It’s an unusual quirk of the football calendar that Kiwi striker Katie Pugh has scored goals to secure New Zealand’s qualification to two FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups before she’s even played in one.
But after being officially named yesterday in New Zealand’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup squad, the 16-year-old forward from the small South Island town of Blenheim is finally set to take on the world.
The team leaves for the Dominican Republic tomorrow, and Pugh’s looking forward to the upcoming World Cup as a “learning experience”.
“I’ve never ever been in such a high stakes place before,” she explains.
“I just want to take it all in, learn from other countries, learn from my teammates and the coaches and just really enjoy it.
“Not many people get to go away for three to four weeks to play football and then go to play in the Under-17s World Cup – it will mean so much.”
The two qualification campaigns – last year’s OFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Tahiti, where Pugh scored a late winner in the final, and this year’s edition in Fiji – bookend Pugh settling into a clear direction with her football.
Last year, in the hopes of making the New Zealand U-16 team, she commuted two hours each way to play for Nelson Suburbs in the newly established Women’s South Island League and take on the best footballers in the South Island.
“I wouldn’t have been recognised if I was just playing in Blenheim. So I just kept working hard, kept doing the hard hours of travel – and they were hard hours for my parents too,” she acknowledges.
“But when you get the email [to confirm you’ve been selected], it’s a big joy – and a bit emotional for the family,” she remembers.
This year, having joined the Wellington Phoenix Academy, Pugh says she had greater “expectations for myself and what I wanted” ahead of the OFC U-16 Women’s Championship.
“I had clear goals set for how I could get there, so it was just about trying to implement the goals and targets as much as I could.”
She particularly valued the opportunity to pass on what she had learnt last year and develop her leadership skills in Fiji last month, captaining the Alana Gunn-coached team in the final.
“The first one was all about learning, and opened my eyes to so many new things. I improved mentally on and off the pitch, and then technically and tactically my football changed a lot.
“I learnt so much last year about how a tournament will go, the different types of football you encounter and how to stay strong through the tournament as it’s a long time to be away.”
Leaving home to join the Wellington Phoenix Academy has also helped the latter, she says.
“It’s a big learning curve, obviously. You’re way more independent, but I think it’s been easy to manage with the support that you get from the club and the school and with the other girls that play for Phoenix also in the boarding house. It’s a really nice environment to be in, so it’s been a smooth transition.”
Like most up and coming footballers, Pugh has faced her challenges, including battling a knee injury that has restricted her time on the field in recent months.
“That’s been a big part of the year that I’ve had to overcome,” she reflects.
“You don’t really know how much you really enjoy something until you don’t have it or how much you really love it till you can’t play it anymore. So just being on the pitch, every training, every game, I never take it for granted anymore. Every time I can run about with a ball, I’ll enjoy it.”
Including, finally, at a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Oceania representatives Aotearoa New Zealand has been drawn in Group A at the tournament alongside hosts Dominican Republic, tournament debutants Ecuador, and 2022 bronze medallists Nigeria. They open their campaign against Nigeria on 17 October (KO 9am NZT), before facing Dominican Republic on 20 October (KO 12pm NZT), and Ecuador on 23 October (KO 12pm NZT).
All FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup games can be watched live and free on FIFA+.