The Football Ferns didn’t quite reach the resplendent realms of the World Cup knockout phase but the word ‘fail’ and its derivatives have no place in such conversations. This is a team which won its first ever World Cup game, which conceded only one goal in three matches, which was a coat of post paint or a goalkeeping glove size or a VAR-generated silhouette’s ear away from advancing... to decry that as failure is pretty wild. Clearly it wasn’t the best case outcome and that defeat against the Philippines is long going to haunt the memories. But if you reckon that a best ever WC showing is a failure then, mate, perhaps your expectations were just a wee bit too hefty?

As the dust settles it’ll become clear that the positives outweigh the negatives, after the Ferns shrugged off some very inconsistent form leading into the tournament to set a benchmark for this team moving forward. Jitka Klimková hasn’t had the easiest of times since taking over as coach – from covid restrictions to key player injuries to some stinky results – but when she finally had access to her best eleven we were able to truly see what she’s been trying to implement. Even better, those elements were merged with a few recaptured ideals of Aotearoa football. A tasty blend of past success and future necessity.

In previous games, JK’s Ferns have been too keen on playing out from the back, almost like they were going through the motions with it. At this World Cup Rebekah Stott and especially Katie Bowen offered plenty of quality distribution from deep but they also played it safe when they needed to. Likewise, the midfield duo of Ria Percival and Malia Steinmetz brought all sorts of ferocity in the challenge yet they also showed a clever eye for keeping the ball moving. They were able to work hard to win the ball and then change gears once they did so.

There was pace and movement up the wings courtesy of Jacqui Hand and Indi Riley. Hannah Wilkinson spent most of that Norway game in motion too. We saw that grittiness, that physicality, that workrate that the New Zealand national team is known for, bringing back the stingy defensive record that had often evaded them in recent years. We also saw ways in which they’re trying to grow and expand their style of game by incorporating more patterns/ideas in possession.

Obviously there’s still a very long way to go. The fact they only scored one goal in three games is a stark reminder of that. But at least now there’s a vision as to how they might get there. That’s something we haven’t often seen from a team that, if we’re being honest, has spent a lot of the last decade butting their heads against the ceiling. They were good enough to get to major tournaments and not good enough to take the next step. Now the monkey is off their back. The ceiling is broken. And what’s more they did so on home soil before a record crowd with unprecedented national attention – lending even more excitement to where they may be headed.

The main critique about the squad was that, by necessity of who was available, there weren’t very many players in that prime-of-their-career range. Lots of promising younger women and a solid core of hearty veterans who’ve been leading this team for years. Not so much in between. That’s because this has been a team in a subtle rebuild mode – especially in the attacking areas, where Hannah Wilkinson is the only one who has reached her peak as a footballer.

Yet there were a small handful of prime players in the midst. Players such as CJ Bott (28yo) and Katie Bowen (29yo), who were both brilliant throughout leaving absolutely no doubt as to their status as talismans of this team. To be fair, Bott was just confirming what we already knew while Bowen is nearing 100 caps so this was hardly a breakthrough for her either... but it helps to reassert these things on the brightest stage.

Even more crucially, we saw younger forwards like Jacqui Hand and Indi Riley (a bit of Grace Jale too in small doses) massively enhance their reputations. Same deal for Malia Steinmetz in the middle. You don’t need to be told that co-captains Ria Percival and Ali Riley held it down too... we always knew they would. The key thing was that we were able to glimpse a future beyond the veteran core of this New Zealand team which has carried the weight ever since John Herdman hit the reset button way back in 2006 (Funky fact: Ria Percival and Annalie Longo debuted in the same game alongside Abby Erceg and Anna Green).

It’s not like we’re counting down to the retirements of players like Riley, Percival, Longo, Betsy Hassett, etc. Frankly, with an Olympic campaign next year there may not be any major retirements in the wake of this tournament. The point is that there needs to be fresh blood continually pumped into any team, an ongoing cycle of new talent to keep everyone on their toes and earning their places. There has been more of that than people realise over the last two World Cup cycles but not always of the required level and not always at the right time. That middle class of international footballer was ignored for too long. Hence when we began to see retirements around that 2019 World Cup, those thrust into replace them weren’t ready. Put simply: we’re not going to improve as a footballing country if players are still having to learn their craft in the senior national teams. The Football Ferns (and All Whites) need to be selecting the best of the best. Picking on potential isn’t going to cut the proverbial mustard.

