A coach with international experience with Samoan age group teams has joined Mangere United to help their efforts to develop women’s football in the Pasifika community.
Lanuola Von Heiderbrandt (31) will work with Poasa Tubuna in building a second women’s team at the Auckland club, says chairman James Kado.
Main photo: Lanuola Von Heiderbrandt … dreams of winning a qualifier for Samoa.
“Lanuola started as a national player with Samoa through Adidas FC where she was their head coach,” Kado said in Mangere United’s announcement.
“She was named Female Coach of the Year in 2018. In 2019, she was the Samoan head coach for their women’s U-20 team qualifier in the Cook Islands.
“In 2023, she assisted Samoa U-20 for the World Cup qualifier in Fiji, finishing with the bronze medal.”
Von Heiderbrandt is working on finishing her OFC/NZF C Licence.
“We hope to support her to achieve her dreams of winning a qualifier for Samoa one day,” Kado says.
Meanwhile, after more than a decade in northern football’s wilderness, Mangere United will compete in the 2024 NRF Men’s League One competition, the fourth tier of the sport in Northern Region Football’s territory.
READ MORE: Co-founder Ramu Prasad returns as coach for resurgent Mangere United >>>>
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