Football Ferns dream of gold

The New Zealand women's football side have the honour of opening the Olympic Games, but with a combined tally of 862 caps they are unlikely to be overawed.

The Football Ferns take on hosts Great Britain in Cardiff two days before the opening ceremony. They will go into that match with the most experienced New Zealand squad to play at a major tournament. It includes 10 players with 50 caps or more and 11 who went to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The captain is Rebecca Smith, who plays for VfL Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga, one of nine full-time professionals in the 18-strong squad named yesterday.

"We've been investing in a core group of players since 2006 and now we're much closer to the sort of experience that you need to do well at a pinnacle event," coach Tony Readings said.

"In terms of age, most players are yet to reach their peak but London could be the event when we really start to cash in on all that investment in international experience."

Readings has said their target is gold - "people might laugh but we would rather aim for that and not achieve it", he said - but they have a decent chance of at least progressing out of their group.

In addition to Great Britain, the Football Ferns will also take on Brazil and Cameroon. The top two sides from each group in the 12-team tournament, as well as the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.

One win is a minimum requirement and the final pool match against Cameroon on August 1 looks the best chance.

New Zealand have been in good form of late. They recently beat China in two games - the first time the Ferns had ever beaten the former superpower of women's football - and Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Australia snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Most of the Olympic squad went to last year's women's World Cup but former New Zealand women's cricket international Rebecca Rolls, who claims the second goalkeeper spot, and 19-year-old former Australian age-group representative Rebekah Stott have earned selection.

Striker Rosie White, the other teenager in the squad, has fought her way back from a stress fracture and is one of eight squad members aged 24 or under.

New Zealand squad: Goalkeepers: Jenny Bindon (Hibiscus Coast), Rebecca Rolls (Fencibles United); Defenders: Ria Percival (USV Jena, GER), Anna Green (Lokomotiv Leipzig, GER), Abby Erceg (Fencibles United), Rebecca Smith (captain, VfL Wolfsburg, GER), Ali Riley (Malmo, SWE), Kristy Hill (Eastern Suburbs), Rebekah Stott (Melbourne Victory, AUS); Midfielders: Katie Hoyle (Bad Neuenahr, GER), Hayley Moorwood (Chelsea, ENG), Kirsty Yallop (Vittsjo, SWE), Betsy Hassett (UC Berkeley, USA), Annalie Longo (Three Kings United); Forwards: Amber Hearn (USV Jena, GER), Sarah Gregorius (Bad Neuenahr, GER), Rosie White (UCLA, USA), Hannah Wilkinson (Glenfield Rovers).APNZ