This week will go down as one of the most memorable in the life of Gemma Lewis. Not only did she jet off to France for her first taste of a World Cup as assistant coach of the New Zealand U-20 women’s team, she was also hand-picked by FIFA to be part of an elite coach mentorship programme.

The 28-year-old is one of the most promising coaches to have come through the highly-regarded New Zealand Football Coach Education Pathway and that potential has been underlined by her acceptance into the FIFA programme, which will provide her with an experienced coach as a mentor over a period of one year.

Lewis will travel to FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, in late October for the first meetings with her mentor and the pair will remain in regular contact for the remainder of the programme.

“I was so excited to hear about it, I didn’t think it would be something that would happen so soon,” she admits.

“Getting the opportunity to be mentored by an experienced coach and have FIFA invest in me like this is something I’m really excited about. I’m looking forward to seeing who will be assigned to me as my mentor and it’s an amazing opportunity that has only been given to a select few people.”

Before all that though, there is a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign to contend with and Lewis has just touched down in France, where she will help lead New Zealand’s challenge with head coach Gareth Turnbull and fellow assistant coach Owain Prosser. With seven senior internationals in the squad, the coaching staff will preside over an experienced group and Lewis is enthused at the prospect of taking on the world’s best.

“We’ve just come off the back of a successful camp and we’re really happy with how that went. The girls are really coming together as a team so we’re excited to see what they can do.”

Lewis works with many of the country’s best up-and-coming female players on a regular basis as assistant coach of the Future Ferns Domestic Programme (FFDP) and says being part of that initiative has been hugely beneficial to her own development.

“It’s my first opportunity to be a full-time coach so being able to coach four times a week and have regular games has been great. Then being able to work with different coaches and people who will challenge you and support you has been an endless tool for me to continue to develop,” she says.

After a playing career that included international appearances for her native Wales and a stint at English giants Chelsea, Lewis moved into coaching and began on the advanced pathway with New Zealand Football several years ago. She has gone on to earn both her OFC/NZF C-Licence and B-Licence and is currently working towards her A-Licence.

“In each course I’ve done, I’ve learned more and also grown a better network of coaches and support systems. Being able to bounce ideas off other coaches has really helped – I feel like I’m growing year by year and I think that’s mainly because of the support network and the coaching courses I’ve been through.”

New Zealand Football’s aim is for many more female coaches to join Lewis in operating at an elite level and significant steps are being taken towards that, such as the ground-breaking Female Coach Scholarship Programme, regular female-only courses and qualification criteria implemented in the National Women’s League.

“I think it’s a good time to be involved and each year there are more and more opportunities and investment into the female side of the game for coaching,” she says.

“When I first started, there was less support for female coaches so I just took on the support we had for coaches in general and went down that pathway. But, for anyone who is nervous or not as up front in that regard, it’s great they now have a female-friendly environment and have more resources to support them. It all just adds more opportunities to be involved.”

Lewis will have her hands full over the coming weeks as, in addition to her full-time role with the FFDP, she has just been named head coach of Northern Football in the National Women’s League and will be straight into preparing for the upcoming campaign when she returns from France.

“I know there is some really good talent on this side of the bridge and I’m really excited to work with the girls and get underway,” she says.

“The standard of players we have is of a great calibre. I think we would be selling ourselves short if I said we didn’t want to be up there and be pushing to win the league. Last year was really close in terms of the competition and with the changes this year, I think we can get really excited about the league.”

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup schedule (all NZT)

New Zealand vs Netherlands
August 6, 2.30am|
Stade de la Rabine, Vannes

France vs New Zealand
August 9, 5.30am
Stade de la Rabine, Vannes

Ghana vs New Zealand
August 13, 2.30am
Stade Guy Piriou, Concarneau

Article added: Saturday 28 July 2018