Melbourne City captain Rebekah Stott and Wellington Phoenix star Mackenzie Barry will feature at the Olympic Games in Paris after being selected by New Zealand.
Stott and Olympics debutant Barry are the only two contracted Liberty A-League players in the Football Ferns’ 18-player squad, though Phoenix veteran Annalie Longo has been named among the travelling reserves.
The Football Ferns have been drawn in Group A, alongside reigning champions Canada, Colombia and hosts France.
After facing Zambia (July 13) in a friendly, New Zealand will begin their Olympics campaign against Canada on July 26 before facing Colombia (July 29) and France (August 1).
“Paris 2024 is a pinnacle event, and I am excited to get to France, assemble the team, and get to work,” said Football Ferns head coach Michael Mayne.
“I am clear on the outcomes we want to achieve, and we will be doing all we can to collectively accomplish those goals
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“With this tournament having smaller squads than something like the FIFA Women’s World Cup, we have had to make some tough decisions, but through our selection process, we have selected 18 players we believe can achieve the outcomes we want and are prepared for the challenges we will face.
“It is great to be able to give over half the squad their Olympic debuts, and I know it will be a proud moment for all of the players and staff to wear the fern in France.
“There is no doubt this can be a special event for us, and we will draw on the uniqueness of representing the entire New Zealand Olympic team to give us the edge we will need.”
New Zealand’s Olympics squad:
Mackenzie Barry (Wellington Phoenix)
CJ Bott (Leicester City)
Katie Bowen (Inter Milan)
Milly Clegg (Racing Louisville FC)
Victoria Esson (Rangers)
Macey Fraser (Utah Royals)
Ally Green (AGF)
Jacqui Hand (Unattached)
Grace Jale (Unattached)
Katie Kitching (Sunderland)
Anna Leat (Aston Villa)
Meikayla Moore (Unattached)
Gabi Rennie (Aland United)
Ali Riley (Angel City FC)
Indiah-Paige Riley (PSV Vrouwen)
Malia Steinmetz (FC Nordsjælland)
Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City FC)
Kate Taylor (Unattached)
Travelling reserves:
Claudia Bunge (HB Koge), Michaela Foster (Unattached), Annalie Longo (Wellington Phoenix), and Murphy Sheaff (Kansas State University).
