EXCLUSIVE

Following hours of meetings, exhaustion and emotional turmoil, the Football Ferns have farewelled another head coach, as Jitka Klimkova exits with three years left on her contract. Bonnie Jansen reveals the challenges faced by the team during and after their whirlwind Fifa Women’s World Cup on home soil.

Two days before they faced Thailand in Christchurch, the Football Ferns gathered in a truth circle.

The meeting in April was the first time the team
had been home together since their turbulent World Cup campaign in 2023.

What was meant to be a joyous homecoming had turned into a tense, awkward and emotionally charged atmosphere. The mood was far from celebratory.

The relationship between players and staff was notably strained – a result of a multitude of factors since their disappointing exit from the tournament eight months earlier.

The truth circle meeting marked a crossroads for a team which had reached breaking point.

Eleven players involved in the squad spoke with the Herald under the condition of anonymity about their experiences in the national team, dating back to late 2021 when head coach Jitka Klimkova signed a six-year contract.

The players revealed the issues within the group had been ongoing for more than two years, and extended beyond the recent allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the outgoing coach, which were revealed by the Herald earlier this month.

Kia ora, Jitka Klimkova

Klimkova took the helm of the Football Ferns at the end of 2021, replacing experienced Scot Tom Sermanni.

Sermanni had been in the role since October 2018. The Herald understands Sermanni didn’t reapply for his role beyond the 2021 Summer Olympics because New Zealand Football (NZF) wanted someone long-term.

Klimkova’s six-year contract encompassed three pinnacle events: the home 2023 World Cup, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2027 World Cup.

She was previously a New Zealand women’s Under-17 coach, and had also coached American age-group teams and Canberra United in the women’s A-League.

Initially, eyebrows were raised at the unprecedented length of the contract, however, most players bought into the concept.

One player said: “I did think [the six-year contract] was weird; I thought that it was crazy that they would sign someone on for so long – but I was naive, I trusted it.”

Another said: “I didn’t really think about that other than that’s really long and I hope she’s good. The way [NZF] pitched it to us was it was going to be so good because we could build the foundations from the ground up and get something really good going and in theory, that’s a great idea.”

“I was excited that we were going to have a coach locked in for a longer period of time. We’d had a lot of coaches come and go in the last few years and I think some stability was a good thing,” another said.

When Klimkova’s appointment was announced in September 2021, NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said: “Jitka has a real love for Aotearoa, is a passionate coach, a very strong communicator, and experienced across a range of international football systems.

“Her experiences here, in Australia… and in the United States in the US Soccer system make her amply equipped to prepare the Football Ferns for 2023 and 2027.”

Pragnell revealed on September 14 to Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine there were no performance triggers in the Czech’s contract.

“If you’re not winning games, you shouldn’t still have a job,” one player noted. “From a stability point of view it was exciting to have her locked in, but obviously [we] didn’t realise that they would keep her around regardless of performance – which isn’t good.”

When asked extensive questions about Klimkova’s time in charge of the Football Ferns, the coach and NZF offered a statement about “looking forward at [sic] the exciting future for the team and game in general in Aotearoa New Zealand”.

Early wobbles

Players began questioning the coaching staff’s abilities as early as late 2022. Concerns were amplified by the team’s lack of wins, goals, and a steady decline in the world rankings. They also expressed frustration with the excessive focus on the 2027 World Cup, noting that there were no examples of plans or development for how they would succeed when they got there.

When Klimkova took over, New Zealand were ranked 23rd in the world. This month, they hit an all-time low of 31st.

Players said the tours leading to the home tournament were tough.

“It was really, really frustrating,” one player said. “We had a pretty great squad in terms of experience in that year before the World Cup. Once the [draw] came out, we were all really excited about what could happen in the World Cup, because it was such a good opportunity. But we were losing to teams that we wouldn’t have in the past and we were conceding so many more goals than normal.

“There was a loss of trust in what we were doing because we were celebrating things that we weren’t necessarily proud of.

”Twenty twenty-three was one of the stepping stones on the way to 2027. For 2023, it was just about trying to get the first win but it was always ‘we’re going to be amazing by 2027’,” said another player.

