New Zealand take on Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga for a ticket to Trinidad and Tobago for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in September and coach Dave Edmondson says a trip to a forest adventure park outside Auckland was a great way to confront any sense of trepidation.
“Monday’s game will be the first international for almost all of the girls so we sensed there may be a little bit of nerves around it,” said Edmondson.
“The trip was a great icebreaker and a good chance to take the girls away from a football environment, out of their comfort zone in many cases, and do a bit of team building.
“Some girls were in their element, racing through the trees, 10 meters off the ground, others were a bit weary but it was a good experience. Sure we’ve got three big games next week but we’re here to enjoy it as well.”
The Young Football Ferns open their campaign against the Solomon Islands on Monday and a lack of knowledge about any of the three opposing teams, means Edmondson and his team are treating every game like a final.
“With only four teams in qualifying and only one going through, every game is important and one slip up will cost you. We’re not targeting any particular game and saving people for that one, we’ll get the job done in each game before thinking about next one.”
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Story courtesy NZF Media
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