Auckland Football Federation’s Head of Women’s Football and Development Gemma Lewis is at the helm of the Federation’s National Women’s League side for the upcoming campaign.

AFF will open their season against Southern United on Sunday 15 October at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

In the build-up to the 2017 National Women’s League kicking off, we caught up with Gemma to find out more about her coaching background and the campaign ahead.

AF: How did you first get into coaching?GL: I first got into coaching during university. As part of my volunteer module I decided to coach juniors on a Saturday morning, I ended up really enjoying it and continued to volunteer. When I finished university I took a step back from playing football and started to dedicate more time into coaching. I coached a local U16 girls team in Wales and when I moved to New Zealand in 2014 I started working for Auckland Football Federation.

AF: What are your current coaching roles outside of NWL?GL: This year I have coached across multiple environments. I have been the assistant coach for the U19 New Zealand Women’s team as well as this I have been assisting coaching the Football Ferns Development Squad and have also been coaching an U16 girls team at Buckland’s Beach. It’s been great to be across a range of different environments to broaden my coaching experience.

AF: What is it that you enjoy about coaching?GL: I enjoy the challenge. I like the idea of building something and being a part of a team. The engagement with players and how you create an enjoyable but challenging environment. For me it’s not so much about myself and my journey but more about the players. I measure my success and enjoyment on if I have managed to positively affect players and player development.

AF: You were involved in the recent OFC U-19 qualifiers with Gareth Turnbull, what was this experience like?GL: It was a great experience to get an insight into the process and build up that goes into preparing for World Cup qualifiers. Being able to work with the coaches, staff and players was really beneficial for me as a coach and has allowed me to build components of the environment into our own National Women’s League environment that will hopefully be of benefit to our players.

AF: What are your goals for the upcoming NWL season?GL: We’d like to continue to improve and pick up from last year’s performance and at least reach the semi-finals.

AF: What are your aspirations/long term goals as a coach?GL: For me my coaching journey is always changing. I would like to continue to have involvement in the U20 or U17 National teams. I am still learning and don’t ever see a definitive end goal. I hope to continue to challenge myself and improve my knowledge and experience across a range of different environments.