Players said this is where annoyance and frustration kicked in; the messaging from staff was always about the bigger picture, process and 2027.

However, the players eagerly anticipated the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, which was set to be the biggest moment of their careers.

The goal that stopped the nation

The opening match at Eden Park exceeded all expectations for players, staff and fans alike. The thrilling match, unexpected upset and Hannah Wilkinson’s goal marked New Zealand’s first senior World Cup win. It also gave all parties hope that the Football Ferns could change the game in Aotearoa forever.

What was seen to be their toughest fixture of the tournament became the highlight. In the tournament’s opening match, the Ferns beat Norway 1-0 – the Scandinavians were ranked 12th in the world, 14 places ahead of the Kiwis.

Players told the Herald that former Football Fern Kristy Hill – who was brought into the group at the beginning of the tournament to help the Ferns create their own identity – was responsible for much of that success.

“It was definitely all her,” said one player. “She was absolutely instrumental in that win.”

Hill arranged meetings to discuss the group’s values and goals, and what it meant to host the tournament on home soil. Players said that focus united the group.

“Everyone wrote in their [tournament] review how impactful she was… and heavily advised if we’re able to bring her in, even if it’s a home tour or something like that, that would be great. She knows us and she just has this way about it.”

The Herald understands Hill didn’t continue on with the group after that first game because her values didn’t align with that of the fulltime staff.

Formation change?

A reality check hit the Football Ferns hard during their second World Cup match. Suddenly, that Wilkinson goal, the opening win and the emotional high all seemed like a distant memory.

Heading into the game against the Philippines, players were confused when suddenly the formation changed to a 4-3-3. Just days earlier, they had beaten Norway by playing a 4-4-2 shape.

Players expressed to the Herald that there was confusion about the formation change.

This game was meant to be the most straightforward of the group – New Zealand were ranked 20 places higher than the Southeast Asian nation – and the one the team had targeted pre-tournament as their best opportunity to pick up points.

Instead, they lost 1-0 – the worst-case scenario for the Ferns.

The players owned this loss, saying it was as much their fault as it was the staff. However, their confusion was heightened when the formation didn’t switch back to 4-4-2 for their final group game.

Their future in the tournament would be decided against Switzerland in Dunedin.

The note

The Switzerland game was a turning point in the deteriorating relationship between the players and staff. Going into the match, New Zealand had a plan to change to a more attacking formation mid-game, if required.

They would do so if the corresponding Group A fixture between Norway and the Philippines wasn’t playing out the way they needed it to. A draw might have been enough for New Zealand, had the other game also finished level.

However, the game quickly turned into a must-win, as news came that Norway were leading the Philippines 3-0 at halftime. While that information should have created a sense of urgency or drive from the group, players said it was the opposite.

They revealed that in the dressing room Klimkova softly conveyed this news to the team, and only about half the squad actually heard.

“While the game was going on, we weren’t informed of the result of the other match,” one player said. “We were left under the impression that the current score of our game, sitting at 0-0, would get us through to the next round.

“Switzerland changed their formation at halftime, and our current 4-3-3 shape struggled to deal with this. We were waiting for guidance from the sideline, but it never came.”

Players said during a team huddle, they were told to expect a formation change later in the game, triggered by a specific signal. Players said a teammate was pulled aside by Klimkova midway through the second half and asked about switching formations.

The player is believed to have expressed uncertainty as many players were unaware of the score in the other match and believed Klimkova, as the coach, was better positioned to make that decision. After the match, players say there was a significant misunderstanding in the dressing room as Klimkova placed blame on the player for not initiating the formation change.

Earlier, in the 82nd minute of the match, forward Gabi Rennie was subbed on with a note. The note detailed information that players on the field were already aware of – that Switzerland were playing a diamond midfield and “counter-measures” should be taken.

Yet the note failed to include what those counter-measures were. Instead, it was left up to interpretation and for the players to figure it out for themselves. They said there was no information about how to overcome that change in shape.

“I think she genuinely thinks that that’s coaching. We said: ‘We know what formation they are playing – what do you want us to do?’,” one player said.

