Three Wellington Phoenix academy players have been named in the New Zealand squad for the upcoming OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Fiji.
Mackenzie Bryant, Katie Pugh and Holly Robins have been selected in the final 18 by newly appointed New Zealand women’s U-17 head coach Alana Gunn.
Bryant and Robins were part of the Young Football Ferns squad that won last year’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Tahiti to qualify for this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
Next month’s tournament will determine the two Oceania representatives to attend next year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
New Zealand have been drawn in Group B in Fiji alongside New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Tahiti.
They will play New Caledonia in their opening match on Monday, September 9 before facing Tahiti on Thursday, September 12 and the Solomon Islands on Sunday, September 15.
All their games will be played at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Fiji, and broadcast live and free on FIFA+.
