Newly appointed Copper Queens head coach, Nora Häuptle, is focused on guiding the team to qualify for major international tournaments.
The Swiss coach, who recently signed a three-year contract, was officially introduced at Lusaka’s Pamodzi Hotel on Friday. She takes over from Bruce Mwape after deciding not to renew her contract with Ghana’s Black Queens.
In her unveiling speech, Häuptle expressed her determination to take the Copper Queens to prestigious competitions.
“Furthermore, we want to qualify for the big tournaments, be back at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Olympics and pass the group stage. We also need to ensure that we do the right development steps, and results don’t just fall from the sky,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of preparation, saying, “We must have a lot of preparatory games that we invest in our youth teams with U17 World Cup, so I am very curious to take over the work and I will ensure that I give my all in.”
The 41-year-old coach also expressed satisfaction with the Zambia Football Association’s roadmap leading up to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco this July.
“In February, we will play a tournament here at home because we want to invite all the Zambians to participate. I am curious about the crowd and the atmosphere so it’s important to stay home in February,” she said.
“We will try to go to a tournament in April, and then there is the end of May when we are also discussing what we are going to do then we have preparations for the WAFCON but we are setting up a roadmap to ensure that we are ready for the WAFCON in July,” she added.
Häuptle’s monthly salary will be $8,000.