Luckily that no longer needs to be a problem... because the Australian A-League exists. The emergence of a Wellington Phoenix Women’s team (and now a full female academy side beneath it) is one of the most significant things to happen to the sport in this country for a long time, providing a proper step between National League/Age Grade teams and the Football Ferns themselves - not to mention the foreign professional leagues that those players aspire to (and where the best Ferns reside).

This was the missing link in Aotearoa women’s footy and you know what? This World Cup squad barely scratched the surface of its value. Sure they had the likes of Milly Clegg and Michaela Foster who were given their pro starts by the Nix (zero WC minutes between them, mind you)... but the real benefits will come in a few more years when current academy players begin to filter through in the same way that folks like Sarpreet Singh, Liberato Cacace, and Ben Waine have done for the men’s team.

Now we don’t want all of our eggs in one basket, right? The Welly Nix still have to operate as a club team, not some ersatz national youth academy. Thus it’s rather helpful that last season also saw nine kiwi players feature for Australian clubs in the same competition (seven of them made the WC squad). As recently as 2018-19 there were only three kiwis involved. Those were Rebekah Stott, Indi Riley, and Ally Green – all three with dual-Australian heritage and the latter two still aligned with the Aussie international system at that stage. In 2021-22 there were 22 New Zealanders who got ALW minutes. In 2022-23 there were 29 of them.

As you well know, the A-League is a stepping stone competition. It’s not a world class standard of footy however it does produce world class players. In particular the clubs of England and Scandinavia are always keeping a close eye on the ballers coming through the Dub. The entire Australian team have played ALW and a large chunk of them are now employed by some of the best clubs on the planet.

Chelsea’s esteemed manager Emma Hayes wrote a fascinating piece for her Telegraph column the other day about the ACL epidemic in women’s football and how it’s not being helped by reductive assumptions. A very good read. The Ferns had both Ria Percival and Annalie Longo winning races against time to be fit for this World Cup after ACL tears, while Olivia Chance and Hannah Wilkinson did the same last time. But it was something else that Hayes touched upon in that article which speaks to the theme of this one.

Huge credit needs to go to the professional leagues for developing players. Colombia’s win over Germany was amazing. Can you imagine, when money filters down from Fifa to more women’s football teams and they actually get the right support, how much further a team like Colombia could go? If you were to compare Germany or England’s budgets for their women’s national side to Colombia’s, that result on Sunday was like the equivalent of Glasgow City beating Wolfsburg in the Women’s Champions League, in budget comparisons. Many of Colombia’s starters are now playing in Spain and doing really well in Spain, so this isn’t an accident. The development of these players isn’t because of the Colombian national association; this is because of Spanish football. Much like the Swiss team have lots of their players developed in Germany, or Jamaica have a lot of their players developed in England or America.

Yes, absolutely. Same as how 18/23 players in that Philippines team aren’t merely from the American system but were literally born and raised in the USA. Same as how Haiti have a youthful squad developed mostly in the USA or France. Same as how most of Ireland’s players are in the English WSL. Same as how Canada’s best players are found in England or the USA.

Portugal are a little different as they’ve at least used their own league to raise themselves into relevancy... but it’s clubs like Benfica and Sporting who have done the heavy lifting for the national team to reap the rewards. In fact some of these nations have done unprecedented things at the 2023 World Cup despite their governing bodies. Look up what Jamaica have had to deal with. Or Nigeria and South Africa for that matter. All three just made the knockouts for the first time ever. South Africa’s team is mostly domestic-based but Nigeria’s is spread out all over the globe while that Hayes quote already mentions the England/USA connections for Jamaica’s lot. And Aotearoa is doing similar things by latching onto the Australian system.

Top-end players are developed in top-end professional leagues which is where the day-to-day antics of their careers unfold. If you don’t happen to have one of those yourself, you need to set up pathways to somewhere that does. New Zealand is luckier than most for having a team of its own in that Aussie competition. For that reason it would make a lot of sense for us kiwi fans to put aside the habits of a lifetime and... dareisayit... cheer for Australia the rest of the way.

Okay maybe it doesn’t have to be that drastic but the stronger Aussie women’s footy is, the stronger NZ women’s footy will be. It may feel ugly but don’t worry it’s for a good cause. Up the ‘Tillies.

11 of the 23 players in that Ferns squad were listed with A-League clubs, while three others have played ALW in the past. That’s almost two-thirds of the squad who’ve gone through there at some stage of their careers. Meanwhile despite all of the Matildas having played A-League, there are only two who remain active domestic players: Cortnee Vine and Clare Hunt. NZ may have climbed upon the stepping stone but we haven’t fully utilised it yet. Australia is tethered to England in the same way that we are tethered to Australia. There’s an extra step involved for us, and that step is for those kiwi A-League players to move beyond and into the top European leagues.

