Sit down with the NZ Herald and a panel of experts to discuss how the Football Ferns can make history in the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup.
At around 6pm on Thursday night, Ali Riley will call her players into one last huddle.
Deep inside the bowels of Eden Park, as the New Zealand side prepare to run out in front of 45,000 people, the Football Ferns co-captain will deliver her final address.
Her message will centrearound pride and family, as well as belief, which the Ferns will need plenty of, up against European powerhouse Norway.
New Zealand women’s football has never known an occasion like this – and might never again.
The opening match of the Fifa Women’s World Cup, with a record attendance for a football match in this country, will be broadcast to more countries than ever before.
“And I believe the nation is proud of them too. All the hard work, the preparation has been leading to this moment.
“You have to just enjoy it and take it all in and do your absolute best. That’s all anyone can ask of you. I’ll tell them this is going to be a tournament that we’ll remember for our entire lives. So just enjoy it.”
Football Ferns captain Ali Riley and the team during a huddle. Photo / Photosport
The Ferns are massive underdogs. They have limited World Cup pedigree – with three draws and no wins from 15 matches at this level – and have struggled during Jitka Klimková’s tenure, with four victories in 25 matches since September 2021.
Norway are World Cup veterans and boast some of the best attacking talent in the tournament, distributed through top European clubs.
But Ferns insiders are quietly confident about the impending 11 days and Riley echoes that view.
“We’re building on that winning mentality and I know that can be met with eye rolls because we haven’t won a lot of games,” said Riley. “But if we don’t believe in ourselves, how can we expect anyone else to?”
Thursday is also the beginning of a final chapter, likely to be the last World Cup for both Riley, 35, and fellow co-captain Ria Percival, 33.
They have more than 300 international appearances between them but few highlights on the biggest stage.
“There’s been so much heartbreak with our team and we’ve believed so strongly and still come up short so many times since 2007,” said Riley. “I want to do this forever, but I am approaching this like it’s my last game. I want to leave everything out there on [Thursday] night and then if given the chance to play in the next game, I will do it again.”
The biggest challenge at Eden Park will be dealing with the pressure. The team are aware that the broader success of the tournament locally depends on their performance, though they are trying to stay focused inside the bubble.
They have also discussed the communication challenges that will come, as players may not be able to hear each other with the noise.
“The connections are so important and being able to know when do we go to the sideline to make sure we’re getting a message from the coaches,” said Riley. “That is the toughest thing that you don’t really know until you’re out there.”
Klimková believes her team is ready, after a nine-week training camp and a two-year build-up that has focused on facing higher-ranked opposition.
She also hopes the tournament can achieve a wider goal.
“This is an incredible opportunity for this country to not just be a rugby country but to actually really wake up to the love of football because we all know women’s football is one of the most beautiful sports in the world.”
Despite concerns over CJ Bott, Rebekah Stott and Betsy Hassett during the week, Klimková confirmed she had a full squad to select from for the match, which is likely to mean the same starting XI that faced Vietnam.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
