My Account
By Ben Donaldson
Three girls from the Warkworth Football Club will compete in the M Sports Cup in Sydney in July.
Katy Gothard, Zali Taylor and Halle Gravatt, all aged 12, have been training with the Northern Football Federation where they were selected for the tournament.
The competition will see them go up against some of the top youth players from Asia and Australasia.
In preparation, the girls are training weekly at the QBE complex in Albany.
They also have the experience of Katy’s father Paul Gothard to call on.
Paul, who is the goalkeeper coach for the All Whites, coaches the girls on Thursdays.
Katy, originally born in England, has been playing the game since she was three years old.
She plays a mid-field role and says it would be her dream to play for the national side in a world cup.
“I always get nervous before a match but can’t wait to play in Sydney,” she says.
Halle began playing for the Warkworth midgets side when she was five.
Her dad was her first coach but she says he didn’t know a lot about the game because he was always a rugby person.
She normally plays as a centre back and loves tackling other players knowing she has perhaps prevented a goal against her side.
Halle says she is looking forward to playing sides from other countries as it makes her feel like a professional and she can’t wait to get on the pitch before a match.
Zali, born in Sydney, started playing football with the Warkworth club when she was six.
Like Halle, she is another defender who loves tackling her opposition and getting stuck into the game.
She says the team environment is very intense but everyone communicates well and off the pitch they are all friends.
She thinks playing in a stadium will be a real challenge but “exciting” and she sees this trip as being very important in her football life.
Mr Gothard says women’s football is becoming more popular in New Zealand thanks to the Football Ferns and he believes that there is a good development pathway for female players locally.
“Having Katy play in Australia will be a very proud moment,” he says.
The tournament will be held at Valentine Sports Park, from July 12 to 14.
