Football Ferns Kya's goal

LOVES FOOTBALL: Kya Solomon is one of 22 kids who will will walk hand-in-hand with the players on to Westpac Stadium in Saturday’s World Cup qualifying game between New Zealand and Peru. Picture by Liam Clayton

WHEN the New Zealand and Peru teams walk out on to Wellington’s Westpac Stadium for their World Cup qualifier on Saturday afternoon, Wainui Beach School’s Kya Solomon will be holding hands with one of the players.

“I’m really excited but a little nervous,” said the nine-year-old, who hopes one day to receive a football scholarship from Stanford University in California and play for the Football Ferns.

Why Stanford?

“The captain of the Football Ferns, Ali Riley, went to Stanford and it’s one of the top-ranked US college teams,” said Kya, whose favourite footballers are Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and Christine Sinclair — the captain of the Canadian team and all-time leading women’s goalscorer for her country.

Kya won the World Cup walk-on thanks to her Canadian-born father Derek.

Derek entered her in the Facebook competition Bringing Together Stars Of Today with Stars of Tomorrow.

“It was open to players aged between six and 10, who resided in New Zealand and were no taller than 142 centimetres — a FIFA requirement — I’m not sure why,” said Derek.

“As we had already planned to go to the game, I entered the competition, not really expecting Kya to get selected.”

She did, along with 21 others from around the country.

Derek, wife Nicky and kids Kya and Zoe (11) are going to Wellington for what is sure to be a fantastic experience.

“It’s going to be a great weekend, with hopefully New Zealand winning,” said Derek, who came to New Zealand in 1994 and moved to Gisborne in 2006

“The next day Kya is playing for the Gisborne under-10 girls’ team in Palmerston North.

“She loves football and surfing and enjoys other sports, but her passion is football.”

Kya, who also plays cornet for the Gisborne Civic Brass Band, said she enjoyed watching basketball but football was “definitely my No.1 sport”

Her Central Federation u10 coach, Sam Parkin, said she was “a natural footballer, who “loves scoring goals”.

“She has two good feet and good ball control.

“This is my first season as coach of Kya but she is probably the under-10s top goalscorer in the past two season. Derek said if Kya achieved her goals of going to Stanford and representing the New Zealand women’s teams it would be 'well-deserved'.

“If she gets there it will be because she has worked hard.”