Women in football! - Helen Mallon, Maia Vink and Sandy Cumpstone

Aimee and Harita interview these 3 inspirational women who are heavily involved in NZ football and FIFA.

- Helen Mallon is the Chair of Capital Football Board, the governing body for football across the Wellington region, encompassing the Wairarapa, Horowhenua and Wellington city.  Helen is also the first female to have ever held this role in Wellington.  Helen’s involvement with football spans over 30 years having held a number of roles at both local and national levels, and she is also a member of the NZ Football Appointments Panel.  Helen has a strong commitment and desire to promote and develop football opportunities for all and as part of the governance team at Capital Football, she has the opportunity to make this goal a reality. 

- Maia holds a UEFA B Licence and is due to complete her OFC / NZF A Licence assessment. She brings an exciting range of experience to help take the Western Springs Women's program to the next level.

Maia is from the Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand's first ever professional women's team, where she was their performance analyst. She was recently in Fiji as New Zealand U19 Assistant Coach competing at the OFC U19 Women's Championship to qualify for a place in the 2024 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.

Maia's journey to Springs has seen her work in The Netherlands, Canada and for the last 4 years, in Wellington. Her time in Wellington has seen her take on the role as Head Coach for Capital Football. Maia coached Capital Football to two 2nd place finishes in the National Women's League and South Central Series during 2020 and 2021. Alongside the coaching, Maia was responsible for the Women's & Girls and Talent Portfolios at Capital Football where she was instrumental in establishing the partnership with the Wellington Phoenix for the first professional girls academy programme in 2021 as well as delivering the first federation led Women in Leadership Programme. 

Maia was part of the first cohort of Te Hāpaitanga, a High Performance Sport New Zealand programme designed to elevate high performing female coaches which has recently provided her access to top academy and women's environments in the UK and The Netherlands, senior coaching mentors, as well as spending a week with the Football Ferns as they prepare for the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Te Hāpaitanga programme and her work with Christian Penny has helped depended her understanding of and application of Te Ao Māori frames through coaching.

As a player, Maia has won the Kate Sheppard Cup with Coastal Spirit and the National League with Mainland Pride, as well as representing New Zealand at U17 level. 

-  Sandy Cumpstone was  the Legacy & Inclusion Manager at the 2023 Women’s World Cup (WWC) 

Sandy comes to Capital Football from the New Zealand Police where she has served for the last eight years. She is well known throughout football circles for her work on various committees and her advocacy for the female game both at Wellington United and through the CF Women’s Advisory Group.