Former Football Fern Jackman was among those honoured in this year’s list and has been named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to football.
“It’s always nice to see people within the football family acknowledged and I think the honour is thoroughly deserved,” van Hattum says.
“Through a combination of talent and passion for football, Maia has made a significant and lasting contribution to the sport for women in this country. She was a pioneer for women’s football and many of our current players can thank her for blazing a trail for them to follow.”
Jackman earned 50 ‘A’ international caps from 1993 to 2010, the highlight being selection in the FIFA World XI which played China in 2007. Five years earlier she played professionally in China, paving the way for the current crop of Football Ferns to ply their trade overseas.
“I never thought at the time what I was doing would make any long-term impact and it’s humbling to be thought of as a role model that others can follow,” Jackman says.
The defender, 37, retired in 2012 nearly 20 years after her international debut and admitted the award came “totally out of the blue”, but acknowledged the support and contribution of her family, especially her parents.
“Mum and dad sacrificed a lot for me to pursue my football career and without their support I’m not sure how far I would have gone. This award is as much for them as it is for me,” she says.
Jackman’s 50th and final cap came during FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying in October 2010, arriving 17 years after her 1993 debut against Canada in New York. She retired before the selection for the London Olympics was made but still travelled to London as a spectator.
Shortly after the Olympics, Jackman was included as part of the technical staff for the Junior Football Ferns at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan, although the experience cemented her feeling that coaching was not an avenue for her to pursue.
“I never enjoyed coaching as much as I did playing, but I’d like to stay involved in a mentoring role perhaps,” she says.
Jackman is now the new national education manager for Drug Free Sport New Zealand and hopes her training as a physiotherapist can keep her involved with football.
The New Year’s Honour caps off a recent run of recognition for Jackman, who was presented with an official New Zealand Football blazer at the home leg of the Football Ferns’ Olympic qualifier against Papua New Guinea in Whangarei earlier this year.
The MVP trophy for the ASB Women’s Knockout Cup final was renamed the Maia Jackman Trophy in honour of her achievements in that competition – which she won five times as a player – and her overall contribution to women’s football.
In further recognition for the game, former New Zealand Football Chair and ex-All White John Morris was awarded an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to education during his time as headmaster of Auckland Grammar School.
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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