A few of them already have done. Rebekah Stott followed the ALW wave into England while CJ Bott, Ria Percival, and Anna Leat have also found their way to the WSL by other methods. All four were there last season. All four will still be there next season. None of them are at Champions League clubs like Australia’s best but this is alright for now. No need to be greedy.

It’s all about getting as many players as possible into the strongest professional environments possible. Olivia Chance and Vic Esson have both played UCL qualifiers for Celtic and Rangers respectively. Chance will do so again this upcoming season (assuming she returns, which seems likely). Vic Esson won’t, since Rangers only finished third, but she still re-signed for another term anyway. Daisy Cleverley was a league winner in Denmark with HB Køge and will also be embarking upon some Champions League qualifiers soon. Don’t forget Ali Riley at Angel City in the American NWSL either.

There are other professionals outside this squad too. Meikayla Moore’s Glasgow City won the Scottish league last time and she didn’t make the cut (a victim of this strange case of ‘depth’ that the team is now experiencing). Ashleigh Ward will be returning to Southampton for a second season in the English second tier while Grace Neville is off contract with London City Lionesses but could yet be back. Ally Green is at AGF in Denmark. Not to mention younger players in youth systems like Emma Pijnenburg (Feyenoord), Kiara Bercelli (Sampdoria), and Jana Niedermayr (SKN St. Pölten). Or Abby Erceg still laying down the law with Racing Louisville in the NWSL post international retirement.

These are unprecedented areas... but it’s not enough. We need more and more and more. Kiwi football in abundance, there is no limit. That’s why the most fascinating thing for the Football Ferns in the aftermath of this World Cup isn’t when they’ll play again and who against (expect to see them back in action before the year is done)... but what transfers might emerge off the back of it. So let’s do some speculatin’.

Football Ferns Transfer Watchlist

Jacqui Hand

Currently at Åland United in Finland where her goals and assists helped put them into a somewhat unexpected title challenge (granted she did with the Finnish Cup with them last season), the team has maintained that challenge with a few wins in her absence so Hand should be able to pick up where she left off when she returns. Probably the unluckiest player at the entire World Cup after twice hitting the post and also having a goal disallowed for a marginal offside (by someone else). Her emergence had already been evident for both club and country but the World Cup showed she can do it at a higher level too. Don’t bank on an immediate move for Hand given that she’s currently mid-season... but it surely won’t be much longer before she’s climbing another rung or two on the ladder. There had been talk of a move to England that fell through last year leading to her re-signing with Åland. She’s only gotten better since then.

Claudia Bunge

Speaking of past moves that didn’t eventuate, one year ago Claudia Bunge’s second season with Melbourne Victory delivered her second A-League title and soon came rumours of a possible move to Manchester United or Brighton & Hove. Bunge instead chose to stay at the Victory for a third season presumably to ensure she was playing regularly in the lead-in to the World Cup. Seems like now would be the ideal time to make that next step, doesn’t it? The English WSL is the obvious target given those past rumours and Bunge should suit that style of play nicely. As a commanding central defender she’s much more of a typical kiwi export but that’s cool there’s room for everyone on this bus.

Malia Steinmetz

Nobody raised their reputation for NZ more than Steinmetz did over the past two weeks. That wonderful ball-winning combined with a much-improved eye for a pass – this was Steinmetz living up to the promise she showed back in her U20 World Cup days (when she and Grace Jale were the standouts in a squad that also included Hand, Bunge, Anna Leat, Liz Anton, Mickey Foster, and Gabi Rennie). This was a vindicating breakthrough because it felt like the first time in a long time that she was used in a role that genuinely complemented her talents. That hasn’t always been the case with Perth Glory or Western Sydney Wanderers. Maybe Steinmetz will return to WSW after a solid campaign last time. Maybe she’ll have bigger offers on her hands after what she just dished up. We shall wait with bated breath.

Katie Bowen & Hannah Wilkinson

Those first three nominees are the inevitable ones, however others (especially in the ALW) maybe need another consolidatory year or two to nail things down – one of the most delicate things about overseas transfers is finding a spot where you fit in, where you’ll be comfortable, and where you’ll have opportunities to play. Moving too early can often skew things into risky territory.

Liz Anton has already re-signed with Perth Glory for another term. Grace Jale apparently has another year on her Canberra deal. We’ve seen Milly Clegg make a considered move across the Tasman to Western Sydney, presumably in preparation for a move further abroad down the line. Anna Green has retired so she won’t be back with Sydney FC yet Perth Glory should have plenty of interest in retaining Hannah Blake after a tidy half-season there. We’ll get to the Wellington Phoenix lot soon. It’s very early days in ALW offseason recruiting. Water. Bridge. Underneath. You know how it goes.

