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Jitka Klimková

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Jitka Klimková
Personal information
Full name Jitka Klimková[1]
Date of birth (1974-08-20) 20 August 1974 (age 50)
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
2021–2024 New Zealand
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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]

Biography

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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]

She stepped down from coaching the Football Ferns in 2024.[13]

References

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  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.
  13. ^ "'Tension not a bad thing': Klimkova's Football Ferns exit sign of growth". 1News. Retrieved 16 September 2024.