Oskar van Hattum

DOB 14/4/02

Oskar van Hattum joined the first team in Sydney early in the 2021-22 season to bolster the squad during the FFA Cup. He ended up staying in Australia for the next five and a half months and secured a fulltime contract.

The young forward left New Plymouth as a 14-year-old to join the Phoenix academy in Wellington.

He featured six times off the bench for the reserves in the 2018-19 national league and was on the bench for Ufuk Talay’s first match in charge, an FFA Cup match against the Brisbane Strikers.

Unfortunately, he broke his foot after representing New Zealand at the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil and missed the 2019-20 season.

Van Hattum made 11 appearances for the reserves in the 2020-21 national league, scoring twice and he found the back of the net six times in the 2021 Central League that followed.

He joined the first team in November 2021 fresh from scoring four goals in three games for the reserves in New Zealand Football’s South-Central Series.

Van Hattum made his debut for the Phoenix just days after joining the squad in Sydney, starting the round of 32 FFA Cup match against Western United in early December.

In February 2022 van Hattum was upgraded to a scholarship contract for the remainder of the season and signed on for the following three years through to 2025.

He celebrated his first goal for the club in the Phoenix’s round of 32 Australia Cup match against Devonport City in August 2022.

Van Hattum featured as a substitute in 12 of the team’s 27 A-League matches during the 2022-23 season, including their elimination final defeat to Adelaide United.

He also featured in both of the New Zealand U-22 team’s matches against China’s U-24 side in March, starting the first match at Mt Smart Stadium.

> 2023-24 season

Oskar van Hattum missed the opening of the 2023-24 A-League season through injury, but returned in December to make the first of 17 appearances.

Again, he was largely used from the bench, making just three starts, but he recorded his most productive season with three assists and his first A-League goal.

Van Hattum found a knack for drama, being involved in all three late goals against the Melbourne Victory.

He won an injury-time penalty against them in round 13, assisted Finn Surman’s 95^th minute winner in round 25, and was a key part of Oskar Zawada’s last-gasp equaliser in the semi-final.

His consistent impact off the bench and versatility led to a maiden international call up for the OFC Nations Cup, where he made his All Whites debut against the Solomon Islands.

Van Hattum then represented New Zealand at the Paris Olympics, appearing in all three group stage games.