, this runs parallel to Simon Elliott being brought into the All Whites system. Bindon had previously been working at London City Lionesses (Grace Neville’s club) as a goalkeeping coach but then came the takeover and a new coach and she didn’t survive the staff turnover... but she landed on her feet with a gig at Reading where her son Tyler Bindon has been playing. Tyler joined Reading after his family relocated to London from Los Angeles due to Jenny getting that LCL job. Tyler’s influence then seems to have helped Jenny get a job (albeit one she was already very qualified for). Now Jenny Bindon’s with the national team and it seems like an ideal appointment to have an ex-Ferns perspective on the staff. Someone who can relate to the players. Someone who has been around multiple professional environments on the female side. Sweet as.
Joining Mayne and Bindon as the other assistant will be Sam Wilkinson. Very well known name in kiwi football circles, he’s worked professionally in English systems, as an assistant for NZ age grade sides, a little bit within the Wellington Phoenix academy, and also had a hugely impressive stint as head coach of Melville United. Both he and Mayne have pretty strong Waikato football connections. Not sure how much women’s football experience Wilkinson has but he’s always seemed a very clever thinker of the game with a practical edge and a willingness to learn and evolve so he should be good. Another astute appointment.
Finally, Englishman William Britt has been named as the goalkeeping coach. A former pro keeper himself, he came up the ranks with Southampton and won the FA Youth Cup on loan with Norwich. Didn’t progress into much of a senior career, therefore got into coaching very early. He’s still only 29 years old and has been the keeper’s coach with Southampton women for several seasons already. He would have been there while Ashleigh Ward was playing for the club. He’s the only non-kiwi of the new coaching quartet (Bindon’s a naturalised citizen), meaning that there’s going to be a much more kiwi-flavoured coaching staff moving forward. As it ought to be. Granted, this could all change with a new head coach hire... but, again, these don’t feel like the kinds of appointments you make for a one-off tour, right?
Interesting, as she, and the other main Sydney keeper Franco, look to have been axed from the Sydney team, and two rookies are now holding the fort. From what Ive seen of their games, both of them have made too many mistakes. I suspect the Sydney manager is tearing his hair out.
I have to say I think Edwards is not international standard at the moment. Mind you, neither is Oli Sail
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
I was about to ask if anyone knows a pub in Auckland that’ll be showing Sunday’s game, but then I saw what Air NZ wants to charge me to change my flight home from the derby (pretty sure they’re our second most bitter rival, with MetLink as number one and AFC a distant third).
Pity because while I’ll obviously be cheering on the Ferns, I have a bit of a soft spot for Costa Rica simply because they were underdogs in the first WWC game I attended (their 3-0 loss to Spain). So this would’ve been a fun one to watch live.
Interesting, as she, and the other main Sydney keeper Franco, look to have been axed from the Sydney team, and two rookies are now holding the fort. From what Ive seen of their games, both of them have made too many mistakes. I suspect the Sydney manager is tearing his hair out.
I have to say I think Edwards is not international standard at the moment. Mind you, neither is Oli Sail
Maybe it will be Candy on the bench as no 2 keeper in Costa Rica. Hopefully neither her or Edwards are required.
🇳🇿 Ford Football Ferns ⚔️ Costa Rica 🇨🇷 🏟️ Piedades de Santa Ana Stadium 📆 February 23 & 26, 2025 NZT 📺 Watch live and free on FIFA+ pic.twitter.com/oGUyJHREy3
Second game behind closed doors. I think thats all pathetic, I think they are forgetting that the event is supposed to be entertainment. They are taking it too serious now. Flying people half-way around the world, and then not letting anyone watch them live??? Football is the only sport I still watch, as the others have been ruined, by tv, advertising, rules etc. Football is also teetering on the brink for a number of reasons. Thats one reason I watch more womens football than men. I guess it will all become unwatchable and uninteresting eventually. Thats just me!
Second game behind closed doors. I think thats all pathetic, I think they are forgetting that the event is supposed to be entertainment. They are taking it too serious now. Flying people half-way around the world, and then not letting anyone watch them live??? Football is the only sport I still watch, as the others have been ruined, by tv, advertising, rules etc. Football is also teetering on the brink for a number of reasons. Thats one reason I watch more womens football than men. I guess it will all become unwatchable and uninteresting eventually. Thats just me!
about 1 year ago· edited about 1 year ago· History
Unfortunately it's probably down to a lack of interest from the Costa Rican public - their team aren't noteworthy and don't have much profile, and the visiting Ferns don't exactly have the same aura that a team like the USA or Canada might.
Real spanner in the works for our preparation though, the coaching staff and NZF won't be pleased this has happened
