Hannah Wilkinson on home FIFA Women's World Cup: 'Biggest event New Zealand has hosted'
The 115-cap Football Ferns forward tells Olympics.com in an exclusive interview why she's so excited to get her fourth Women's World Cup tournament underway, and what it means for hosts New Zealand.
Football
New Zealand is known as a sporting country that punches well above the weight of its 5 million people. From cricket to rugby, Kiwi teams have shone on the world stage.
Now, it's the turn of football, as New Zealand prepares to co-host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup alongside Australia, from 20 July to 20 August – and Football Ferns forward Hannah Wilkinson believes it will surpass anything the country has hosted before – including World Cups in rugby and cricket.
"I don't doubt it," she told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview recently when asked if it was bigger than anything that had come before for the country. "It is the biggest event in the world for us. The last World Cup had record breaking views.
"It's just massive."
Football does not have as strong a footprint in the country as the other two sports, but Wilkinson is hopeful hosting this tournament will bring about a sea change.
"It's a global sport (but) it's not a sport that's really seen too much in New Zealand. We are rugby crazy and we are cricket crazy, but what I'd love to see after this World Cup is that we are a football-crazy country as well.
"I'd like to think that football will climb up there in the ranks with cricket and rugby."
What playing in a home FIFA Women's World Cup means to Hannah Wilkinson
Wilkinson is one of five members of the Football Ferns' 2023 Women's World Cup squad to have won over 100 international caps for New Zealand, having accumulated 115 appearances for her country prior to the tournament.
"A World Cup is the pinnacle event for any footballer, representing New Zealand as well, Aotearoa New Zealand, for me it's such an honour," she says. "Any time I get to wear the jersey, it's an honour."
But even for a veteran legend of the team, 2023 will be a new experience. For the first time in her career, she will be playing in a major tournament in front of home fans, and more importantly her loved ones, without anyone having to cross multiple time zones.
"I've got my family and friends and my partner able to watch me on home soil; they don't have to travel," Wilkinson affirms. "New Zealand, we're a team that usually has to travel so far, and so we end up with just a small group of fans.
"So for the parents, and the families, and the friends that were able to travel that far, for that long… now to be able to bring it all home and they can just come – a simple drive to the game – is so special, honestly."
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 growing women's sport in New Zealand
The three-time Olympian, who has also played in three FIFA Women's World Cups, believes the tournament is important for another reason: continuing to grow women's sport in New Zealand, a year after the country hosted both the Rugby World Cup for women and Women's Cricket World Cup.
"I think women's sport has really come a long way, but I think we still have some way to go.
"This is a real opportunity to show people that if you make women's sport accessible to viewers, people will want to watch it.
"That was shown in the women's Rugby World Cup final, Eden Park sold out. People want to watch women play sport. So this is going to be huge for women's football, of course, women's sport in general for sure."
Hannah Wilkinson on overcoming serious injuries to play in four World Cups
This year's Women's World Cup is special to Wilkinson more than just because it is a home tournament.
Four years ago, the Melbourne City attacker's hopes of playing in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup looked dead in the water after a serious ACL injury – although she somehow recovered in time to play in France.
"I really pushed my body to my limits to make that World Cup, and it was the most difficult period, physically and mentally," she recalls.
"Even after, not just that knee injury but the one before, I was still kind of getting used to my old ways of playing before. Because it does take a long time, physically you can come back and be okay but mentally it's hard to really come back and feel normal again.
"And now I'm back to that point."
Still just 31, this year's tournament will be Wilkinson's fourth having made her World Cup bow aged 19 at the 2011 edition in Germany.
"It's amazing, really, it truly is incredible," she says of having played at three Olympic Games and soon-to-be-four World Cups during her career, which outwardly shows no signs of slowing down. "I'm so grateful to have these opportunities always. Look, football has been my life's work; it's been my priority and what I've been working towards since I started kicking the ball at eight years old.
"To see that hard work pay off and really, you know, to be representing my country in that many major events is just massive. I'm just really grateful, especially going through so many injuries during my career as well, it's pretty special. And I'm really stoked that I didn't give up."
Were there times Wilkinson nearly called it quits and ended her career before now?
"I've come close to it. I think just with how difficult it can be and how frustrating it can be to be injured in the way that I got injured… I've been through some tough times," she admits.
"I've come close to questioning why I would put my body through this and what's the point? You have those dark thoughts, but you always remember why you started in the first place. The very reason is to represent New Zealand at the highest, on the world stage.
"And the fact that I've been able to do that is just truly remarkable."
World at their Feet
Meet top Olympic footballers to watch out for at FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Learn about their journeys to becoming professional players and the thrill of donning their national jerseys on the eve of the world’s pre-eminent football event.