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30 avril 2018
Jitka Klimkova, an experienced leader for USA
From assistant in her club career to head coach of youth national squads, Jitka Klimkova already saw plenty of all the aspects of being a manager in a fifteen years career. The Czech woman will be the head coach of U20 USA's squad during the Sud Ladies Cup, from 5th to 10th June.
"In hiring Jitka as our U-20 coach, we’re putting one of our best and most experienced coaches in front of our best players". Those praises come from April Heinrichs, US Soccer Women’s Youth National Teams Director, and date back to April 2017. One year ago, Jitka Klimkova took the lead of the U20 USA's women squad. A choice legitimate by the thick experience of the 44 years old Czech. As a player and as a coach.
Member of the US Federation since 2015, first as development coach for the USA’s women's youth national teams, Klimkova embraced since fifteen years a manager career. All started on 2003. After she retired from her player career at the end of a last season with Czech football club DFC Compex Otrokovice, she became the assistant coach of the team. During two years, the Kyjov born learnt all the machinery of the manager job.
Jitka Klimkova during a training session with U20 USA squad
This apprenticeship was determining for what happened next. From 2006, she moved on the front line and became the coach of FC Slovácko Uherske, another Czech club. Simultaneously, she incorporated the Czech federation and was named as the head coach of the U17 women squad. During five years until 2011, Jitka Klimkova kept both functions, taking the lead of U19 Czech Republic's women squad on 2009 while being FC Slovácko's head coach.
This is only on 2011 that she gave up those both jobs to focus on a single one : head coach of Canberra United. In Australia, she achieved her first successes and won the League title on 2012 and was voted coach of the year the same season. Inevitably, those titles won't go unnoticed in Oceania. The New Zealander federation entrusted its U17 women squad to her on 2013 that she led to 2014 World Cup of the category. After a short experience as assistant coach of the U20 New-Zealand's women team, she landed in United States on 2015.
First Czech woman to get the manager licence from UEFA on January 2010, Jitka Klimkova is a "workhorse", as she never stayed without a job since fifteen years. Her past as a hard-working midfielder and former Czech international player (two calls-up) surely explains why. She will try to pass on all those morals to her players. Especially during the first edition of the Sud Ladies Cup that they will play in June, two months before the U20 World Cup in France.
Mathieu Lauricella
Credits photo : ussoccer.com
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