Malia Steinmetz has been a key figure in the Football Ferns midfield. Photo / Getty Images
Malia Steinmetz has been a key figure in the Football Ferns midfield. Photo / Getty Images
Football Ferns midfielder Malia Steinmetz has a tattoo of the family kitchen on her back.
It’s a bit unusual - but then so are many things about the 24-year-old.
Steinmetz has Samoan heritage and is one of three Polynesian pioneers at this World Cup, among the first players of Pacificorigin to appear at the global showpiece.
She was an age group star, then disappeared off the scene for a while, even giving up the game for almost half a year, before rediscovering her passion during the extended Covid-19 lockdown.
A year after making her senior New Zealand debut, she worked as a checkout operator at an Auckland supermarket, which made her appreciate life in sport even more.
She is remarkably forthright, admitting that early on in her Ferns career she “sucked” and “didn’t really know how to play”.
By our standards, Steinmetz is also a special talent.
She’s young - and relatively inexperienced - but has rare composure on the ball in tight situations, able to link play superbly while also bringing physicality to the midfield role. It’s quite a combination - but let’s start with that tattoo.
“Yeah, I’ve got my kitchen on my back,” a smiling Steinmetz tells the Herald. “It’s my family kitchen. No one liked it until they saw it - now everyone loves it. It’s a really nice piece.”
Steinmetz estimates she has 17 tattoos.
“There’s a few weird ones,” says Steinmetz, pointing to her forearm. “This was just a guy that I really like and he doodles. So I got it on my arm.”
But most are meaningful. One of her first was when she was 19, playing club football in Australia, and Ferns teammates Anna Leat and Liz Anton came to visit. The trio decided to get matching ink - “as you do” - and all have Venn diagrams on back of their necks.
There’s one of the lemon tree from Steinmetz’s grandmother’s house - “it’s dead now” - while the most significant is the Samoan Tatau she got with her mother last August.
“It was done the traditional way,” says Steinmetz. “It was really special.”
Most people are squeamish about needles, but Steinmetz doesn’t claim a higher pain tolerance.
“There’s nothing harder than playing in a game so a needle to the skin feels fine,” says Steinmetz.
Steinmetz in action against the Philippines. Photo / Getty Images
Steinmetz grew up in Ōnehunga, kicking a ball around from the age of 5. She played for Three Kings and was later a standout for Mt Albert Grammar School, representing her country at age group level, including captaining the Under-20s.
She was part of the Ferns environment by 2017 but struggled.
“When I first came in, I didn’t know how to play,” admits Steinmetz. “It felt like that. Like I could play, but I sucked. I already had low confidence when I first came in and if you have no confidence, you’re not going to play the way you know you can play. It took a few years.”
Steinmetz’s journey of discovery included understanding and embracing her cultural heritage, after trying to be someone she wasn’t in the early days.
“Mentally I’ve just been able to figure out who I am and what I want, which has been my biggest thing, just my mental game,” says Steinmetz. “And it’s rolled into my playing game now, which is nice.”
Running parallel were periods away from the sport, which reawakened her love for football.
In 2018, after being part of several Ferns squads, she ditched football for almost six months. She was busy at university in Auckland and took a job at Farro Fresh.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” says Steinmetz. “I stopped playing completely. I’d said no to National League, which was the first time ever. I was just working fulltime and I hated it, though the people were nice. It was good learning. I reckon that is why I enjoy football so much these days because I missed it. I’ve seen the real world.”
Another critical turning point came during the Covid pandemic. Steinmetz had gone to Sydney to play for state league club Northern Tigers, then came home when the borders closed, back to the sleepout at her parents’ place. She later returned to Australia, then went through another extended lockdown.
Steinmetz impressed in the Football Ferns' opener against Norway. Photo / Photosport
“It was quite pivotal,” says Steinmetz. “I realised how much I wanted this to be my life. Covid kind of reset my mind because I was stuck at home.
“I said, ‘What am I going to do?’, ‘Who am I?’ - all of those big life questions. And I remember saying I just really want to play for the Ferns. That’s my biggest goal. I said I would do whatever I can to do that and then at least I’ll have no regrets. Because I had a lot of regrets about not pursuing it that year I had off. So I hated Covid but it set me on course.”
Her step from amateur to semi-professional, first with the Perth Glory (2020-21 season) and then the Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League, was vital. She was called up by coach Jitka Klimková in September 2021, coming off the bench against South Korea for her first Ferns appearance in more than three years.
It took a while for Steinmetz to establish herself among a logjam of midfielders but she has started in 11 of the last 12 matches she has been available for, including an outstanding performance in the 1-0 win over Norway at Eden Park, as she anchored the midfield alongside Ria Percival.
She wasn’t as convincing in a disjointed team display during the defeat to the Philippines in Wellington but will have a chance to atone on Sunday against Switzerland in Dunedin, in the biggest match in Ferns history.
“You can rely on your teammates to get through what’s going on because you’re not the only one that’s feeling that pressure,” says Steinmetz of walking out on home soil. “It’s a privilege though, that we get to be in the situation, and so you may as well be happy and just sit with it.”
