Jacqui Hand in action against Norway. Photo / Photosport
When Jacqui Hand first got called up for the Football Ferns, she couldn’t quite believe her eyes.
Hand was sitting in her bedroom, in the University house she shared with fellow Colorado College students, when an email popped up on her screen.
She had been selected for the series against Canada in October 2021, which marked the first games of Jitka Klimkova’s tenure.
”I was at home with all my roommates when I got it,” Hand tells the Herald. “I ran over to tell my best friend - I was like, ‘holy shit - look at this’. This is amazing. And then I was like, “Okay I’m going to miss a few college games, but I think I can deal with that.”
Hand was an obvious talent - and had already represented her country at Under-17 and U-20 level - but hadn’t been in the Ferns picture up until then.
By her own admission she had fallen “off the scene a bit” after the age group representation.
But that email lit the spark - that has ultimately taken her to the Women’s World Cup, where she was one of the standouts in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Norway.
Back then Hand obviously knew the tournament was on the horizion, though it didn’t seem that realistic.
”It felt a little bit out of reach for sure,” said the 24-year-old. “But once I got that call up, I thought well, it’s definitely within reach now. I wanted to push towards that selection, even a year and a half out.”
It’s hard to remember such a rapid rise.
Heading into the tournament opener at Eden Park, Hand had only started eight matches for her country, with two of those against Vietnam and Italy just before the event.
But she looked like a veteran that night, coping with the occasion superbly. Aside from her pace and clever runs, what stood out was the vision and confidence, with neat touches and first-time passes that put teammates in space.
The goal epitomised her calmness; the ability to beat her marker, then deliver an inch-perfect cross at the right time to Hannah Wilkinson.
”Being one of the younger ones the confidence factor is always there,” said Hand. “I definitely struggled more with confidence in myself growing up and in the past two years I’ve grown so much in that. I’m feeling very confident in what we can do and what I can produce on the field.”
For that Canada series, Klimkova called up six uncapped players, along with two others who had three international matches between them.
None of the other seven hopefuls made the cut for the World Cup squad, let alone becoming a principal member of the 1st XI.
Hand is talented but her ascension is also a reward for persistence and dedication.
She graduated from Colorado College in December 2021 - with a business degree in economics - and could have enjoyed some downtime, after four years of study.
But she was determined to pursue a professional dream, heading to England where she trained with London City.
While she waited for her British passport to come through - so she could sign a deal - her agent called.
”He said he had a team in Finland looking for an attacking player - it’s a two-month contract,” said Hand.
It was left field, but Hand wanted to be playing - and Klimkova had been firm in that message - plus it wasn’t a major commitment.
”It sounded like a good opportunity and I thought, if it’s not for me, then it’s a short contract,” said Hand.
It was a life-changing decision. Hand has thrived at Aland United, enjoying both the football and the lifestyle on the remote Aland Island group, 160 kilometres off the coast of southern Finland.
There are challenges - especially taking overnight ferries for some matches on the mainland - but it’s been an adventure.
Hand is also naturally quietly spoken, so the reserved nature of Finns, who aren’t known for their small talk, hasn’t been a problem. It’s quiet and similar to New Zealand in many ways - “it’s a chill vibe” - apart from the national obsession with sauna.
”That was definitely something I was cultured into,” said Hand. “It was snowing and people were running into the lake and then back into the sauna. I was thinking ‘oh, what’s going on?’ But I’m used to it now and I love it. We even have a sauna in the locker room so you can have one whenever you like.”
Hand will be key against the Philippines on Tuesday (5.30pm), with her ability to conjure and create, in a free role alongside Wilkinson.
The Ferns arrived in Wellington on Monday afternoon, before a training session at Newtown Park.
Fullback Michaela Foster looks unlikely to be involved on Tuesday, as she had a leg heavily strapped and warmed up by herself, though Klimkova insisted “everybody is available”.
Though thrilled by the performance against Norway, Klimkova wants more against world No 46 The Philippines.
The Ferns will be heavy favourites but it won’t be straightforward, as the Asian side showed their potential against Switzerland in their first game.
”It’s an exciting time for everybody on the team,” said Klimkova. “It was a great performance in the first game but our focus is to raise the quality of our play, that’s our goal. to be consistent and even grow.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.