ALBANY, Tāmaki Makaurau – Football Ferns head coach Michael Mayne has confirmed his coaching team for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 cycle.
Joining the group for the first time this month, for the upcoming games against Mexico and the USA, will be new assistant coach Jenni Foster.
Foster is currently Senior Team Coach with English Women’s Super League side Everton and will combine her Ford Football Ferns role with her existing position.
Before joining Everton, Foster held assistant coach roles with English clubs Leicester City and Bristol City, who were promoted to the WSL during her time with the team.
Foster joins assistant coaches Jenny Bindon and Sam Wilkinson, as well as goalkeeping coach Will Britt, all of whom have already been involved with the Ferns setup this year.
Bindon earned 77 caps for the Ferns, appearing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, as well as the 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cups.
Britt, a former professional goalkeeper, is currently goalkeeping coach at English Women’s Championship side Southampton.
Wilkinson has previously held technical roles with FIFA, academy coaching and player development positions at Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, and served as assistant coach for New Zealand’s men’s U-17 and U-23 teams.
Mayne of Ngāti Awa and Ngā Puhi Speaks
Mayne, of Ngāti Awa and Ngā Puhi descent, was nominated at the Māori Sports Awards last year in the Te Maru O Tumatauenga/Sports Coach of the Year category, said:
“I’m really excited to confirm our Ford Football Ferns coaching staff to work with the squad as we build towards Brazil 2027.
“We wanted a combination of experience across the group and this staff brings strong knowledge of our development pathways, systems and context, as well as the added experience and knowledge from the two top women’s competitions in the game.
“It was also really important for me through the identification and appointment process to find people that could see the vision for our campaign plan, understand how I operate, while also supporting and challenging the players as we embark on forging new ground as a team.
“This is a really talented group of players, and I now feel we have the staff in place to seize the opportunity to perform on the international stage.”
Upcoming International Matches
The new Ford Football Ferns coaching team will assemble for the first time for this month’s two matches against Mexico and one against the USA.
The team’s first match against Mexico will be played on Friday 24 October at 3pm NZT (Thursday 23 October at 8pm local time) at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes in Mexico City.
The sides will meet again on Monday 27 October at 12pm NZT (Sunday 26 October at 5pm local time) at Estadio Olímpico Benito Juárez in Ciudad Juárez.
The Ford Football Ferns will then travel to Missouri to face the USA on Thursday 30 October at 1pm NZT (Wednesday 29 October at 7pm local time) at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.
Ends
Photo Credit: NZF Media
Story Credit: NZF Media
Story Edited: Māori Football Aotearoa Media
