Bowen was one of 21 players to receive her New Zealand U-20 playing shirt at a special ceremony held at ASB Bank headquarters in Auckland last Tuesday, and the Glenfield Rovers player said the presentation involving family and friends was a moving occasion for everyone involved.
“It was a great experience and, to be honest, I didn’t know some of the girls felt that emotional about it,” Bowen said. “I was brought to tears in a few of their speeches.
“A lot of us have been playing since we were maybe four years old and it’s awesome to see that everyone still has that passion for the game and we really are living our dreams from when we were younger.”
Bowen, who has 18 senior caps with the Football Ferns to her name, says her leadership role with the U-20 side is made simpler by the team culture the group have developed.
“It’s an honour to be the captain of your country. The U-20s team is very tight-knit and I find being captain is a really easy role because we all get along so well.
“The girls really feed well off each other and it’s a very open environment. Feedback is welcome from someone who might have just represented New Zealand at U-17 level or whether they are a full Football Fern international.”
Bowen – a student at the University of North Carolina in the United States – believes the nature of the New Zealand team’s lead-up could be influential in what the team is able to achieve in Canada.
“I think the fact that the majority of the girls moved up to Auckland and we’ve been training week-after-week, up to six times a week, is something other countries aren’t able to do.
“The United States come into camp often but they are not with each other every day. I think because of that, we know the way each other plays, we know each other’s strengths and we know how to work for each other.”
That preparation will be put to the test in Group D with France – champions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012, Paraguay and Costa Rica in the sights of Bowen and company.
“We have some footage and some stats on each team but we’re looking at France as our toughest game because they did win the U-17 tournament and their full national team is strong as well. I think for the other teams it really helped that we went to Brazil because the South American teams have a similar way of playing.”
Speaking with a maturity and confidence reflecting the experiences the midfielder has crammed into her 20 years, Bowen outlined her own targets as a leader and key motivator of her side in Canada.
“Ultimately, I’d like to get everyone in the right place with the right attitude to really take it to these teams and show everyone on the world stage that New Zealand isn’t the New Zealand it once was where we’d maybe scrape through with a draw or lose 5-0.
“We’re not that nation anymore.”
Follow the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign of the Junior Football Ferns with LIVE coverage of all the New Zealand team’s matches on SKY Sport starting with next Thursday’s clash with Paraguay in Montreal.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2014
Junior Football Ferns Match Schedule – Group D
New Zealand v Paraguay
Wednesday 6 August, 8pm (Thursday 7 August, midday NZ time)
Montreal
LIVE on SKY Sport 3
New Zealand v France
Saturday 9 August, 5pm (Sunday 10 August, 9am NZ time)
Montreal
LIVE on SKY Sport 3
New Zealand v Costa Rica
Wednesday 13 August, 5pm (Thursday 14 August, 9am NZ time)
Toronto
LIVE on SKY Sport 2
Story courtesy of New Zealand football www.nzfootball.co.nz