Latest news with #BevPriestman
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Phoenix sign Football Ferns defender with 'big engine' on two year deal
New Phoenix signing CJ Bott. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Football Ferns defender CJ Bott is returning home to Wellington signing a two year deal with the Phoenix in the women's A-League competition. Bott has spent the past four seasons playing for Leicester City in the Women's Super League in England. Bott, 30, has 50 caps for New Zealand and joins fellow national teammates Vic Esson, Grace Jale, Mackenzie Barry and Manaia Elliott in the Phoenix squad. The club had also recruited Nepal's all-time leading goal scorer Sabitra Bhandari, Dominican Republic captain Lucía León and 44-time Dutch international Tessel Middag, as well as re-signing Lebanon defender Tiana Jaber. Bott was new coach Bev Priestman's first signing since being appointed Phoenix head coach. "She has played consistently in the WSL, which is a top league, and has experience playing at Olympic Games and World Cups, and I don't think you can buy that," said Priestman. Bott grew up in the Wellington suburb of Karori and played her club football at Waterside Karori. "In terms of her attributes she's got a big engine, loves defending but also brings some real quality and tempo on the ball including assisting us to get on the scoresheet. "To be honest I think CJ could play multiple positions and she'll allow us to be really adaptable in what we do and when we do it." Wellington Phoenix coach Bev Priestman. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Bott said she had wanted to play for the Phoenix since the women's team was established in 2021. "To be able to come back to Wellington and play professionally for the Phoenix in my hometown is really special. I didn't have that dream when I was a kid. We didn't have a women's team to aspire to....I'm proud to be part of the club. She said the Phoenix offer came at the right time. "I had a few options after leaving Leicester and I looked around a little bit, but after being home for the past two months I didn't really want to leave. It's nice for me and my partner to be able to establish some roots and be closer to family and friends. "It's also great to know what I'm doing for the next couple of years leading into the next World Cup." Bott will join the Wellington Phoenix for the start of pre-season early next month, with the A-League season kicking off on October 31. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Bev Priestman says she ‘didn't feel safe' in Canada as ban for drone spying scandal ends: ‘We had to get out of that country'
Former Canadian women's soccer head coach Bev Priestman says she 'didn't feel safe' in Canada in the month after the Paris Olympics , when she was suspended by FIFA for her role in the drone spying scandal . Priestman's one-year ban ended this week, and she was named coach of the Wellington Phoenix FC women's team in New Zealand on Tuesday. She said relocating to Wellington — where her wife, Emma Humphries, is the club's academy director — helped her get out of the spotlight of the scandal. 'It was very difficult,' Priestman said during her introductory press conference in New Zealand's capital. 'I didn't leave my house for a month in Canada ... For me, I didn't feel safe. That's being brutally honest. I think it was very difficult for my family and, you know, I have to live with that. I have to weigh that.' Priestman said it was an 'absolute media frenzy' in Canada after the scandal, with people knocking on her door. 'I've got a little boy,' she explained. 'Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult … We knew we had to get out of that country.' Priestman and two other staffers — assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi — were suspended by FIFA for a year last July after the team was caught using drones to spy on New Zealand practices before the teams met at the Paris Olympics. FIFA found Priestman discussed the practice of spying on opponents with staffers in the months before the Olympics, and had written in an email 'there is a whole operation on the men's side with regards to it.' The team was also warned on three occasions in the weeks before the opening ceremony that drone use was prohibited at the Games. Priestman left the Canadian team in November after an independent investigation confirmed the incident was 'a symptom of a difficult and unacceptable past culture within the national teams,' Canada Soccer officials said in a statement at the time. On Tuesday, Priestman said 'things around me had clouded my judgment in that moment' and everyone involved has regrets. 'I've taken that 12 months to reflect, to learn, to grow,' she said. 'It's been very difficult and I'm just excited to put my head down, work hard and get back to work.'
