I (Kristin) have a confession to make.
I don’t follow football.
It’s partly the fault of my adopted country. The sports I’ve loved playing and spectating — soccer (football), basketball, NFL football, and college (university) sports — are much less popular. This is slowly changing, but sports coverage in general is much less readily available in Aotearoa New Zealand than in the US. You often have to pay for a streaming service to watch games, and my husband and kids are sports-lukewarm, so we don’t bother…
Hence, when the Spirit of Football team got to meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s Football Ferns, and I heard co-captain Ali Riley’s US accent, I did what I normally do in Tāmakai-makau-rau Auckland on such occasions. I said: ‘Hey! I’m from Portland, Oregon! Where are you from?’
Riley looked at me like I must live under a rock and answered, ‘L.A.’
Embarrassing! Riley is ridiculously famous, and her fellow Ferns play in some of the world’s top football teams. I wouldn’t have known any of them if I’d passed them on the street.
What I DID recognise when we walked on the sidelines at the last few minutes of their practice was the energy and connection between the team members. It was two days before their opening match against Norway, and seeing them sparked clear memories of what pre-big-game feels like. The sights and smells transported me to winter league soccer when I was 16 – I could feel their anticipation, dedication, teamwork, and sense of fun in the game.
It was so gracious of co-captains Riley and Ria Percival, their teammates, and head coach Jitka Klimková to meet with us to sign The Ball. They were totally up for heading The Ball, too, before signing, our long-lived tradition when signing The Ball. Riley and many of her teammates have been on a long, vocal and successful journey towards gender equity in sport, so they know all about the power of using football as a platform for good, as Spirit of Football consistently endeavours to do.
On that perfect, sunny Tuesday morning, having finished their training, the Ferns were happy to support The Ball’s mission to promote sustainability and gender equity . They certainly had no problem cheering each other – and even me! — on for a round of gentle headers! (The Ball, near the end of its journey, is showing a bit of wear, so needs to be handled increasingly carefully.)
On behalf of the team, Riley made the following pledge:
We pledge to push for better conditions for girls and women in sport, not just in New Zealand, but around the world
The players climbed onto their bus and Iris, Andrew, Andrew’s son Paul, and I left – all of us buzzing and eager for the opening match. The Ball and its guardians would meet them again two days later in Eden Park, to cheer them on!
