Wilkinson and her Ferns team mates can take a big step on the road to London when they meet Papua New Guinea tomorrow at Whangarei’s Toll Stadium in a match that acts as the first leg of the OFC Women’s Olympic Qualifier Play-off.
It is a game that holds special significance for the 19-year-old as she was born in Whangarei but is yet to wear the silver fern in her home town.
“I’m really excited about playing in front of my family and friends and can’t wait for the game,” she says.
“It’s huge for a place like Whangarei to have a game like this and I know everyone up there is really stoked to have it. It’s a big deal and hopefully a good crowd will come out to support us.”
The second leg of the play-off takes place in Port Moresby on April 4 and the aggregate winner across the two legs will go on to represent Oceania in the Women’s Football Tournament at the London Olympics, which will be held during July and August.
Lining up at the Olympics would be the latest in a swiftly-growing list of accolades for Wilkinson, who has already ticked off appearances at two other prestigious global events despite her tender years.
The talented teen took part in the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany and returned to the country a year later as part of the Football Ferns squad for the senior event.
And she proved she was not just there to make up the numbers by being at the centre of one of the most memorable moments in Ferns history.
New Zealand had earlier suffered a pair of 2-1 losses – to eventual champions Japan and England – and appeared to be heading for another defeat by the same scoreline in their final group match against Mexico. But with the game deep into injury time, the ball broke to second-half substitute Wilkinson in the box and she volleyed home to secure her country’s first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup point.
“I just saw the ball bobbling around and the fact that we only had 20 seconds or something to go just wasn’t in my head at all,” she recalls. “All I knew was that this had to go in the net. I was expecting to score at some point being a striker but I never thought it would happen like that, it was amazing.”
Wilkinson is hoping for many more such moments on the international scene and aims to emulate the 10 current Football Ferns who are now playing professionally overseas.
But she is keen to continue her academic studies and will do so in the United States later this year when she takes up a football scholarship with the University of Tennessee.
“I’m looking to go there and study psychology,” she says.
“I’m all signed up and ready to go so it’s exciting. Football is definitely the priority but I want to have something else under my belt because you never know how it will go. I’m going to get a health science degree so I can go into that field if my football doesn’t work out.”

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