Football: Ferns striker to use Cup as shop window

New Zealand Football Ferns player Hannah Wilkinson. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

For the past four years, New Zealand striker Hannah Wilkinson has been shielded from the world of professional football. But that's all about to change.

Wilkinson will lead the line for the Football Ferns when they open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands tomorrow and said the tournament will be both a career highlight and hopefully, the start of a three-week-long job interview.

Wilkinson is months away from finishing her four-year degree at the University of Tennessee where the university rules stipulate that no contact can be made between students and professional clubs. That means she's not sure where her footballing future lies, but knows a big tournament could open a lot of doors.

"I'd love to play pro in America," said Wilkinson. "The thing with being in college is that you can't talk to anyone until you're finished, because it's an NCAA violation if you're even talking about any professional contract. I have to graduate first then see what's out there.

"I've heard rumours about offers and things like that but you just have to ignore them because it could compromise my scholarship, but once I'm done it's something I can consider."

Wilkinson is a big, fast, powerful striker who will be used to physically dominate opposition defences at the World Cup. She is a shoo-in to make it in the pro ranks with her size and strength a valuable commodity in the female game. After making her Ferns debut five years ago aged 17, she is now a leader in the group and believes something pretty special is happening with the current squad.

And despite New Zealand having the lowest world ranking in their group, which also includes hosts Canada and China, Wilkinson thinks the Ferns will progress deep into the tournament.

"I firmly believe we are capable of winning the World Cup. We've been improving out of sight and this is the longest we have ever spent together before a tournament and has allowed us to put the finishing touches on our preparation and has made us a tournament-ready team. I think it's on the cards."

The controversy about games being played on artificial surfaces will remain a key story line at the tournament but Wilkinson said the Ferns had just decided to get on with it.

Dozens of high-level players from a variety of countries filed a lawsuit against Fifa and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) last year in Ontario, accusing the governing bodies of gender discrimination and demanding to have the games played on grass.

Fifa showed no interest in budging on the issue and the players, lacking leverage, dropped their case in January.

"We backed that movement to start with and tried to fight it, but it kind of fizzed out. We had a World Cup to think about so we just accepted it and got on with it."

The Ferns, ranked 17th in the world, are $4.50 outsiders to topple the Netherlands (12th) tomorrow.

Key players

Abby Erceg
Central defender Erceg has carved out a career as one of the best defenders in the world and holds New Zealand's backline together. She became the first New Zealander to win 100 international caps and is the team's leader.

Hannah Wilkinson
Striker Wilkinson is big, fast and powerful and will lead the Ferns' line. There are elements of her game that are still raw but she can create big problems for some of the best defenders in the world.

Amber Hearn
Hearn is New Zealand's most prolific scorer and most experienced striker. She is athletic and holds the key to New Zealand's energetic pressing game.

Women's World Cup

New Zealand v Netherlands
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton
Tomorrow, 1pm NZT
Live on Sky Sport 2 from 12.45pm