A 14-player squad has been named to represent New Zealand at the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup to be held in the Solomon Islands in late August.
The Nations Cup tournament will decide which nation will represent Oceania at the first-ever FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup to be held next year in the Philippines.
The Futsal Ferns squad includes three players who’ll make their debuts for the national team — Alsoi Bloomfield (Papakura City), Jemma Catherwood (Capital Futsal) and Jamie Evans (WaiBOP Power).
Head coach Nic Downes said: “The establishment of the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in 2025 is a huge and exciting moment for the game. It has always been that missing piece of the puzzle, having that pinnacle event for players to ultimately strive for.
“For us now, though, the focus is firmly on the first edition of the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup. It’s been a long time waiting for the opportunity to compete in an event of this kind and test ourselves against the other nations within the region.
“We gained valuable court time and experience in the Philippines last year. That tour gave us a good indication of what we needed to improve and we’re all really looking forward to getting back on court together again soon.”
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New Zealand squad
Sarah Alder (6 caps/1 goal) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Shivanthi Anthony (9/2) VEEX Tokyo, Japan
Alosi Bloomfield* (0/0) Papakura City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Libby Boobyer (3/0) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Danielle Bradley (6/0) Melbourne Evolution FC, Australia
Jordana Bremner (3/0) Papakura City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jemma Catherwood* (0/0) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Maxine Cooper (9/6) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jamie Evans* (0/0) WaiBOP Power, Aotearoa New Zealand
Hannah Hegarty (3/0) Canterbury United Futsal Pride, Aotearoa New Zealand
Ella James (6/2) Papakura City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Hannah Kraakman (6/6) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
Tessa Leong (6/0) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
Dayna Manak (9/5) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
*Debut call-up
Tournament details
The OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup will be staged in Honiara, Solomon Islands from August 17-25, 2024.
Matches will be streamed live and free on FIFA+.
The cup tournament will involve five nations who will play a round-robin, followed by a play-off for 3rd/4th place and the final.
New Zealand will face Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga and hosts Solomon Islands.
The hosting of the tournament by the Solomon Islands has been made possible only by the construction of Friendship Hall, in Honiara, a multi-purpose indoor sports facility built in time for the 2023 Pacific Games.
New Zealand’s fixtures
Game to be played on Saturday August 17, 2024
New Zealand v Tonga
Friendship Hall, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Tuesday August 20, 2024
Fiji v New Zealand
Friendship Hall, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Thursday August 22, 2024
Solomon Islands v New Zealand
Friendship Hall, Honiara, 6pm (NZT)
Game to be played on Friday August 23, 2024
New Zealand v Tahiti
Friendship Hall, Honiara, 4pm (NZT)
This story was first published on August 7, 2024.
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