For the first time New Zealand Football will send a female age grade side to next month’s OFC U-15 Girls Youth Development Tournament in Lautoka, Fiji.

Now in its third edition, the OFC U-15 Development Tournament, in partnership with UEFA, is designed to provide young footballers with experience of an international tournament format.

The tournament supports NZF’s commitment to long-term exposure for players to high quality coaching, development, and competition.

A squad of 16 players, featuring representatives from each of the six New Zealand Football federations, will compete at the OFC U-15 Girls Youth Development Tournament from 4 – 12 May 2026.

Aotearoa New Zealand has been placed in Group B with hosts Fiji, New Caledonia, and Cook Islands.

Group A consists of Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Samoa, and Tonga.

The winner of Group B will face the winner of Group A in the final on 12^th May while there’ll be play offs for 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th places.

New Zealand Football Girls Pathway Lead, Alana Gunn says the programme focuses on supporting the ongoing development of the national youth pathway, including how opportunities are designed and delivered within it.

“The OFC U-15 Girls Youth Development Tournament provides a valuable opportunity for a group of players to experience a national team environment at this stage of their development.

“NZF decided not to attend the first two editions to ensure we spent time to embed player development and identification processes deeper into the female player development system.

“This tournament isn’t intended as an early selection point or a defined step within the pathway, but rather as a complementary experience alongside club football and existing programmes, offering exposure for players who may benefit from it at this stage.

“Player development is non-linear, and engagement with the pathway will differ for everyone.”

The players selected for the tournament are:

Joy Alinese - Hibiscus Coast / Mahurangi College

Ruby Barber - Wellington Phoenix / Aotea College

Jamie Bartolome - Ellerslie / Selwyn College

Aimee Beck - Hibiscus Coast / Westlake Girls’ High School

Ruby Burgess - Dunedin City Royals / St Hilda’s Collegiate

Evie Colegate - Western Springs / Rutherford College

Cordelia Davies - Island Bay United / Scots College

Ashleigh Mcleod - FC Twenty 11 / Rolleston College

Hayley Pirihi - Northland / Bream Bay College

Sophie Roberts - Auckland United / Epsom Girls Grammar School

Carys Seccombe - Napier City Rovers / Havelock North High School

Elsie Sroufe - Wellington Phoenix / St. Mary's Wellington

Felicia Stevens - Wellington Phoenix / NZ Performance Academy Aotearoa

Jada Szeto - Wellington Phoenix / Wellington East Girls' College

Isabelle Wilkinson - Hammarby IF / International English School

Evie Wilson - Melville United / Hamilton Girls High School

New Zealand Football will continue to work alongside clubs, Auckland FC, Wellington Phoenix, and NZ Secondary School Sport to support an aligned and flexible approach to player development.

NZ Match Schedule:

Tuesday 5 May: New Zealand – New Caledonia

Thursday 7 May: New Zealand – Fiji

Saturday 9 May: New Zealand – Cook Islands

Tuesday 12 May: Final

Article added: Thursday 30 April 2026