Coach quotes: Lithuania

Ieva Kibirkštis, Lithuania coach:

I was already coaching when I was 16, I took it very seriously. When I was playing, I got lots of injuries so I would spend my time coaching kids. At 23, there was no chance to make it, so I decided to pursue a career as a coach. I've been living the last 3 years in Sweden, as a U17 coach in Damallsvenskan. I only moved here [to Lithuania] in January. I worked back and forth for a year – 3 weeks Sweden, 1 week Lithuania. I was doing a Masters in sports psychology in Finland and went on an exchange in Leipzig so was writing my thesis and tried to find work there, emailing all the Damallsvenskan clubs and two were interested.

I wish I had more time, but the distance thing was difficult, working with the coaches. We have a national academy with 15 of the players and I was trying more to coach the coaches on the philosophy I would like to bring in. The last five months have been more hands-on and it's been really cool.

It can't be about results – our goal was to be competitive, that we wouldn't be scared. It didn't quite happen in the first game, but I helped them not have a freak-out for the full 80 minutes. It's been really interesting. Before, we couldn't beat the likes of Estonia and Latvia, but maybe now we can compete with Austria, Switzerland and Ireland now, but we're not at the top yet.

I was actually hired as technical director for this project… I coached Under-17 elite level in Quebec in Canada. I've finished my B licence and am halfway through my A licence in Sweden. Loving every minute of it in Sweden.