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Former Canada coach said she feared for her safety after Olympic drone-spying scandal
Bev Priestman gestures during the Women's World Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Canada in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair) WELLINGTON — Bev Priestman says she didn't leave her house in Canada for a month in the wake of the Paris Olympic drone-spying scandal. 'For me I didn't feel safe, that's being brutally honest,' said the former Canada women's coach. 'It was very difficult for my family and I have to live with that. I have to wear that.' She did not elaborate on her concerns other than citing 'an absolute media frenzy.' 'You've got people knocking on your door and everything. And I've got a little boy. Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. For my family, and that's the most important thing for me, we knew we had to get out of that country and be a family and focus on us.' Priestman is back in football, having taken charge of the Wellington Phoenix FC women's team in New Zealand. 'I can't wait to get to work,' Priestman told a news conference Wednesday. 'Today's a good day.' Priestman declined to speak on what happened in Paris but said she had taken the 12-month hiatus 'to reflect, to learn, to grow. 'It's been very difficult and I'm just excited to put my head down, work hard and get back to work and do what I love every day.' Asked if she had any regrets, she replied: 'I think everybody involved will certainly have regrets, for sure.' 'What I will say is I'm a pretty optimistic person and I think there's been days in the last 12 months (where) that optimism has been very difficult. But again it feels like Christmas Day to me to come back. I know I have to earn the trust — of everybody. And I'll be working hard to do that.' Asked what she had learned from the scandal with Canada, Priestman cited 'certain values that I hold.' 'And unfortunately things around me have clouded my judgment in that moment,' she added. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were all handed one-year suspensions by FIFA in the wake of New Zealand's Olympic Committee filing a complaint with the International Olympic Committee's integrity unit, alleging drones were flown over a pair of pre-tournament practice sessions. All three are no longer with Canada Soccer. The first six months of her ban involved 'just getting through the day,' Priestman said. She started looking to the future around Christmas. Priestman said she looks forward to the day-to-day challenge of club coaching after her time in the international arena. The two-year appointment coincides with the expiration of Priestman's one-year FIFA ban arising from the drone incident. The 39-year-old Priestman has ties to the Wellington club through her wife Emma Humphries, a former New Zealand international who is the club's academy director. Priestman also headed up coach development in Wellington some 16 years ago. Wellington finished ninth in Australia's 12-team A-League last season at 7-13-3. Priestman spent five years with Canada Soccer in a variety of coaching roles before returning in June 2018 to her native England, where she served as coach of England's women's under-18 side and assistant coach with the senior English women. Priestman succeeded Kenneth Heiner-Moller as Canada women's coach in November 2020 and was a nominee for FIFA Women's Best Coach in 2021 and 2022. In her first go-round with Canada Soccer, Priestman served as director of its developmental EXCEL program and had stints as coach of the under-15, under-17 and under-20 women's sides. She was also an assistant coach to John Herdman while he was in charge of the women's team. Before that, she spent 4 1/2 years with New Zealand Football, serving as head of football development before leaving in June 2013 to join Herdman in Canada. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Former Canada coach said she feared for her safety after Olympic drone-spying scandal
FILE - Canada's head coach Bev Priestman gestures during the Women's World Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Canada in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File) AF flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former Canada coach said she feared for her safety after Olympic drone-spying scandal
WELLINGTON – Bev Priestman says she didn't leave her house in Canada for a month in the wake of the Paris Olympic drone-spying scandal. 'For me I didn't feel safe, that's being brutally honest,' said the former Canada women's coach. 'It was very difficult for my family and I have to live with that. I have to wear that.' She did not elaborate on her concerns other than citing 'an absolute media frenzy.' 'You've got people knocking on your door and everything. And I've got a little boy. Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. For my family, and that's the most important thing for me, we knew we had to get out of that country and be a family and focus on us.' Priestman is back in football, having taken charge of the Wellington Phoenix FC women's team in New Zealand. 'I can't wait to get to work,' Priestman told a news conference Wednesday. 'Today's a good day.' Priestman declined to speak on what happened in Paris but said she had taken the 12-month hiatus 'to reflect, to learn, to grow. 'It's been very difficult and I'm just excited to put my head down, work hard and get back to work and do what I love every day.' Asked if she had any regrets, she replied: 'I think everybody involved will certainly have regrets, for sure.' 'What I will say is I'm a pretty optimistic person and I think there's been days in the last 12 months (where) that optimism has been very difficult. But again it feels like Christmas Day to me to come back. I know I have to earn the trust — of everybody. And I'll be working hard to do that.' Asked what she had learned from the scandal with Canada, Priestman cited 'certain values that I hold.' 'And unfortunately things around me have clouded my judgment in that moment,' she added. Priestman, assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joey Lombardi were all handed one-year suspensions by FIFA in the wake of New Zealand's Olympic Committee filing a complaint with the International Olympic Committee's integrity unit, alleging drones were flown over a pair of pre-tournament practice sessions. All three are no longer with Canada Soccer. The first six months of her ban involved 'just getting through the day,' Priestman said. She started looking to the future around Christmas. Priestman said she looks forward to the day-to-day challenge of club coaching after her time in the international arena. The two-year appointment coincides with the expiration of Priestman's one-year FIFA ban arising from the drone incident. The 39-year-old Priestman has ties to the Wellington club through her wife Emma Humphries, a former New Zealand international who is the club's academy director. Priestman also headed up coach development in Wellington some 16 years ago. Wellington finished ninth in Australia's 12-team A-League last season at 7-13-3. Priestman spent five years with Canada Soccer in a variety of coaching roles before returning in June 2018 to her native England, where she served as coach of England's women's under-18 side and assistant coach with the senior English women. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Priestman succeeded Kenneth Heiner-Moller as Canada women's coach in November 2020 and was a nominee for FIFA Women's Best Coach in 2021 and 2022. In her first go-round with Canada Soccer, Priestman served as director of its developmental EXCEL program and had stints as coach of the under-15, under-17 and under-20 women's sides. She was also an assistant coach to John Herdman while he was in charge of the women's team. Before that, she spent 4 1/2 years with New Zealand Football, serving as head of football development before leaving in June 2013 to join Herdman in Canada. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025
