One of our sagest Football Ferns, Hannah Wilkinson can't begin to tally the value of a home advantage. And whether or not she plays at her fourth FIFA World Cup, in NZ next year, she's already left her indelible mark on the tournament.
Over one billion people are expected to tune in to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but it’s those at home who matter most to Hannah Wilkinson.
The Football Ferns centurion has played around the world, and at three Olympic Games and three World Cups. But a home World Cup, in New Zealand and Australia next July, is almost indescribably special for her.
“I’m tremendously excited. It’s still unbelievable it’s happening,” Wilkinson says from a hotel room in Los Angeles, where she's just finished training with the Football Ferns preparing for their friendly match against Mexico this weekend.
“The World Cup is going to be so, so big and for that many eyes to be watching the game we love will be amazing. And it’s going to do wonders for women’s football in New Zealand.”
Then there's the importance of playing in front of loyal family and friends, who've watched Wilkinson as often as possible since she made her debut for the Ferns in 2010, at the age of 18. “They’re stoked to finally not have to travel miles and miles to different countries to see me play,” she laughs.
And Wilkinson knows a home advantage can never be underestimated. After playing professionally in the US, Portugal, Sweden and Germany, the 30-year-old moved closer to home last year to play for Melbourne City in the A-League Women and had a blockbuster season.
She finished as the league's overall top-goal scorer, hitting the back of the net 15 times. That includes every goal in her team’s 5-1 win over Melbourne Victory - only the second time in the league’s history a player has scored five goals in one match.
It was also the inaugural season for the women’s Wellington Phoenix, whose entry into the league was fast-tracked by winning the rights to host the World Cup for the first time. The Phoenix recruited a team full of young Kiwis (their average age was 20) - something Wilkinson says is crucial to the development of women’s football in New Zealand.
“Now the Phoenix has a whole bunch of Football Ferns playing together, so for us to get that same consistency at club level as well as the national team level, will be an advantage we’ve never had before,” she says. Two of the Phoenix's latest signings, Paige Satchell and Betsy Hassett (with 128 NZ caps), are key cogs in the Football Ferns side.
“That could really, really help us in a lot of ways. I’m so glad that team is finally established, and they’ve got one season under their belt.”
Wilkinson jokes she also loves coming up against her Football Ferns teammates - “as long as my team wins.”
It's been a long time since the Football Ferns’ last home game - in Wellington in 2018, where they lost to Japan 3-1. But they will play three international friendlies here in February before the World Cup kicks off on July 20 at Auckland's Eden Park. (The highly-anticipated tournament draw takes place there in October).
“It’s just so nice to have that support right there, that home crowd," Wilkinson says. "It’s something Kiwis don’t often get, we’re always the away team. So that’s going to be a really unique advantage for us.”
The Football Ferns have a unique set-up, where their representatives generally split up to play around the world during the year, but come together for camps and games.
Over the next week, they take on Mexico and the Philippines in Los Angeles - games Wilkinson says are great preparation.
"I think any friendly game we’re going to get is crucial to treat it as a group game rehearsal. I think we can certainly compete and it will be a real test to prove we can win games and we can progress," she says. The team has a goal to progress out of pool play for the first time at a women's World Cup.
Right now, New Zealand are sitting at 22nd in the world, with Mexico (their opponents on Saturday) at 36th, and the Philippines 53rd.
Wilkinson has special memories of playing the Mexicans - she scored the match equaliser in a 2011 World Cup match against Mexico, in the 94th minute of play, to make it 2-2. She was just 19.
“It’s cool because looking back, a lot of these girls coming into the team now are that age. So I think about that and how exciting this is for them,” she says. “We're bringing in some incredible players and they’re showing some real talent.”
She went on to play all three games at the 2015 World Cup, and was part of the Football Ferns squad at the 2019 tournament, after an incredible comeback from an ACL injury.
The Football Ferns have played 11 matches in the last 12 months, winning just one, and drawing two, but Wilkinson believes the team are growing and improving thanks to the opportunities they’ve had to play.
“I think with the consistency of the tours we’ve had, it’s not something we’ve had for a while so they're really, really helpful. What will get us success in the end is consistency and continually playing together,” she says.
“And while the results have been steadily improving, it’s not always going to be linear. There’s going to be ups and downs and that’s how we can work out what's not working and then work on the things that are and really establish those strengths moving forward.
"Overall, we're making progress. The results may not show it, but we certainly are pretty confident this tour.”
For Wilkinson, the confidence comes with looking after herself off-field as well. She's an accomplished musician and an incredible artist, who uses her art as an escape from the pressures of being an elite athlete.
“As a kid, I just really wanted to be good at things, so I just worked and worked. Once I got a hold of a pencil and I was drawing, I really enjoyed it and I couldn’t get enough. It just kind of stuck,” she says.
In honour of the three women’s World Cups being held in New Zealand in the space of two years (cricket, rugby and football), Wilkinson was approached by Nick Sautner, the CEO of Eden Park, to create a mural at the stadium, showcasing the three events.
“It was amazing, such a cool experience. It was something I always wanted to do in my creative career so it was just such an incredible opportunity. And a really special message as well, and quite meaningful to me, as a female athlete in New Zealand.”
Hannah Wilkinson working on her mural at Eden Park.
Wilkinson is also studying towards her Masters in psychology, something to use after her time in the game is over. After training on a sunny Los Angeles day, she was heading outside to do some study. For now, though, her main focus is on the Football Ferns, and the World Cup.
“I would say that this game, from this moment on is going to get even bigger and better,” Wilkinson says.
“It's the most popular sport in the world and this is such an incredible opportunity to really create incredible momentum for the future of women’s football in New Zealand.
“All eyes are going to be on our country and looking at the world’s best players; the world’s best players are going to be playing in New Zealand; and it’s going to be a pretty special opportunity to see those talented players play.”
* The Football Ferns take on Mexico at 1pm (NZT) on Saturday, with their game against the Philippines on Wednesday 7 at 12pm (NZT).
