New era begins for the Football Ferns

When the Football Ferns take on the United States on Saturday and Wednesday (NZ time), it will mark the start of a new era.

In their sights are the 2019 World Cup, to be held in France, and the 2020 Olympics, in Tokyo, where the aim will be to do better than before.

But as they embark on their first assignment since the Cyprus Cup in March, they know achievements like those are a long way away.

‘‘The reality is we weren’t good enough at last year’s Olympics to beat No 1 and No 3 in the world [the United States and France], but we want to be good enough, so we have to keep striving forward,’’ said coach Tony Readings, who is contracted through the end of the 2019 World Cup.

‘‘As much as the team took massive strides in the past four years, the world of women’s football is growing so meteorically every year, with more professional leagues and more money going into the game, so we have to keep revolutionising what we do.’’

One part of that revolution is bringing in some new faces. Of the 23 players Readings has selected for these games, five are yet to

win a cap, and another six have five or less. There are also 11 who have 45 or more, led by Ria Percival (124) and captain Ali Riley (109), and defender Meikayla Moore between the two groups, with 20.

The inexperienced group includes goalkeeper Anna Leat, midfielder Malia Steinmetz, and defender Liz Anton, who are all part of the current national under20 setup.