Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealand Football Ferns coach Michael Mayne speaks with Manaia Elliott. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Football Ferns coach Michael Mayne believes he is working with a group of role models who deserve the public’s support as they face the final hurdle to qualify for next year’s Football World Cup.
Mayne has been around the Football Ferns for four years, becoming permanent head coach last year, and around women’s football even longer.
He has been part of age-group World Cups including the historic bronze medal campaign at the under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2018.
On Wednesday he could guide the Football Ferns to qualify for their seventh World Cup.
He wants to help his team achieve that feat – by beating Papua New Guinea at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland – in front of as many people as possible.
“We’re just really hopeful that there’s a strong crowd out there that we can connect with.
“We spoke around being back at home, every opportunity we get when we’re out on the pitch to try and bring that group of people that have come out to see us play into those little huddles, those little celebrations.
“We get a lot of energy out of that.”
Mayne highlighted where he felt his team sat in the broader women’s sports landscape.
“There’s a lot of discussion and chat around supporting the women’s game in any sport. My urge to parents sitting at home wondering what to do [Wednesday] night with their young kids, especially the young girls, this is a beautiful team of players that are role models for what we want to see.
“I think the best we can do as a country is get behind our sports, get behind the teams.
“You look at many sports and that fanfare is in a place where it’s struggling a little bit. These are opportunities where our supporters and these young girls and boys can come and see this team go to work.
“We’d love to have the opportunity to inspire them and to do it live.”
Captain Kate Taylor wanted the team to showcase their skills and direction in the rare game at home that had a lot on the line.
Displaying that there was a pathway for female talent was also on her agenda.
New Zealand’s Kate Taylor celebrates her goal with New Zealand’s Michaela Foster. Shane Wenzlick / Phototek.nz
‘We want to play exciting football. I think the way the women’s game is going, you’re seeing that being shown across the world in many different places and we want to be a part of that but also put our own spin on that and I think as New Zealand we can definitely do that.
“I think what you saw [in the semi-final] with us combining in between lines and scoring some really nice goals that’s where we’re going and obviously we want to keep building and hopefully the game [against PNG] can show that too.”
At the last World Cup, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, Taylor was a training partner with the Football Ferns.
She felt included in the team environment, despite not being on the field on game day, but also got a unique insight into how the game was translating with fans.
“I think the biggest thing I took away was the connection between the fans and the team. I got to sit in the stand but I also got to experience training and see what the girls were working on.
“I think bridging that gap was something I took away and I think that was really special.”
Football Ferns forward Gabi Rennie also saw the importance of the connection to the fans.
“A big reason of why it is so special to represent New Zealand and wear the fern on your chest is that next generation that comes through and you get to be a role model and that’s such a privilege so getting to actually play in front of them and see the impact that we can make and see the fans after the game that’s real special.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