Along with all those emerging players, there are two intriguing free agents at Melbourne City of a different ilk. Katie Bowen moved to Aussie after several seasons in America’s NWSL but her last year with North Carolina was a dud as she barely featured at all. Scandalous from that lot but thankfully Bowen’s time at City was fantastic and getting most of those reps as a centre-back probably provided her with that last jolt of confidence to perform as well as she did at the World Cup. Hannah Wilkinson has been with Melbourne City for two years after seeking something closer to home amidst a nomadic professional career which has taken her to Sweden, Portugal, and Germany following her college years in the USA. She’s scored 20 goals in 28 games for MCY so safe to say that’s gone alright for her.

This pair are at different stages of their careers than most on this list and may want to hunker down in the A-League for the foreseeable future. They’re also still young enough to have another crack further abroad if they’d prefer – Bowen’s never played in Europe for example. Not sure what’ll go down with this dynamic duo but wherever they go it’ll be good business.

Gabi Rennie

It may well prove that Gabi Rennie is the last of her kind. She’ll soon be back at Arizona State University for her senior season, her final one unless she returns for post-grad, after which the natural next step is to chase that first pro deal. The trend of kiwi players at USA colleges isn’t about to cease but having college students making regular international squads perhaps will. We’ve moved beyond the days when the Ferns had to develop their own players at the international level (rather than the club-oriented stuff that Emma Hayes was on about). Blossoming depth of talent combined with - and created by - the earlier professional pathways available in the A-League has already made that a rarity.

Rennie was the only university student in the World Cup squad, although Ava Collins was also a training player – both forwards, which is no coincidence since that’s the position that NZ struggles the most with. You only have to look at the rest of the World Cup squad to see how this is going down. Anna Leat left college early to turn pro in England. Milly Clegg toyed with the idea then opted against it. Jacqui Hand did the full four years but only really cracked the Ferns after she graduated. Simply put: there are superior development paths available than four years of what’s effectively age-grade football.

What’s more is that the top recent kiwis in the NCAA stuff, many of them with experience at major international tournaments, don’t get drafted into the NWSL so there isn’t even that particular light at the end of the tunnel. Clubs don’t want to use international roster spots on rookies. Plus Americans don’t know how to scout footballers properly, notoriously favouring athleticism over technique – case and point: Rennie only started 3 of her 14 games last college season and there’s just no way that USA soccer has that much depth. Hard to see her bucking the trend and getting drafted in the 2024 intake but that’s fine because Daisy Cleverley, Jacqui Hand, and Hannah Blake all got ignored at the draft too and subsequently ended up in better situations. That’ll be Gabi Rennie too in about six months. At the very least she’ll be able to wrangle an A-League deal. No doubt about it.

Indiah-Paige Riley

Indi Riley has already done a couple years professionally in Denmark with Fortuna Hjørring. She even played Champions League for them, including against Barcelona. But last season her role seemed to change to where she was far too often being used as a wing-back rather than a winger... and sometimes she wasn’t being used at all. So she returned to Brisbane Roar in order to stay match-fit leading into the World Cup. Other than a goal on second debut, Indi Riley wasn’t amazing for the Roar... however she still made the Ferns squad and then had a blinder against Norway when everyone was watching and now we wait and see what doors open up for her now that the world has seen what she’s capable of.

The Wellington Phoenix Lasses

Finally, gotta take a specific peek at the Wellington Phoenix. The Nix are actually further ahead in putting their ALW squad together than anyone else... but that still only means nine players on lock with all three of their World Cup squadies still undecided (Betsy Hassett, Paige Satchell & Michaela Foster) and that doesn’t count Milly Clegg moving to WSW either. However they have since brought back Fernies training players Kate Taylor and Grace Wisnewski on fresh deals.

Annalie Longo could be one to watch given how she was intending to sign with them a year ago until her ACL injury spoiled that plan. Of their contracted nine, Mackenzie Barry, Kate Taylor, and Grace Wisnewski have been capped while Michaela Robertson, Marisa van der Meer, Alyssa Whinham, and Rebecca Lake have all been in Ferns squads. Chloe Knott has too in an unofficial capacity as she awaits her eligibility. Emma Main makes it nine and as a creative midfielder she may not be too far off challenging for that attention either... although we do need to remember that simply playing well at A-League level isn’t necessarily enough to make the national team any more. We’re better than that now.

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