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 The New Zealand women's national football team, nicknamed the Football Ferns, is governed by New Zealand Football (NZF). The New Zealand national team qualified for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in China in September 2007, sending the te ...

Biography

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. She has coached the United States women's u-20 team, United States women's under-19 team,

Canberra United Canberra United Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the southern Canberra suburb of Wanniassa, Australian Capital Territory. Founded in 2008 by Capital Football, the club was an inaugural member of the W-League and t ...

in Australia's W-League, 1.FC Slovácko, the Czech Republic women's team and Internationals Soccer Club in Ohio, USA. In Australia, she was named Coach of the Year in the W-League in 2011-12. 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. Klimková is the first woman appointed to coach the Football Ferns on a full-time basis. At the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to be the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup competition, the quadrennial international women's football championship contested by the women's national association football teams organised ...

, 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.

References

1974 births Living people Czech women's footballers Czech Republic women's international footballers Czech football managers Czech expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate soccer managers in Australia A-League Women managers Expatriate association football managers in New Zealand Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States Czech expatriate sportspeople in the United States People from Kyjov Women's association football defenders 1. FC Slovácko (women) players Czech Women's First League players Czech expatriate football managers Footballers from the South Moravian Region New Zealand women's national football team managers New Zealand women's national football team non-playing staff 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup managers Czechoslovak sportswomen Female association football managers Czech expatriates in New Zealand {{Czech-women-footy-bio-stub