Football has played a vital part in the life of Fatima Hussain Ali, a 16-year-old Hamilton girl who arrived in New Zealand in 2016 with her mum and five siblings as refugees. Within hours of landing in Auckland from Pakistan, … Read More
By Jonno Ross Writer for NZ Football Foundation This story was first published in December 2022. She has been to two World Cups for New Zealand, has joined the Wellington Phoenix women’s team, she’s still at high school, and she’s … Read More
New Zealand’s Junior Ferns are out of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after drawing their final pool game 2-2 with Colombia. The Junior Ferns needed to win by a margin of two goals or better to go through to … Read More
Five teams remain unbeaten in the top men’s and women’s competitions in the Northern and WaiBOP regions — but two had to survive late scares. Champions-elect Northern Rovers drew 2-2 with Ellerslie in the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier League, after … Read More
The Junior Ferns will need to beat Columbia by at least a two-goal margin in Wednesday’s final pool game to stay at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. A 3-0 loss to Germany by the New Zealanders, and a scoreless … Read More
Midfielder Grace Wisnewski is playing down her part in New Zealand’s opening goal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Her long-range shot took a deflection and wrong-footed Mexico’s goalkeeper to give the Junior Ferns a first-half lead in their … Read More
As the Junior Ferns prepare for their first U-20 FIFA World Cup game against Mexico on Thursday (NZT), coach Gemma Lewis says the team’s ultimate aim is to reach the tournament’s knockout stages. Lewis says a good performance in the … Read More
Junior Ferns coach Gemma Lewis and captain Kate Taylor have explained the squad plans and hopes for August’s FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup in Costa Rica in an interview with TVNZ Breakfast. Watch the seven-minute interview in full here: READ … Read More
Junior Ferns captain Kate Taylor has knocked back offers from rival A-League clubs to sign with the Wellington Phoenix for the 2022-23 season. The young centre back was in demand after being one of the breakout stars of the Phoenix’s … Read More
Coach Gemma Lewis has named her 21-player squad to represent New Zealand at August’s U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica. Led by captain Kate Taylor, the squad includes eight members of last season’s Wellington Phoenix A-League side and … Read More