‘Dark place’ – Bullying scandal motivates New Zealand women for World Cup
The national team, known as the Football Ferns, were in disarray last year, with many of the squad in revolt and refusing to play under coach Andreas Heraf.
Heraf, who was in charge of the women’s team almost as an afterthought to his main role of New Zealand Football’s (NZF) technical director, was accused of creating a toxic environment of bullying, intimidation and harassment.
NZF initially backed Heraf, who denied any wrongdoing, but the governing body eventually backpedalled after an independent inquiry supported claims against the Austrian.
It resulted in the NZF making a formal apology to the players, with Heraf, the federation’s chief executive and chairman all departing over a tumultuous four-month period.
“It really highlighted that you can’t get away with that any more. There’s too much attention being paid now to cut corners and women’s football deserves attention and respect,” Gregorius told AFP.
“As horrible as that situation was, that’s a silver lining we can take from it.”
Gregorius, a pocket dynamo who has scored 33 goals in 90 appearances for New Zealand, said the difficulties had forged a determination in the team to excel at the World Cup in France.
The 31-year-old said it had also swung public support behind a team that had often struggled for attention in the rugby-mad nation.
“It’s not so much about expectation or pressure… it’s more just support, particularly off the back of what happened last year, knowing that the team has come from a bit of a dark place,” she said.
“This is an opportunity to really put to bed that episode in a really redemptive way.”
– ‘We don’t hide’ –
The veteran forward acknowledges international sporting perceptions about New Zealand are shaped by rugby union, but said women’s football matches the oval-ball code in terms of grassroots participation.
“The wonderful thing about New Zealand is we have so much green space and everyone’s so outdoorsy,” she said.
“So there’s plenty of sporting talent to go around, even if rugby does dominate the landscape a wee bit.”
At the elite level, the New Zealand women’s rugby team has won five World Cups, making them even more dominant than the fabled All Blacks men’s team, with three.