Rotorua footballer Rio-bound

Former Rotorua United player Paige Satchell is off to the Olympics. Photo / Enzo Giordani

A former Rotorua player has been named a travelling reserve for the New Zealand women's football side for the Rio Olympic Games.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee announced the squad at a special assembly at Avondale College in Auckland today.

Paige Satchell, a former John Paul College student and Rotorua United winger, is one of four travelling reserves named along with an 18-strong playing squad.

Satchell, 18, joined Auckland side Three Kings United last year after moving north to further her football career and was first selected for the New Zealand side for pre-Olympic fixtures last month.

The New Zealand Women's Team, ranked No. 17 on the FIFA World Rankings, will face the defending Olympic Champions USA, Colombia (No.24) and France (No.3) when their campaign begins on August 3 in Belo Horizonte.

"This will be my third Olympic Games, along with some of the players, and this has definitely been the toughest squad to choose," said coach Tony Readings.

"There have been some players who have been very unfortunate to miss out and that just shows the depth of our squad."

Seven players in the squad - captain Abby Erceg, Anna Green, Amber Hearn, Ria Percival, Kirsty Yallop, Katie Duncan and Ali Riley - travel to Brazil for their third Olympic Games.

Readings said experience was the one of the most important factors when it comes to big tournaments. His team has done a lot of research on what leads to success at major events and the common trend is the teams with age and experience.

"Having girls who have been to three Olympic Games and to numerous age-group world events means they have been there and done it before," he said.

"That experience will be a key factor when we get to the Olympics, no doubt."

Meanwhile at the other end of the experience spectrum, two of the New Zealand Women's team in Jasmine Pereira and Meikayla Moore are heading to the Olympics for the first time. Meanwhile, all of the travelling reserves - Catherine Bott, Daisy Cleverley, Satchell and Victoria Esson - are all heading to Rio and hoping to play in their first Olympic Games.

"The good thing about young players is they play with no fear and they fully express themselves which will be important for us at this tournament," said Readings.

The New Zealand Women's Football team will look to better their quarter-final appearance at the 2012 London Olympic Games and contend for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games.