With about five minutes remaining, the players actioned a formation change themselves, however, it was too late and the final whistle drew an end to their tournament.

Players described the changing room as filled with anger after.

“It was like someone died,” one said. “We were just silent and quiet to ourselves. All of us were just so upset that it was over. No one really knew how to put anything into words straight after the game.”

Others said: “We were beat purely on coaching.”

The opportunity of being successful at a home tournament was “completely missed”.

‘Okay with mediocrity’

After the World Cup, the players were frustrated and their mood was dull.

They felt there was a disconnect between staff and players when it came to the disappointment surrounding the World Cup. Players were mad at the missed opportunity of the event, meanwhile, the attitudes coming from staff – particularly at their next camp in Chile in September 2023 – were the opposite. Allegedly the staff seemed satisfied with the win against Norway and inspiring the nation.

“It was so awkward, like, read the room,” one player said. “No one was in a space to just move on. People were all hurting, just recovering or just needing to talk about it.”

Another explained when they came together for that Chile tour, the coaches were “happy as Larry”, while the players arrived like “deflated balloons, still hungover from the World Cup”, one said.

“It was just a massive disconnect on the thoughts of the World Cup, which was also frustrating. That also caused a lot of anger.”

A third player said: “NZF have the lowest bar for us and maybe considering past performances, the bar should be set low, we shouldn’t be expected to win the World Cup, but if you’re trying to actually develop a team and develop women’s football in New Zealand, investment needs to be made to start raising the bar.”

The player believes “NZF as an organisation is so okay with mediocrity”.

Players said there were many meetings over the next three camps in Chile, Spain and Samoa as the players and staff attempted to get on the same page.

Inexperience exposed

When reflecting on the tournament and Klimkova’s tenure, players remembered many “redundant” and lengthy sessions. This was annoying, given time with a national team is already limited and these precious moments should have been focused on playing style or how the team were going to win.

Players said sessions on the pitch would break down with individuals asking for feedback about why it wasn’t working; however, players claim Klimkova couldn’t provide answers. She would instead tell the athletes to continue playing and they would reassess later on film.

“She loved her meetings, some of which I think were really good. But it got to the point where we were just repeating the same things when we could have spent time going over style of play, for example,” said a player.

“I know myself and a lot of the other girls were feeling mentally and emotionally drained as well as physically. You go back into your club environments and it just feels like the life sucked out of you a little bit.”

Another said: “We were begging to get a playing style out of her for the last three-and-a-half years.”

Players described Klimkova’s coaching style as “basic”, “unproductive” and “insecure”.

The truth circle

It wasn’t until April 2024 in Christchurch that players got to address both their hurt and concerns for the future of the team.

Players sat in a circle with NZF staff, from both inside and outside of the team environment, who were invited to attend given it was a home game.

A representative from High Performance Sport New Zealand, Christian Penny, attended the meeting.

In a statement, HPSNZ director of high performance Steve Tew said: “Christian Penny leads the Coach Accelerator Programme at High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ), which former Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova undertook as part of her coaching development.

“This programme involves Christian being a support person for the coaches if and when needed.

“In April, Jitka invited Christian to run a number of sessions with Football Ferns players, coaching and support staff, designed to help the team connect with each other and build team culture.

“HPSNZ is aware there are still unresolved issues and has been in contact with NZ Football to offer support if requested. However, as these issues are within NZ Football’s domain, and noting we don’t have a core investment relationship with the Football Ferns, we are not in a position to comment further.”

Players said these dialogues extended beyond two hours, and they described the atmosphere as awkward and traumatising.

Players were asked to express their concerns with the Ferns’ environment because the disconnect between players and staff had reached an all-time high. The players said they had reiterated that they wanted a clear-cut playing style that would set them up for success on the world stage.

They said they wanted more tactical information to help understand exactly who they are and what they have to do to win.

Encouraged to not hold anything back, a senior player was designated by the team to speak on their behalf. When the senior player’s position as team spokeswoman was questioned by an NZF official, the playing group unanimously backed them to continue doing so, with a collective raising of hands.

One said: “Every single player in that room put their hand up high.”

