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The Hibiscus Coast Football Club is gearing up for an exciting season with a fresh start, welcoming Caleb Ward as the new head coach for the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier team. Ward joins the club after leading Tauranga Moana to the Lotto NRFL Women’s Championship title last season.
He replaces Asher Trotter, who stepped down September after six successful seasons to take up a role with the Samoan men’s national team.
Alongside Ward’s appointment, Luca Vasori has been named Women’s and Girls’ Director of Football for both Hibiscus Coast and East Coast Bays, working to develop pathways for women players in the region.
Ward’s football journey started at Western Springs, where he began playing at just five years old. By 16, he had already moved into coaching, balancing his own playing with coaching boys’ and secondary school teams.
“Ryan Faithful, who worked at Western Springs, reached out and asked if I’d support him in coaching women’s football. That’s how I got involved.”
Since then, Ward has spent more than 14 years coaching and has seen first-hand how well his coaching style works in the women’s game.
“The players seem to respond well to it, and it just works,” he says. “I enjoy helping players develop and reach their potential.”
Ward no longer plays much himself because of time constraints, but is deeply invested in the game from the sidelines.
Despite the growing popularity of the women’s game, he says the sport faces difficulties in finding qualified coaches at the senior level because of the requirement to get licences.
“The issue is that there aren’t enough coaches with the correct licences who want to be involved in the women’s space.”
Coaching at this level isn’t particularly lucrative, making it hard to find people willing to commit, he says.
“It’s not a high-paying role, and it’s a lot of work. You really have to love it to want to do it.”
Ward is passionate about developing talent from within the club rather than relying on external recruitment.
“One of the things I believe in, and I know the club believes in, is to promote the players we currently have rather than going out and getting players externally,” he says. ““For me and the club, success is creating a pathway of talent from within.”
Hibiscus Coast competes in the Northern Region Football League, where the top four teams qualify for the national league and play teams from all over the country.
“Our expectation is to do the best we can,” Ward says. “If we finish in the top four, we qualify for the national league, and that’s our goal.”
However, for Ward, success isn’t just about rankings, it’s about consistency and performance.
“It’s about whether we can put the right processes in place to operate at the top level. If we come fifth, it’s not a failure if we’re still achieving at the standard we should be for this level,” he explains.
A self-described “nerd” when it comes to numbers, Ward sets performance targets based on past league data.
“I look at the top four teams, and traditionally they score about 2.7 goals per game. If we can get ourselves to that level, then that’s an area of success for us,” he says.
Ward and the club are committed to growing women’s football at all levels, not just the premier team.
“We have a girls’ and women’s Muster this Saturday, February 15 to try and get more women involved in football,” he says. “It’s not just about the top team, it’s about getting girls and women interested in playing.”
He believes building a strong football culture starts with making the game accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
The main reason I got into football is that I’m not just passionate about the game, but also the connections with people and helping them get to the level they want to get to. If we have girls that want to play for New Zealand, and I can play a part in pushing them there, I would see that as successful.”
Hibiscus Coast Football Women’s Community Muster Day, Saturday February 15, 10.30am to 11.30am. Hibiscus Coast Football Club, Stanmore Bay Park Brightside Road, Stanmore Bay, Whangaparāoa.
