The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is ‘Break the bias’. We spoke to two women at New Zealand Football who broke the bias when they became the first women to take on two of New Zealand Football’s biggest roles: president, and head coach of the Ford Football Ferns. We asked what needs to happen to ensure the bias continues to be broken, and how the way can be paved for other women looking to lead and participate in football.

When asked about what it takes to break the bias in football, where leadership roles are assumed to be the domain of men, New Zealand Football president Johanna Wood and Ford Football Ferns head coach Jitka Klimková had several suggestions:

Creating opportunities. Building capabilities. Getting out of your comfort zone. Believing in yourself.

Wood was elected New Zealand Football President in April 2019. Klimková was named Ford Football Ferns head coach in September 2021. They are the first women to hold these roles since New Zealand Football was founded in 1891.

“The fact that I’m the first New Zealand Football president who is female, after the history of New Zealand Football, astounded me in 2019. But then I don't know why I was surprised,” recalls Wood. Since she was elected, New Zealand Football has achieved Sport New Zealand’s target of 40% women on its board.
 

 

Before Klimková was appointed head coach of the Ford Football Ferns, three women had been involved with the head coach role since the side’s first match in 1975. But only on a temporary basis.

Former player Nora Watkins took charge for a two-match series with Australia in 1995, while former captain Wendi Henderson jointly held the role with fellow former international Ali Grant in October 2004. Otherwise, the women’s national team has only had men at the helm.

The increasingly common sight of women in the dugout (in the women’s game at least) is something that stands out for Jitka. It wasn’t the norm when she was starting out.

“It was more obvious when I started coaching,” she recalls.

“I remember when I started doing my coaching licenses, I was around one of 30 men's coaches and their approach to women's football was so different. A lot of them just didn't respect women's football, and it was not easy for me to fight for women's football in that kind of environment.”

But progress is certainly being made, she says.

“I feel the support around is now much, much bigger and people are much more respectful and supportive: we've made progress. I still see a lot of potential in front of us, but the step forward is definitely here.”
 

 

While who holds certain roles is the most instance example of gender bias, it can also manifest in more subtle ways. Wood says that the expectations some may have for how women operate in leadership and governance roles is one example

“I think as a woman, you tend to work twice as hard to show that you can do [the role]. In my whole career, I think that's been the case, the fact that you can be a mum and you can still work, the fact that you can be a woman and have an interest in football, which is predominantly male dominated.

“But it’s not just in football,” she adds.

“I'm married to a dairy farmer, and when we were first married people wouldn't talk to me because I was a woman and they wanted to talk to my husband. That still happens today in the primary industry world: people assume that you don't know, but my husband will be the first one to say that I'm the one responsible for business finance. Then when I was a secondary school principal, it wasn't common for females to be principal of a co-ed school. The bias is that they don't expect women to be in that role.

“The other bias that you get is that you're a woman, you only understand women's football or that's all you can contribute to.”

She’s also observed that she’s sometimes asked to “raise a challenging issue … because it would be better coming from a woman.”

“This perception that as a woman, you can nurture, mother, and that you're not going to be tough is quite interesting.

“But it is changing,” she emphasises.
 

 

In terms of being prepared to take up these roles, it’s important to be willing to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone, says Klimková.

“Probably the biggest step towards where I am right now was when I really went out of my comfort zone - when I moved from the Czech Republic (where I played and coached at the same club) and went to Australia. I knew it would be a tough journey for me, but it gave me that opportunity to start coaching abroad.

“Getting out of your comfort zone is really important for the journey if you want to achieve something more. And my goal always was, I want to coach one day a woman's national team, and here I am living my dream.”

Similarly, having the courage to believe in yourself – and that others believe in you too – is something Wood urges other women to do.

“Don't be afraid to put your hand up,” says Wood.

“If you are shoulder tapped, then there's a reason why someone is asking you to stand up and take on that role. If there is an opportunity to participate in a professional learning opportunity to develop your capacity in the leadership space, within football, then jump in and take part.”
 

Wood’s sentiments are echoed by Klimková.

“As women, let's keep believing in ourselves. I know that a lot of us are not going for those roles because they think they are not ready yet, but they actually are. They are ready. So let's dream big. Don't stop believing,” she says.

“We want more women in the leadership roles. We want more women in coaching. We want more girls playing football. I just wish everybody has the same chance to follow their dreams and their goals and to reach their potential.”

Helping other women to reach their potential is a big motivator in breaking the bias in football governance for Wood, too. It’s “about creating opportunities for young women and older women to be able to participate and be part of that football governance space,” she says.

“Here in New Zealand, we've got the Women in Leadership programme, which is about providing the opportunities and building individuals up to a level where they believe that they can and do contribute. 

“It doesn't necessarily mean everyone is going to be the president of New Zealand Football, but what it does mean is that women can participate and govern sports clubs. They can participate and govern in coaching programmes, refereeing, all of those things.

“It's not just saying we're doing this so we can tick a box. It's about building the capacity, building up a critical mass of individuals that make it easier for others to follow behind.”

Article added: Tuesday 08 March 2022