Western News: November 14, 2024

10
Thursday November 14 2024
Rising star heading to Phoenix academy
• By Sam Coughlan
TALENTED midfielder Amber
De Wit is primed to take her first
step towards professional football
after featuring at the FIFA U17
World Cup.
St Andrew’s College year 12
student De Wit, 16, will join the
Wellington Phoenix Football
Academy in January – a feeder to
New Zealand’s only female professional
club.
The move comes after she
performed well at the World Cup
in the Dominican Republic last
month, starting against the hosts
(a 1-1 draw) and Nigeria (a 4-1
loss) before a torn quadricep ruled
her out of the final match against
Ecuador (a 4-0 loss).
De Wit said she really wanted
the Wellington move.
“Six or seven girls in the 17s
New Zealand team that are my
teammates are there. I’ve talked to
them about the facilities and the
trainings. I really wanted it.”
“I really do want to take football
and see where it lands me, so I
think the Phoenix was a hard
move, but I think it’s the right
step.”
She will be boarding at the New
Zealand Campus of Innovation
and Sport and attending Queen
Margaret College for her final year
of high school – cutting short her
time at St Andrew’s.
While she didn’t score at the
World Cup, De Wit was happy
with her performances and said
she loved every minute.
“It’s such an honour to be starting
for your country, singing the
national anthem,” she said.
“I thought I played alright. I just
tried as hard as I could and I don’t
regret anything.”
Her favourite parts of the
tournament were the connections
made with other teams – swapping
shirts with her Nigerian and
Dominican opponents.
“We were staying at the hotel
with the Nigerian team, and
we luckily got to meet them
afterwards.
“We had this whole trading
thing where we’d trade shirts
and clothes, and we had this little
dance party,” she said.
“They didn’t really speak much
English, but we just danced and
EFFORT: Amber De Wit shapes to shoot during New Zealand’s 1-1 draw with the Dominican
Republic at the FIFA U17 World Cup last month. She will be joining the Wellington Phoenix
Football Academy in January.
PHOTOS: GETTY/SAM COUGHLAN
had a great time. It was awesome.
“I got to trade shirts with one of
the Dominican girls as well. Just
listening to their stories and how
much of an impact this world cup
has made for their country was so
cool. Baseball is their main sport
but now there’s so many girls playing
football.”
De Wit is still injured but hopes
to be fit enough to play a part
for Canterbury United Pride in
their remaining two games in the
women’s National League.
COLLECTION: Amber De Wit’s souvenirs from the World Cup
– her NZ away kit, a Nigeria home kit, her NZ home kit, a
USA away kit, and a Dominican Republic home kit.
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