Â鶹APP

10 Best New Zealand Female Football (Soccer) Players

Although New Zealand is renowned for its skill in the sport of rugby, did you know that they also excel in other sports, particularly football? If you were unsure, our context will explain it to you in full. Great female soccer players from New Zealand have had the opportunity to play for the national team as well as represent or play for the top clubs in the globe in various leagues. They have demonstrated their talent, and by doing so, they have persuaded the world that football is not just a sport for men. In the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, New Zealand is anticipated to benefit from them. The opening match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia will feature New Zealand versus Norway. The first game will start on July 20 at Eden Park in Auckland at 19:00 local time (08:00 CEST), per FIFA’s kickoff schedule. Let’s look at the top 10 female soccer players from New Zealand.

1. Meikayla Moore

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Well-known for being the second football player after Stan van den Buys who is thought to have scored a hat trick of unintentional own goals. Having played club football in Germany, England, and now Scotland, Moore is an accomplished defender.

The 26-year-old made her senior international debut for New Zealand in 2013 and was a member of the team that traveled to Canada for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She was selected for the Football Ferns squad once more four years later, but just before the competition began, she suffered an Achilles tear while practicing.

She signed with Liverpool in the Women’s Championship after more than a year of injury recovery, and she helped the team get promoted to the Women’s Super League.

Moore is one of the great defenders to play in the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Read Best Female Soccer Players of All Time

2. Ali Riley

, , via Wikimedia Commons

She is the leader of both Angel City FC and the New Zealand national team. Ali has already traveled to all seven continents and will return twice in 2023 to play for the Ferns at home.

She is an advocate for several causes, from veganism to the development of women’s sports. Ali has been open about having Chinese ancestry in a sport where there weren’t many players who resembled her when she was growing up, and she has spoken about how she wants to be visible and proud for the next generation of AAPI youngsters.

That is a significant amount of symbolism to carry. She will represent New Zealand at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 as one of the important players.

3. Amber Hearn

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Between 2004 and 2018, former New Zealand national team soccer player Amber Liarnie Rose Hearn played professionally. She is the most prolific scorer in the nation’s history and the leading international scorer for the Oceania Football Confederation. She has played club football with Doncaster Rovers Belles and Arsenal in England.

Amber participated in the 2009–10 USL W-League season for the Ottawa Fury Women. She was awarded the best football player in New Zealand in 2003. She scored 12 goals during the 2010 OFC Women’s Championship to win the golden boot. Hearn, who scored her 30th goal against China in June 2012, holds the record for the most goals scored by the New Zealand women’s team in international competitions.

During New Zealand’s three games in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, she made an appearance in each one.

Hearn played her final game for the national team in June 2018, and she formally retired from international football in February 2020.

4. Paige Satchell

Paige, a football player from New Zealand who competes for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women, is renowned for possessing lightning-quick feet. She has competed at the under-17, under-20, and senior levels for the New Zealand national team.

She was a member of the New Zealand team in both the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics as a traveling reserve. The forward has demonstrated both her playing and goal-scoring skills.

She made it easier for New Zealand to qualify for the Women’s World Cup, and there are high expectations for her to help the nation win the competition.

5. Katie Duncan

Every football game requires vital players, especially defensive midfielders. They manage the strength of the opposing strikers and serve as the clubs’ playmakers. Kattie Duncan was a vital midfielder for the New Zealand team as well as other teams in the past. She is a defensive midfielder for Onehunga Sports and the New Zealand national team. She is from New Zealand. At the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Duncan represented New Zealand and won her 50th cap against England in a 2-1 defeat.

She was a member of the New Zealand Olympic teams in 2012 and 2016. Additionally, she played in each of New Zealand’s three games during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. Duncan announced her departure from international soccer on October 11, 2019.

6. Annalie Longo

, , via Wikimedia Commons

A masterful or intelligent attacking midfielder is required for such matters in order for any match to be successfully played from the midfield to the forwards. The fact that New Zealand has been able to compete in numerous international competitions is because of their strong offensive midfielder.

This talent has been demonstrated by Annalie Longo, who has benefited both her local clubs and his national squad. Longo earned the nickname “the Kiwi Messi” from the crowd due to her skill with the ball and goal-scoring abilities during her stint with Melbourne Victory in the W-League. She participated in all three of New Zealand’s games at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada as well as one of the three games in Germany in 2011.

Longo also took part in Olympic competitions for New Zealand in 2012 and 2016. She is the first athlete in history to have participated in every U17, U20, Women’s World Cup, and Olympic Games competition.

7. Betsy Hassett

Only a men’s squad may be regarded to be capable of having a versatile midfielder who can also play as a winger. The notion has been dispelled by New Zealand, nevertheless, thanks to the advancement and opportunity of Betsy Hassett.

She is a New Zealand football player who competes for Wellington Phoenix and the New Zealand women’s national team as an offensive midfielder or right winger. She has formerly played for the German team SC Sand, the English club Manchester City, the Norwegian team Amazon Grimstad, the German Frauen-Bundesliga team Werder Bremen, the Dutch club Ajax, and the Icelandic teams KR and Stjarnan.

Hassett competed for New Zealand at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011 and 2015.

8. Hannah Wilkinson

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Hannah Lilian Wilkinson is a football player from New Zealand who competes for both the New Zealand national team and Melbourne City in the Australian W-League.

She participated in all three of the group games at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup as a substitute, marking her first FIFA Women’s World Cup debut. She scored in the 94th minute of the previous game to force a draw with Mexico.

Wilkinson participated in three of New Zealand’s four Olympic games in London in 2012. At the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, she participated in each of New Zealand’s three games. She started each of New Zealand’s three games during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Read Best Irish Female Football (Soccer) Players

9. Anna Leat

She is a goalkeeper for Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League and the New Zealand women’s national team. She is from New Zealand. While still in high school, Leat played for both Glenfield Rovers and East Coast Bays. She was the first woman to be named to a Chatham Cup squad in 2021 while representing East Coast Bays. Leat also participated in the 2019 FFA Cup of Nations, the 2020 Algarve Cup, the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan, the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

10. Rebecca Smith

, , via Wikimedia Commons

We look at the legendary Rebecca Smith to round up our list of the top 10. International football player Rebecca Katie Smith represented New Zealand.

She captained the New Zealand women’s national football team and competed in both the World Cup and the Olympics. She ended her club career by winning the German Cup, UEFA Champions League, and German League with VfL Wolfsburg before retiring in 2013.

Smith was nominated for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award and named New Zealand Player of the Year thanks to her strong play in the back for New Zealand. Additionally, she twice received the Oceania Player of the Year award between 2011 and 2013. For the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Germany, Smith served as New Zealand’s captain.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she led the New Zealand team once more to the quarterfinals. Smith announced her retirement from football on September 18, 2013.

With a quality squad that New Zealand has, much will be anticipated in the future as well as in the upcoming World Cup.