Nick Robinson from Niche Cache in this lengthy article on the 2018 U17s girls (3rd at their WC), highlights why the NCAA system ain't that good as a pro pathway. Plenty of young Kiwis who go there stagnate getting very limited mins at their College teams, even after starring at underage WCs.
And now with the Nix ALW team, soon to be Auckland womens pro team, plus most Aussie ALW teams having at least one NZer - there are sound local pathways to pro football if you are good enough.
So if football is more a focus than education, then nowadays best avoid taking the US College route. I imagine a lot of the younger Nix girls are doing part time (if not free) study at Vic Uni anyway. From memory Whinham & Clegg did initially sign amateur deals with the Nix, so keeping the US College path there as an option in need.
Could be soon, that it's young girls the next level down who either don't make national age group teams, or struggle to get game time at age group WCs - who are those who end up going to a US College, ie decide to focus more on the free quality education than the football.
https://theniche-cache.com/football/2024/1/10/looking-back-at-new-zealands-u17-world-cup-bronze-medallists-five-years-later
Gabi Rennie (Arizona State/Indiana), Genevieve Ryan (Rider U), and Maggie Jenkins (Central Florida) have gone the distance (at US Colleges), while Blair Currie (Spring Arbor) and Amelia Abbott (U of Texas) each have one more year. As does Aniela Jensen (UC Pacific) while Rylee Godbold (Wofford) has two more – both of them were standby members of this squad.
And now with the Nix ALW team, soon to be Auckland womens pro team, plus most Aussie ALW teams having at least one NZer - there are sound local pathways to pro football if you are good enough.
So if football is more a focus than education, then nowadays best avoid taking the US College route. I imagine a lot of the younger Nix girls are doing part time (if not free) study at Vic Uni anyway. From memory Whinham & Clegg did initially sign amateur deals with the Nix, so keeping the US College path there as an option in need.
Could be soon, that it's young girls the next level down who either don't make national age group teams, or struggle to get game time at age group WCs - who are those who end up going to a US College, ie decide to focus more on the free quality education than the football.
https://theniche-cache.com/football/2024/1/10/looking-back-at-new-zealands-u17-world-cup-bronze-medallists-five-years-later
Gabi Rennie (Arizona State/Indiana), Genevieve Ryan (Rider U), and Maggie Jenkins (Central Florida) have gone the distance (at US Colleges), while Blair Currie (Spring Arbor) and Amelia Abbott (U of Texas) each have one more year. As does Aniela Jensen (UC Pacific) while Rylee Godbold (Wofford) has two more – both of them were standby members of this squad.
And then there’s the issue of game-time. Abbott was one of the standouts in that U17 WC, a combative midfielder with a huge engine and a tidy sense of rhythm. Admittedly she attends one of the biggest universities in the biggest state in America... but in three seasons she’s played a total of 142 minutes. This is a player who has been capped at senior level and she’s barely getting a sighter in college. Rennie transferred from Indiana after two years of not playing enough. Her fortunes improved once she got to Arizona though it wasn’t until her fourth and final year that she finally scored an NCAA goal. Same deal for Jenkins, whose senior year was by far her best.
None of them are going to get drafted in to the NWSL. Neither did Jacqui Hand or Daisy Cleverley or Hannah Blake who’ve all ended up in great situations regardless... but that’s not the point. The point is that subsequent age grade sides haven’t had quite the same uptake in NCAA scholarships... likely for the simple reason that the Wellington Phoenix now exist as an alternative.
.............Obviously Maya Hahn is no longer eligible for NZ having moved to Germany to chase that dream instead. Hahn has had a busy time of things since embracing her Germanity. In her three years at Oregon, she made 41 appearances albeit only 8 of them were starts. Three goals and an assist. Amongst that she popped back over to Germany to play at SV Meppen for a handful of Bundesliga games (playing in one of the best leagues in the world yet unable to get regular college starts... there’s another one for you in The Case Against the NCAA).
.............Obviously Maya Hahn is no longer eligible for NZ having moved to Germany to chase that dream instead. Hahn has had a busy time of things since embracing her Germanity. In her three years at Oregon, she made 41 appearances albeit only 8 of them were starts. Three goals and an assist. Amongst that she popped back over to Germany to play at SV Meppen for a handful of Bundesliga games (playing in one of the best leagues in the world yet unable to get regular college starts... there’s another one for you in The Case Against the NCAA).