Hard work pays off for New Zealand’s Katie Pugh as FIFA U-17 World Cup starts

For teenage striker Katie Pugh, playing for New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will help reward her determination to break into top-level football.

Pugh (16) commuted four-hour round trips from her Blenheim home to play for Nelson Suburbs in last year’s Women’s South Island League.

“I wouldn’t have been recognised if I was just playing in Blenheim,” she told OFC Media.

“So I just kept working hard, kept doing the hard hours of travel — and they were hard hours for my parents too.

“But when you get the email [to confirm you’ve been selected], it’s a big joy – and a bit emotional for the family.”

Pugh played for the New Zealand team at both the 2023 OFC U-16 Women’s Championship and the 2024 edition of the same tournament.

Main photo: New Zealand’s Kate Pugh (left) on the attack against Tonga. Photo credit: OFC Media / Phototek.

She scored goals at both events, helping New Zealand qualify for two FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups.

The first of those gets underway this week in the Dominican Republic; the second will be held next year in Morocco.

“I’ve never ever been in such a high stakes place before,” Pugh says of her team’s participation in the global competition.

“I just want to take it all in, learn from other countries, learn from my teammates and the coaches and just really enjoy it.

“Not many people get to go away for three to four weeks to play football and then go to play in the Under-17s World Cup – it will mean so much.”

The two qualification campaigns — last year’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Tahiti, where Pugh scored a late winner in the final, and this year’s edition in Fiji — bookend Pugh settling into a clear direction with her football.

After playing in the South Island League, Pugh joined the Wellington Phoenix Academy this year.

As a result, Pugh says she had greater “expectations for myself and what I wanted” ahead of the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship.

“I had clear goals set for how I could get there, so it was just about trying to implement the goals and targets as much as I could.”

She particularly valued the opportunity to pass on what she had learned last year and develop her leadership skills in Fiji last month, captaining the Alana Gunn-coached team in the final.

“The first one was all about learning, and opened my eyes to so many new things. I improved mentally on and off the pitch, and then technically and tactically my football changed a lot.

“I learned so much last year about how a tournament will go, the different types of football you encounter and how to stay strong through the tournament as it’s a long time to be away.”

Leaving home to join the Wellington Phoenix Academy has also helped the latter, she says.

“It’s a big learning curve, obviously. You’re way more independent, but I think it’s been easy to manage with the support that you get from the club and the school and with the other girls that play for Phoenix also in the boarding house. It’s a really nice environment to be in, so it’s been a smooth transition.”

Pugh has faced her challenges, including battling a knee injury that has restricted her time on the field in recent months.

“That’s been a big part of the year that I’ve had to overcome.

“You don’t really know how much you really enjoy something until you don’t have it or how much you really love it till you can’t play it anymore.

“So just being on the pitch, every training, every game, I never take it for granted anymore. Every time I can run about with a ball, I’ll enjoy it.”

Acknowledgement

We thank OFC Media for providing information for this story.

New Zealand

Mikaela Bangalan – Fencibles United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Grace Bartlett – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Laura Bennett – Melville United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Mary Brown – FC Bulleen Lions, Australia
Sophie Campbell – Hamilton Wanderers, Aotearoa New Zealand
Katie Chellenbron – Milton Keynes Dons, England
Amber De Wit – Nomads United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Charli Dunn – Western Springs, Aotearoa New Zealand
Alyssha Eglinton – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Emily Humphrey – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Ela Jerez – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Millee Loxton – Fencibles United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Charley March – Hibiscus Coast, Aotearoa New Zealand
Kyra Morgan – Western Suburbs, Aotearoa New Zealand
Harriet Muller – Moturoa, Aotearoa New Zealand
Brooke Neary – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Katie Pugh – Wellington Phoenix, Aotearoa New Zealand
Maddison Sawkins – Gungahlin United, Australia
Hannah Saxon – Eastern Suburbs, Aotearoa New Zealand
Pia Vlok – Auckland United, Aotearoa New Zealand
Natalie Young – Hamilton Wanderers, Aotearoa New Zealand

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Sixteen qualifying nations will compete at the tournament scheduled to be staged in the Dominican Republic from October 16-November 3, 2024.

In their group, New Zealand are the most experienced nation at this level, with the team making their eighth appearance this year, and having a best placing of third, in Uruguay in 2018.

First game opponents Nigeria have been to six previous tournaments Nigeria’s best placing was a third at the 2022 tournament.

The Dominican Republic and Ecuador will be making their first appearances at a U-17 Women’s World Cup.

A match schedule is available here and fixtures, venues and kick-off times will soon be aligned with the groups drawn.

READ MORE: Venues, schedule and an emblem revealed for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup >>>>

Draw for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Fixtures

Game to be played on Thursday October 17, 2024 (NZT)

New Zealand v Nigeria
Cibao University Stadium, Santiago de los Caballeros, 9am (NZT)

Game to be played on Sunday October 20, 2024 (NZT)

Dominican Republic v New Zealand
Cibao University Stadium, Santiago de los Caballeros, 12pm (NZT)

Game to be played on Wednesday October 23, 2024 (NZT)

Ecuador v New Zealand
Cibao University Stadium, Santiago de los Caballeros, 12pm (NZT)

Changes planned for future U-17 World Cups

The U-17 tournament will become an annual event for 24 nations in 2025 and will be held in Morocco from 2025-29.

Oceania will have two qualifying teams. Other slot allocations will be AFC (4), CAF(5), Concacaf (4), CONMEBOL(4), UEFA (5).

READ MORE: Key decisions made as FIFA releases women’s international calendar >>>>

READ MORE: New Zealand’s pathway to future FIFA U-17 World Cups gets easier >>>>

Previous winners

2008: DPR Korea
2010: Korea Republic
2012: France
2014: Japan
2016: DPR Korea
2018: Spain
2022: Spain

This story was first published on October 16, 2024.

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