Green buzzing before debut in NZ
Ally Green has just helped her Norwegian club qualify for the European Champions League but she’s as excited to be playing her first game of football in New Zealand for the Football Ferns.
The 24-year-old defender was born in Australia but has a Kiwi mother and switched her allegiance to New Zealand this year.
The Football Ferns are set to play two games against South Korea in Christchurch – their first matches in New Zealand for four years – but it will be the first appearance for Green on New Zealand soil
‘‘The only sporting event I’ve ever been to here was for my brother’s rugby tour. I was about 15 – I was the mascot,’’ she said.
It’s also Green’s first visit to Christchurch .
‘‘My mother is from Auckland, we travelled a bit around New Zealand when I was younger, but I hadn’t been to Christchurch yet, so that’s a new experience.’’
It’s been a whirlwind 2022 for Green, who left the comfort zone of hometown Sydney and A-League club Sydney FC to join Vålerenga in Norway, as well as linking with the Football Ferns.
Playing in Norway’s elite Toppserien league and living in Oslo has been ‘‘a good challenge’’.
‘‘I’d grown up playing in Sydney and it was about time I tried something new, playing with new players and challenge myself playing in a new environment.’’
‘‘It’s been a tough year physically, going back to back seasons from the A-League, but I think it’s done really good for me in all parts of my game, and off the field as well.
‘‘By the time I got there we had about 14 games left, but it was broken up before and after the European Championships so we had a break in July.
‘And then we had a finals series where we managed to come second, we just finished last weekend, so we qualified for Champions League next year which was a big goal of ours.’’
Green is one of the few nonScandinavian players on
Vålerenga’s books. Her teammates include some Norwegian internationals, who are set to be pool stage opponents at the World Cup in New Zealand next year.
We were watching the World Cup draw on our phones at training, we were in the changing room. I’ve got a few teammates who are in the Norwegian team, and we looked up to each other when we saw we were versing each other, and we laughed.
‘‘It’s been good to play in Norway, because we’ll be versing a lot of them next year in the World Cup. There’s a good part of the team that still plays in the Norwegian league, although most of the bigger names play across England and Spain.’’
Green was an Australian under-20 international in 2016 and a Sydney FC player since 2017, but she always knew there was a potential opportunity to represent New Zealand due to her mother’s heritage.
She announced her switch of allegiance in March, and was soon in familiar territory.
‘‘The first tour I was a part of was the Australian tour, so that was a bit surreal. I came in as a training player, that was before my change of nationality had been put through. That was quite a funny tour.’’
But she ‘‘felt part of the New Zealand team’’ straight away. ‘‘That was a nice feeling. They warmly welcomed me. I had my little friend Stotty [Football Ferns defender and ex-A-League player Rebekah Stott] there at the time, so she had my back.
‘‘They were impressed that I had learnt the [NZ anthem], it was just the Mā ori version that I had to keep up, but I’ve got it now.’’
Green’s family can’t make the Christchurch games tomorrow and Tuesday, but hope to be in New Zealand for the big games next year.
She said she has cousins and other family members who were born and grew up in New Zealand, so she has ‘‘strong family roots’’ here, and ‘‘It’s really nice to represent them.’’
Green made her Football Ferns debut in a 0-0 draw with Wales in June and came off the bench in a 2-1 win over the Philippines in September.
She’s a specialist left back – where 147-capped Football Ferns skipper Ali Riley has played since 2007 – but Riley is taking a break from the Korea doubleheader, giving Green a chance to stake her claim.
The Football Ferns – ranked 22nd in the world – play South Korea – ranked 18th – at Christchurch’s Orangetheory Stadium tomorrow (2.30pm) and Tuesday (6pm).
The two nations split a series in South Korea last November, with the Football Ferns losing the first game 2-1 before winning the second 2-0 (giving them a 3-2 aggregate score).