Another adding: “I’ve never experienced anything like it. The tension in the room was palpable.”

They said the meeting ended with no resolutions and left players in an uncomfortable position as they attempted to play Thailand two days later.

Klimkova’s alleged inappropriate behaviour

The fight wasn’t over for the Football Ferns, who felt their voices still needed to be heard regarding a more significant matter.

Ferns players started to express their concerns to the sport’s national body over allegations of inappropriate behaviour at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup towards a player by Klimkova.

The players told the Herald this was the incident that earlier this year resulted in a third-party independent employment investigation. After the investigation, NZF cleared the Czech coach to return to work. She then skipped the Paris Olympics before standing down from her role last month.

Ten of the complainant’s teammates spoke with the Herald about the alleged incident after the majority of the current squad had written formal letters to NZF. The letters are believed to include criticism of the national body’s handling of the matter and concerns about the unprofessionalism of the incident.

One player told the Herald: “NZF have created an environment where players are fearful of reporting issues. They need to take huge strides to improve their safeguarding, which at the moment feels non-existent.”

The players say their motivation for action was not a drive to have Klimkova fired, but instead to ensure player welfare.

“Our biggest concern was our teammates and how people would feel being in an environment when there was confusion and an uncomfortable feeling,” another player told the Herald.

The Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympics – which is considered a pinnacle event for women’s football – wasn’t taken seriously enough, according to some players.

While the mood without Klimkova had improved and players felt more comfortable given the recent allegations, players claim the coaching was still questionable and the disconnect between staff and players prevailed.

Players told the Herald it seemed there was no identity or plan in place for the tournament. The players’ responsibilities then began extending beyond their duties on the pitch as they attempted to come up with solutions to help the team win.

One player who took on extra responsibilities described it as “insane”.

“Players were expected to create aspects of the game plan and tactics in groups, something that is generally the coaches’ role. Most of this was based on the opposition, not the Ferns, and caused a lack of identity on the pitch.

“The lack of guidance really set us up for failure. We had staff who were hired for six years and were entrusted to develop our team, and women’s football in New Zealand. Yet we, the players, were being asked to create the game plans.

“We were like coaches and not wanting to be. We were having to wear so many hats. It was miserable.

“I’ve never been so exhausted and mentally broken in my life.”

The Ferns went on to lose all three games in a tough group in Paris. Prior to the Games, players were told by NZF that a restorative justice process would commence between players and Klimkova afterwards.

After the Olympics, players asked for an update and were told by NZF that a resolution would be announced in the coming days. The players found out about Klimkova’s departure from the team one day before it was announced publicly on September 13.

The future is now

There are currently no international fixtures scheduled for the Football Ferns.

Pragnell outlined last month there is no time pressure to replace Klimkova, however, they want someone to fit the current structures.

“We’re going into the next few months with some really robust campaign planning,” Pragnell said. “What I’m not keen to do is throw the baby out with the bath water and that’s what – to be quite frank – we’ve got a history of doing.”

One player said in response: “We need someone who develops the team, who challenges the team in a positive and productive way. Someone who is confident and can adequately communicate their plans to both NZF and the team.”

Players are eager to see NZF’s next hire for the role be someone who is going to help develop women’s football from the ground up.

Klimkova remains employed with NZF until early 2025 in a technical-analysis capacity.

New Zealand Football’s statement

“As you are aware, Jitka Klimkova stepped down as head coach of the Football Ferns in September and we are firmly focused on looking forward at the exciting future for the team and game in general in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We will be announcing our next set of fixtures shortly and have commenced the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 campaign planning process, to put the team in the best place to qualify for, win games and progress out of the group in 2027.

“Football continues to go from strength to strength, with 2024 being our biggest ever community football season, inspired by the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023, and football now being the most played team sport in the country.

“The game will only continue to grow with the impact of Auckland FC and a run of home international games for both our men’s and women’s senior sides.

“The Fifa WWC 2023 Legacy Impact Report can be found at: https://www.sporty.co.nz/asset/downloadasset?id=78f06dd5-4a41-408a-a31d-44918e2c050d.”

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.