The Football Ferns international window in Taiwan has been a write-off with both their fixtures against Chinese Taipei being abandoned due to pitch conditions.

The training game scheduled on Saturday and the friendly match tomorrow at Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium in Kaohsiung were called off due to safety concerns over the pitch.

“The stadium staff have worked to improve the pitch since issues were first raised, but unfortunately, in its current condition, New Zealand Football have had to prioritise player welfare and call off the match, as it is unsuitable and unsafe to play on,” New Zealand Football said.

“Alternative venues were sought immediately when concerns were raised, but no suitable grass pitch options were available, so unfortunately the match has had to be called off.”

The matches were one of interim coach Michael Mayne’s last chances to show why he’s the most suitable candidate to lead the senior women’s national team through their next Fifa World Cup cycle.

The Herald understands the search phase for the role is complete as interviews will be conducted during late April and early May.

The Football Ferns currently have no fixtures scheduled for the next international window starting May 26.

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.