Newset Football Ferns

December 23, 2008

AUCKLAND � Christmas came early for four teenagers who earned their first senior call-ups on Tuesday in an 18-strong Football Ferns squad for January�s Four Nations Tournament in Guangzhou.

Fifteen-year-old Rosie White � who scored hat-tricks in both the FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women�s World Cups � target player Sarah McLaughlin and winger Hannah Wall all cap a rapid rise in 2008, graduating from U-17 level through the U-20s to the full national team, while U-20 defensive utility Liz Milne is also rewarded for solid performances at an age-group World Cup.

Two other age-group stars earn recalls for 2009: U-17 playmaker Annalie Longo � who already has 15 senior caps to her name but missed Olympic selection � and two-cap dead-ball specialist Caitlin Campbell, who hasn�t played for the national team since her debut tour as a 15-year-old in 2006.

No fewer than 10 players will back up from the U-20 Women�s World Cup in Chile, while of those five also played in the New Zealand-hosted U-17 equivalent.

The January 10-14 quadrangular tournament in China � with Finland and Korea Republic completing the field � marks the next step on what head coach John Herdman sees as a long road to success at the 2011 FIFA Women�s World Cup and 2012 Olympic campaigns.

�There�s a group of players we�ve got our eye on. Some will go into China and some will get an opportunity later down the track,� Herdman said.

�It�s all part of a bigger plan to ensure we reach pinnacle events with players who have the right amount of caps in the bank, as that experience can lead to winning.

�There�s also an element of testing the readiness of these players for the biggest event of the year � the Cyprus Cup in March � where we expect players to peak and achieve a top three placing.�

Herdman paid tribute to Sparc whose funding of a detailed four-year plan for women�s football at the elite level could now be put to good use.

�We�ve got to give a big thank you to Sparc, whose investment [$725,000 over four years] allows a progressive and coordinated approach to our programme.

�Without funding we�re relying on the generosity of other countries and that doesn�t provide for a structured plan to develop our players in the long-term.�

�At the end of this tour we�ll know which of these players are ready now and which will need more time in the senior environment.�

The Football Ferns will be without former captain Rebecca Smith (Newcastle Jets) and fullback Marlies Oostdam (Melbourne Victory) as their Australian clubs chase W-League semi-final spots, while Olympic standout Ali Riley is unavailable because of academic commitments at Stanford University.

Meanwhile, Germany-based back-up goalkeeper Rachel Howard has retired from international football after a ten-year career.

On return from China, Herdman will name a wider 30-woman national training squad with places in a tour party for the eight-nation Cyprus Cup the next prize.

Football Ferns squad for 4 Nations Tournament, China, January 2009
Goalkeepers:
Jenny BINDON � Waitakere City (29/0)
Aroon CLANSEY � Three Kings United (1/0)

Defenders:
Caitlin CAMPBELL � Glenfield Rovers (2/0)
Abby ERCEG � Western Springs (30/2)
Anna GREEN � Three Kings United (12/1)
Kristy HILL � Three Kings United (4/0)
Elizabeth MILNE � Western Springs (0/0)

Midfielders:
Betsy HASSETT � Three Kings United (2/0)
Katie HOYLE � Lynn-Avon United (18/0)
Annalie LONGO � Three Kings United (15/0)
Hayley MOORWOOD (Captain) � Lynn-Avon United (38/3)
Ria PERCIVAL � Lynn-Avon United (30/2)
Kirsty YALLOP � Lynn-Avon United (22/7)

Forwards:
Amber HEARN � Lynn-Avon United (15/2)
Emma KETE � Lynn-Avon United (17/3)
Sarah McLAUGHLIN � Claudelands Rovers (0/0)
Hannah WALL � Western Springs (0/0)
Rosie WHITE � Western Springs (0/0)

Management: John Herdman (Head Coach), Julie Hogg (Manager), Tony Readings (Assistant Coach/Technical Analyst), Brad Conza (Sports Scientist), Meridy Boyd-Clark (Physiotherapist).

Schedule:
All matches in Guangzhou
January 8 � New Zealand v Korea Republic (Training match, time tbc)
January 10 � New Zealand v China (1.05am Jan 11 NZT)
January 12 � New Zealand v Korea Republic (10pm NZT)
January 14 � New Zealand v Finland (10pm NZT)