Photo credit: New Zealand Football
Set your alarms, as the New Zealand Men’s and Women’s football teams are set to kick-off their Paris 2024 Olympic Games campaigns.
New Zealand Men’s Olympic Football Team
Game 1 v Guinea, Thursday 25 July (KO 3:00am NZT) in Nice, France.
On paper New Zealand’s first Olympic opponents Guinea might be considered the easier opponents in a group also containing the USA and tournament hosts France, but with the West African country recently beating Argentina 1-0 in a warm up game, Head Coach Darren Bazeley isn’t about to take them lightly.
“It’s a tough group, but we’re at the Olympics and I think we expect every game to be a tough game,” Bazeley said.
“The under 23 age group is a very difficult one to gauge. While originally we did think this would potentially be the easier game of the group [the other two teams in the group being France and the USA], the more we’ve delved into it, they’re a very strong team.
“Any team that beats Argentina in a game of football is a pretty strong team.”
For 22-year-old midfielder Matt Garbett, Paris 2024 caps off a three-year period where his international career has taken off – starting back at Tokyo 2020 (played in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), when the Oly Whites made an historic run to the quarter-finals.
“At the last Olympics I went in as an alternative player, and originally was one of the traveling reserves,” he recalled.
“The first two games I wasn’t in the squad and not really in the mix, but in the third and the quarter final I actually got to start, which really kicked off my international career, and over the last two or three years I’ve been part of the All Whites regularly and been playing.
“It’s a massive honour to be here again, still under the age of 23 – you don’t often get to say that you’re a two time Olympian!”
Not only will Garbett be able to say he’s a two-time Olympian, but also an Olympic captain, with Bazeley announcing the NAC Breda midfielder will wear the armband for the Kiwis.
“I was a bit lost for words,” said a proud Garbett.
“Obviously it’s a massive honour. It’s one thing to do it at U-17s and U-20s level, but at a major tournament like the Olympics, it doesn’t get much better than that.
“I’m excited to lead these boys, wear the armband for New Zealand, and see what we can do.”
New Zealand will be without midfielder Ben Old for the opening game, who will remain with new club AS Saint-Étienne in France while he continues his recovery from a minor ankle injury, with Bazeley hopeful that he will join the squad later in the tournament.
Old will be replaced in the first matchday squad by alternate player Liam Gillion. Riley Bidois has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury in training. Alternate player Lachlan Bayliss has now been promoted to the squad as his replacement.
New Zealand Women’s Olympic Football Team
Game 1 v Canada, Friday 26 July (KO 3:00am NZT) in Saint-Etienne, France
A change of Head Coach shortly before kicking off a major tournament is never ideal, but that’s the situation the New Zealand women’s team was faced with when Jitka Klimková stepped down for the tournament.
Assistant Coach Michael Mayne has taken up the mantle, and is leaning on his familiarity and connections within the team, having been assistant Football Ferns coach since 2022, and having worked in the development system for a long time prior.
“I’ve worked with a lot of these players over a number of years in age group teams, and that’s what I’m using in this environment to make sure that the group works together through this,” Mayne said.
“Yeah, it’s a tricky situation, but it’s the Kiwi way to roll up your sleeves and do what the job needs you to do.”
While New Zealand have a tough test to begin their campaign, taking on the reigning gold medal holders Canada, midfielder Malia Steinmetz said the team will draw on their experience of the last time they opened a major tournament – that historic 1-0 win over Norway at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup™.
“I think from that World Cup, it definitely helps with the pressure,” reflected Steinmetz.
“Having that under the belt of being able to perform the way we did, obviously that big first opening game against Norway is a confidence booster. I think that’s something we can take and use when we lead into Canada.”
Since that famous result, Steinmetz’s career has gone from strength to strength. After cementing her place in the New Zealand midfield at that World Cup, she landed a move to Europe and won the league and cup double with Danish club FC Nordsjælland. Now she’s looking forward to making her Olympic debut.
“I’m actually more excited than I thought I would be, “ she said.
“In these last few days, especially with the amazing welcome ceremony that we got, it’s starting to hit a bit more. I think you can feel it in the air that we’re in the bubble. We got a big game coming up, but I’m just obviously so excited.
“The last Olympics, I didn’t think I was anywhere near being in it. So to be in this one, I think personally, is just very special.”
