Football: Kiwis playing the global game

West Ham's Winston Reid is one of seven All Whites based in Europe. Photo / Getty Images

Have boots, will travel.

There are 40 New Zealand men signed to professional clubs overseas, as well a significant number at semi-professional outfits. They are spread across the globe, from France to Thailand, India to Sweden.

The All Whites squad named last week featured seven European-based players, and the Junior All Whites selected for a four-team tournament in Qatar include players drawn from Portugal, Japan and Italy. There has never been so many Kiwi footballers playing professionally around the world. It wasn't long ago that an overseas contract meant automatic All Whites inclusion.

Until the 1980s, New Zealand was generally an importer of football talent. Many of the 1982 World Cup squad were British-born and raised, and had learned the game in the UK. More than two-thirds (16) were drawn from New Zealand's National League, with another six based in Australia.

Fast forward to 1999, and 14 of Ken Dugdale's squad at the Confederations Cup played in Australia or New Zealand. Others were drawn from the third tier of German football, the Belgian second division and Norway. Ryan Nelsen was selected while at Greensboro College and Scott Smith, the only British-based player, was with a non-league English team. How things have changed.

Former All Whites manager Brian Turner was a trailblazer. Although born in England, he grew up in New Zealand. He played for Brentford during 1970-72 and had stints at Chelsea and Portsmouth before that.

The six-week trial at Chelsea was set up by Ken Armstrong, at the time Chelsea's most capped player. Turner, not long out of Mt Roskill Grammar, was surrounded by greats such as Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke and Alan Hudson (father of new All Whites coach Anthony) in the Stamford Bridge dressing room.

"I was star struck but everyone was extremely welcoming," said Turner. "They nicknamed me 'Kiwi' straight away."

Turner spent a year at Chelsea - earning 15 a week, more than his landlord, who was the manager of a Vauxhall car factory - but made only one first team appearance, in a testimonial match. He played four games for second division Portsmouth but had most success at Brentford, with 92 appearances and seven goals in two-and-a-half years.

England was the main destination for aspiring Kiwi footballers in the 1980s, although Wynton Rufer blazed his own trail in Switzerland, Germany and Japan. More European opportunities came about in the 1990s and the influence of former All Whites coach Bobby Clark pre-empted an influx to US football, with the likes of Nelsen and Simon Elliott heading to US colleges and the MLS.

"The landscape has completely changed," football historian Barry Smith said. "Thanks to modern communications, players can be scouted from anywhere and agents look everywhere."

"There are so many going overseas, it can be hard to keep track of them all," said fellow football historian Jeremy Ruane, who keeps tabs on his website ultimatesoccer.co.nz. "Last week, I was contacted about three more players heading to the United States."

Football academies in this country have built connections worldwide and players have been placed in France, Italy and Portugal, previously untapped destinations for the New Zealand game. There are also at least 60 players attending US universities.

On the women's side, the story is much the same. There are 10 New Zealand females at professional clubs, including Manchester City, Notts County and Chicago Red Stars.

Sarah Gregorius recently picked up a J-League deal and Ria Percival played for Frankfurt in the 2012 Uefa Women's Champions League final, a competition Rebecca Smith won at Wolfsburg in 2013.