Jitka Klimková (born 20 August 1974) is a Czech football coach and former football player. In September 2021 she was appointed head coach of the Football Ferns, the New Zealand women's national football team.[2][3]

Jitka Klimková
Personal information
Full name Jitka Klimková[1]
Date of birth (1974-08-20) 20 August 1974 (age 49)
Place of birth Kyjov, Czechoslovakia
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1991–1992 Sokol Čejč
1992–1995 Slávia Holíč
1995–2003 Compex Otrokovice
International career
2000–2001 Czech Republic 2 (0)
Managerial career
2004–2011 Slovácko
2009–2010 Czech Republic U-19
2011–2013 Canberra United
2013–2014 New Zealand U-17
2014 New Zealand (assistant)
2015–2017 United States U-19
2017–2019 United States U-20
2019–2021 Internationals SC
2021– New Zealand
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Biography edit

During her playing career she played for Sokol Čejč, Slávia Holíč and DFC Compex Otrokovice in the Czech First Division. She was briefly a member of the Czech national team, playing as a defender.[4][5]

She has coached the United States women's u-20 team,[6] United States women's under-19 team, Canberra United in Australia's W-League,[7] 1.FC Slovácko, the Czech Republic women's team and Internationals Soccer Club in Ohio, USA.[8][5] In Australia, she was named Coach of the Year in the W-League in 2011-12.[9] In New Zealand, she has coached the national under-17 women’s team, including their campaign at the FIFA 2014 Under-17 Women's World Cup, and has also worked as an assistant coach with the Under-20s and the Football Ferns.[3][10][11]

Klimková is the first woman appointed to coach the Football Ferns on a full-time basis.[3]

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she guided the Ferns to their first ever victory in the tournament, in a 1–0 victory over Norway in the opening match in Auckland.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: New Zealand (NZL)" (PDF). FIFA. 11 July 2023. p. 19. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Ferns coach to take side through to 2023 Women's World Cup revealed". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Former age-group coach Jitka Klimková to take charge of Football Ferns until 2027". Stuff. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  4. ^ Jitka Klimková at FAČR (in Czech)
  5. ^ a b "FORMER U20 NATIONAL TEAM COACH JITKA KLIMKOVA JOINS INTERNATIONALS SC • SoccerToday". SoccerToday. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Jitka Klimkova, Mark Carr hired to coach U-20 and U-17 WNTS". soccerwire.com. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Trenérka Jitka Klimková dobývá Austrálii". denik.cz (in Czech). 21 December 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Former U.S. Youth WNT coach Jitka Klimková joins Internationals SC". soccerwire.com. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Westfield W-League Award Winners". W-League. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Jitka Klimkova appointed as Young Football Ferns". nzfootball.co.nz. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Football: Jitka Klimková named new Football Ferns head coach ahead of 2023 World Cup". NZ Herald. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  12. ^ Hytner, Mike; Khan, Jo; Hytner (now), Mike; Khan (earlier), Jo (20 July 2023). "New Zealand 1-0 Norway: Women's World Cup 2023 Group A – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 July 2023.