Kiwi Players Elsewhere

Kiwi Women Overseas

657 replies · 159,452 views
about 2 months ago · edited about 2 months ago · History
Hopefully a good move for her. To be brutal her time in Canada was a bit of a flop (not helped by her club Halifax being very shark) with one goal all season, and obviously she is a long way off playing in the NWSL.

The Football Ferns really need her to kick on with her career somewhere. Hopefully it's Sweden. Still only age 20.
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about 2 months ago
So a club with past Football Fern links.



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about 2 months ago
coochiee
Canadian born but apparently spent some time in NZ as a child??


She represented NZ at Futsal at the 2017 OFC Youth Champs, with Macey Fraser and Grace Wisnewski.



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about 2 months ago
So that rumoured overseas gig was just the Victorian NPL.

Melbs is full of Kiwi lawyers (personally know of at least four there), so maybe she can continue her legal career as well.

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/02/02/golden-boot-winner-natalie-olson-signs-for-melbourne-club-preston-lions/

Wellington United’s Natalie Olson — the leading goalscorer in last year’s women’s Central League — has joined Australian club Preston Lions.

Olson (23) won the 2025 Golden Boot, scoring 35 goals for United, and has since been selected for the Thailand national team.

Born in Bangkok, Olson qualified to play for Thailand through her Thai mother, though she had lived in New Zealand since childhood.

Preston Lions play in NPL Victoria Women, the top tier of women’s football in the state.
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about 1 month ago
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about 1 month ago · edited about 1 month ago · History
Niche Cache on Tilly James. As Wittlebutt mentioned ex NZ age group futsal.
One to watch maybe re the Ferns

The 24yo versatile defender made three appearances for Calgary Wild last year, including two starts, though was hampered by injury most of the way (there’s an interview linked below in which she’s wearing a pretty hefty knee brace). And here’s the thing... despite her Wikipedia profile and NSL player page both claiming that she was born in Vancouver, and her signing last year being treated as a local player progressing to the new local professional league... those are bold-faced lies. James (and her whole family) hails from Aotearoa.

TJ was born in NZ and spent a lot of her childhood (and football development) here. She constantly refers to herself as a New Zealander in interviews and if you need any more evidence, well, her older sister, Ella James, plays for the Futsal Ferns and was part of the squad for last year’s Futsal World Cup. Tilly herself played NZ U18s Futsal for Aotearoa prior to moving back to Canada for university. Here’s a yarn from eight years ago...
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1674999909218463

Tilly James: “It's so funny. I feel like every time like I say I'm from New Zealand, people hear me talk and they're like... yeah. When I met Ally and Mouse for the first time, I felt so fake being like, ‘Hey, my family's from there!’ But, no, I was born in New Zealand. My whole family was except for my little brother. So my whole lineage, everybody's from New Zealand. When I was about two we moved to Vancouver, Canada for my mum's job - she worked for a Canadian company. And through her work, we had the privilege of growing up in some really cool places: we spent five years in Vancouver and then went to Dallas, Texas for five years, back to New Zealand for five years, and then moved back to Vancouver. It wasn't until university when I actually started and finished [at the same] school.”

You can see how this one slipped under the radar last season but it will do so no longer. Tilly James, you are a Flying Kiwi.
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about 1 month ago
Steinmetz closer to an injury return. Good stuff
Niche Cache

Malia Steinmetz & Grace Wisnewski – FC Nordsjælland (Danish A-Liga)
Aye, look who’s back in training during winter break training! No strapping on the knee post-ACL... although that might mean she’s only back in a limited capacity. But the important thing is that she’s there in Spain with the rest of the squad (including Grace Wisnewski) and gearing up for a return to action some time over the second half of the season.
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about 1 month ago
Frau Bundesliga would have to make her playing at a level, higher than most Kiwi women currently.

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