John Herdman named Canada’s Women’s National Team Head Coach

The Canadian Soccer Association is pleased to announce that John Herdman will become the new Head Coach for the Women’s National Team effective immediately.



“We are pleased to welcome a world class coach like John Herdman to the Canadian soccer community,” commented Peter Montopoli, Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary. He added that “John’s leadership in taking New Zealand to two FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2011 and 2007 and to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will position our team well to achieve results on the international stage. With the hosting of the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada on the horizon, the team under John’s guidance will be focussed on the best possible performance in front of their home country.”



Coach Herdman will take the reins of the 8th ranked Canadian team that is gearing up for the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament to be held in Vancouver, January 19-29. The team has its sights set on a second straight Women’s Olympic Football Tournament having competed in Beijing in 2008. As part of his role, Herdman will also contribute to the Canadian Soccer Association’s development of a long term vision for women’s soccer in Canada.



“This is a wonderful opportunity to work in a fantastic country and with a team that has the genuine potential to be the best in the world,” stated new Head Coach Herdman. He emphasized that “the focus is multi-layered – with the Olympics sitting just around the corner, my job is to help the team achieve their podium goals, while keeping one eye on the long-term preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 and achieving sustained success beyond this event.”



On the opportunity to lead the host country for a FIFA Women’s World Cup, Head Coach Herdman commented that “being a key player in helping the team prepare for a home FIFA World Cup is a huge responsibility. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 in Canada has the potential to be the tipping point for the explosion of the women’s game in Canada. The Canadian Soccer Association has provided this opportunity by securing the competition and it will now be the job of the players and the support team to ensure we are ready to deliver on this exciting stage”.



Herdman was most recently the Head Coach for New Zealand’s senior women’s national team, a post he held since 2006. During his tenure, he led New Zealand to the Oceania Championship twice and their participation in two FIFA Women’s World Cups as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.



Born in England, Herdman arrived in New Zealand in 2002 when he began to work with elite women players. This experience brought him to New Zealand Football in 2006 as their Coach Education Manager. That role was followed by his position as the Director of Football Development which he continued to hold when he assumed his role as Head Coach for the senior women’s national team in late 2006. Herdman also led the Junior Football Ferns to two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups (2008 and 2006) and during this period he was responsible for both the U-20 and senior women’s national teams.



Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck, will have two Women’s International Friendly matches (USA in Kansas City, KS on 17 September and in Portland, OR on 22 September) in advance of the Pan American Games that begin in October. The 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying will be held in Vancouver from 19-29 January, with the two finalists securing qualification spots to London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament later that year.