Mix of players for Football Ferns internationals
- 54 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Football Ferns squad to face Haiti and Morocco next month has been named, with two new players brought into the side for the team’s first matches since qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
University at Buffalo’s 20-year-old midfielder Mae Hunt has been named for the first time at any level for New Zealand.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper Brooke Neary has also been named for the first time for New Zealand after age-group level and previously joining the team as a training player for the Oceania Qualifiers last month.
The 24-player squad also sees the returns of Mackenzie Barry, Manaia Elliott, Maggie Jenkins, and Malia Steinmetz, who is named for the first time since recovering from a long-term ACL injury.
New Zealand are 33rd in the FIFA rankings, the best of the three sides. Morocco are 62nd.
Football Ferns head coach Michael Mayne wants to rivalry for positions within the squad.
“Since qualifying, the focus has shifted fully to Brazil, and I am now looking at the next phase of planning to make sure we have covered every possibility, ensuring we have plenty of competition.
I want players who are not only committed to the ambition I have for this team, but who are also in form and prepared to do what we have never done before at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027," said Mayne.
“Firstly, I want to welcome Brooke and Mae to the Ferns for the first time.
“Mae is an exciting midfielder who we have been tracking for a while, and while she is new to our system, she is someone our technical team has followed closely, and we are looking forward to bringing her into the environment.
“Brooke has already been through our age-group system, is currently in camp with the U-20s in Australia, and has a U-20 World Cup selection opportunity coming up in the coming months, so the timing makes a lot of sense after an impressive April camp as a training player.
“It is also great to see Malia back after a long time out with injury, and Maggie return to the squad.
“Maggie is someone who hasn’t been involved for a while but has put in some really impressive performances recently, and we are keen to see her at this level as someone who is a genuine threat in front of goal when given the opportunity.
“These are two really good games for the team at this point in the cycle, so we are looking forward to getting over to Spain, continuing to push and progress what we do together, and challenging the group to put in two strong performances against the kinds of teams we will be looking to get results against at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
The most experienced player in the squad is Gabi Rennie who plays in Sweden with 49 caps while Grace Jale and Jacqui Hand both have 39 appearance for the Ferns.
The New Zealand face Haiti ranked 49th on Saturday 6 June, kicking off at 4am NZT (Friday 5 June at 6pm local time), before taking on Morocco four days later on Wednesday 10 June, again kicking off at 4am NZT (Tuesday 9 June at 6pm local time).
Both matches will be played at Nuevo Estadio El Maulí in Malaga, Spain.
The New Zealand squad:
Liz Anton (28 caps/0 goals) Canberra United, Australia
Mackenzie Barry (24/1) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Hannah Blake (12/4) Durham FC, England
Claudia Bunge (42/1) Melbourne Victory, Australia
Milly Clegg (23/4) Vittsjö GIK, Sweden
Manaia Elliott (9/2) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Victoria Esson (33/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Michaela Foster (35/2) Durham FC, England
Ally Green (20/2) FC Copenhagen, Denmark
Maya Hahn (12/1) FC Viktoria Berlin, Germany
Jacqui Hand (39/9) FC Basel, Switzerland
Mae Hunt (debut) University at Buffalo, USA
Deven Jackson (10/1) Melbourne City FC, Australia
Grace Jale (39/9) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Maggie Jenkins (1/0) Essendon Royals, Australia
Katie Kitching (28/9) Sunderland AFC, England
Brooke Neary (debut) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Emma Pijnenburg (11/0) Wellington Phoenix FC, New Zealand
Gabi Rennie (47/2) Eskilstuna United DFF, Sweden
Alina Santos (3/0) University of Denver, USA
Malia Steinmetz (35/0) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark
Rebekah Stott (112/4) Melbourne City FC, Australia
Kate Taylor (32/3) Dijon FCO, France
Grace Wisnewski (7/0) FC Nordsjælland, Denmark
