The Wellington Phoenix are supplying over a third of the New Zealand squad to compete at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Sienna Candy, Freya Des Fountain, Harriet Muller, Katie Pugh, Holly Robins, Kya Solomon, Pia Vlok, and Natalie Young will all represent the Nix on the world stage in late October.
The Phoenix women’s reserves side were recently in the spotlight as they reached the Kate Sheppard Cup final, ultimately losing to Auckland United but showcasing the depth of talent within the academy.
“I’m really happy with the group we have assembled to go to Morocco and challenge ourselves at this level,” U-17 Football Ferns head coach Alana Gunn said.
“The core of this side was part of the qualifying campaign last year, so the players know each other well and have strong connections on and off the pitch, especially with many of those relationships being developed at club level as well.
“Across the group we have a good mix of players and experience levels, so we believe we are in a strong position for the tests we will face this month.”
New Zealand have been drawn in Group F, and will open their tournament against Japan at 2am NZT on Monday, October 20. They then face Paraguay at 8am NZT on Thursday, October 23, before finishing the group stage against Zambia at 8am NZT on Sunday, October 26.
The three matches will be played at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Rabat, Morocco
All of the team’s games will be available to watch live and free on TVNZ.
