Fern Fraser fights back from the brink
There have been several times in recent years when Macey Fraser wondered if football was really her future.
After being a star of the New Zealand team that secured a famous bronze at the 2018 Fifa Under-17 World Cup, the path was complicated. Injuries and the Covid pandemic contributed but Fraser was also caught in a strange vacuum.
She emerged at a time where Gemma Lewis, who has since returned to Wales, held the keys to the castle, in charge of the Football Ferns Development Programme (FFDP) and the New Zealand under-20s. And the coach couldn’t see Fraser’s potential.
Fraser had two stints at the FFDP — which required players to move to Auckland — but didn’t thrive in the environment, or find it challenging enough. She played for different clubs, then had a productive period at the Ole Academy in Wellington, mainly training with boys, outside the conventional system.
Fraser was part of the Wellington Phoenix academy when their women’s team was launched in 2021 but couldn’t crack the first team under either Lewis or Natalie Lawrence in the first two seasons.
“Definitely, there have been times like that, where I’ve thought [if ] I wanted to play football ever again,” Fraser told the Weekend Herald. “That’s just how it goes when you’re an athlete, there’s highs and lows.”
Fraser perservered and is now seen as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport, a player of class and rare technical ability.
Fraser could start her first Football Ferns match on home soil today, against Thailand at 3pm in Christchurch, capping a remarkable rise since making her Phoenix debut in October, then being part of New Zealand’s Olympic qualifying campaign in February.
“It has been a season of growing. It’s been really eye opening for me stepping into professional football but I’m grateful I got to do it and I learned a lot,” said Fraser.
Fraser reserves special praise for Phoenix coach Paul Temple, who has built his team around the 21-year-old.
“Paul really took me under his wing and told me he believes in me,” said Fraser. “That gives a player confidence and I spent a long time working with him in the academy.”
Temple said Fraser deserves a lot of credit.
“She is mentally very strong and has been working at this a long time,” Temple told the “Sometimes it’s not always one size fits all with how players develop but she has always worked so hard and had such a willingness to improve.”
The results of that were shown during the A-League season, with some brilliant work in the final third, clever assists and eye-catching goals. It wasn’t all plain sailing but it was a strong opening chapter.
“I learned the lifestyle of a professional footballer,” said Fraser. “I learned it’s not always easy, even though this is my dream job, it’s got some tough parts to it. I learned a lot about trying to stay consistent with my training and everything, even when there is a lot of bumps in the road.”
Fraser also had to adapt quickly, after a strong initial impression, as teams began to target her.
“[For example] I knew people were going to start recognising I jink a lot to my right, had to adapt and start going on my left. It’s learning and growing as a footballer.”
Fraser is diligent about analysis, watching replays of each game, writing what she needs to work on, before that becomes the focus at training.
“After every game, I’m quite hard on myself, always looking at what I can do better. Reflection is really important to me.”
Fraser stood out for the Ferns at the Olympic qualifiers in Samoa, albeit against limited Oceania opposition. World No 47 Thailand will be an incremental step up, before (hopefully) the ultimate test at the Paris Olympics.
Fraser is unproven internationally but has a skill set on the ball that few teammates can match and is likely to become a key figure in the coming years. That’s dependant on Fraser fulfilling her potential, along with the Ferns coming up with a system that accommodates her talent.
Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova said yesterday Fraser would be an asset in central midfield, though her best work was done closer to goal. Fraser is ambitious but grounded. “It’s always been one of my dreams to play for the Ferns and I’m honoured that I’m here now and can finally make an impact in this team.”
The Olympics are a major goal — “I don’t know if it will be this year or in the future” — but the main thing is constantly growing as a player.
“As long as I’m doing that, I’ll get closer to a starting position. I’m proud and grateful [to be here]. There have been a lot of people on my journey who have helped me and I couldn’t have done it without them.”