Midfielder Whinham has her sights set high
Junior Football Ferns midfielder Alyssa Whinham is dreaming big.
Off the back of her first professional season, the teenager hopes the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica can be a springboard to higher honours.
One of New Zealand’s most promising young talents, Whinham is desperate for an opportunity with the Football Ferns, ahead of the Women’s World Cup on home soil in 2023.
She wasn’t really in the picture this time last year, but has come to the fore since.
She was the creative fulcrum of the Wellington Phoenix team, with her flair and technical ability, and had moments of genuine class in New Zealand’s battling 1-all draw with Mexico on Thursday.
Senior international football is another step up but Whinham isn’t short of self-belief.
“That’s obviously the ultimate dream,” Whinham said. “I want to represent my country, playing for the Ferns. That’s always been the dream and, I think with the Phoenix season, I feel that my name started circling around a little bit.”
Fifa age group events are always the ultimate shop window — with numerous clubs and scouts around — and can be a launchpad. Long-time Fern Rosie White is a prime example, with her scoring deeds in 2008 for the Under-17 New Zealand side the catalyst for a successful senior career, but there are many others.
The current tournament seems particularly important, given what is coming next year.
“Yeah, it’s massive,” agreed Whinham. “We’ve actually talked about it, and we know what we do here, people see it. This is a big opportunity to prove ourselves, make a difference and put our hands up for that.”
There have already been encouraging conversations with Ferns’ coach Jitka Klimkova.
“She’s only really said good things,” said Whinham. “She is super supportive of the way I play and wants me to influence every team that I’m a part of.”
Players like Whinham don’t come along very often in this country, with her touch, timing and technical ability.
The Junior Football Ferns lived on scraps for much of Thursday’s game (42 per cent possession) and Whinham rarely got on the ball in the final third but there were still glimpses of what she can do.
Several times she twisted out of trouble, or beat an opponent with footwork and a feint, while her turn and slide rule pass to set striker Milly Clegg away in the second half was a lovely piece of instinctive play.
The 18-year-old appeals as the kind of player the Football Ferns desperately need.
They lack creativity and cunning on attack and have only scored 11 goals in their last 22
matches, dating back to the 2019 World Cup.
Whinham has come a long way, since being a late recruit into the foundation Phoenix team, after missing the initial cut.
She soon became a fixture in the starting XI and then a priority signing for subsequent seasons.
“It’s pretty surreal to think about it,” said Whinham. “I definitely had a bit of a rapid rise and got a lot more out of the season than I was expecting. I felt like I just kept on improving, the more game time I got, and getting used to the players around me.”
That experience will be invaluable in Costa Rica, with the gruelling schedule of three group games in seven days. The heat has been a challenge, though Whinham is enjoying every moment of such a football focused environment and has the bonus of her own space, without a roommate, after the squad were allocated an extra hotel room.
The Christchurch product also has family support, with her parents, Craig and Chrissy, and sister, Zoe, making the trip to Central America.
Thursday’s result was a boost, but the road gets harder from here, with games against Germany (Sunday 5am NZT) and Colombia (Wednesday 11am NZT) to come.
Germany were upset 1-0 by the South Americans on Thursday but have a formidable tournament record.
They have been champions three times (2004, 2010, 2014) and reached the final four on three other occasions, while the vast majority of their squad is drawn from professional clubs, unlike New Zealand.
Colombia are the secondranked team in South America, behind Brazil.
“They are big names but we’re definitely not intimidated — we have confidence in our own game,” said Whinham.
“Any team is beatable, as we say, and we have a good mindset going into it.”