Katie Rood is a Footy Ferns international, making her debut last year against USA, who does her club thing these days for Juventus - yes, that Juventus - over in Italy after dominating in Aotearoa for several years before that. And she was good enough to have a little chat with TNC about it all!

Righto, so you're the only person in history to transfer from Glenfield Rovers to Juventus. Explain how you came to be playing at the biggest club in Italy straight outta the amateur stuff in Aotearoa.

It baffles me as much as it does the next person as to how this came about! I guess you could say the stars aligned perfectly for me. I knew that my next move was going to be to an overseas club, but I had no bearing on where or what that might look like. I was just adamant it was going to happen. Before I knew it, I had an agent messaging me about a potential playing opportunity for a club in Spain (which has always been my dream destination), and it was so close to eventuating but fell through at the last minute. Before I had time to contemplate why, the agent had come back asking if I wanted to have a trial at Juventus. Three days later I had quit my job, booked my ticket, packed my bags and I was off!

As well as signing with Juventus, you also debuted for the Footy Ferns last year (a pretty rewarding 2017!). What are your goals/aspirations for 2018?

2017 was a wild one for sure. I took a lot of big steps in the right direction and although it has taken my whole life to get to where I am, I can’t help but feel like this is just the start for me. My goals for this year are to make the most of this opportunity. I know I can’t be a professional footballer forever so I'm soaking it all in and using my time to improve both on and off the pitch. I'm striving for more playing time here and I hope to make my mark in the Football Ferns Squad and contribute to the success of that team. Aside from the football, I also just want to help spread good vibes, positivity and encourage people to do what they love and to appreciate just how precious life is.

This is the first season that Juventus have fielded a women's side, how have you seen that transition being embraced both by the existing club and the fans so far?

It’s been awesome so far. Juventus have been super supportive, although there are a lot of challenges for them also, as having a women's side is a new concept for the club. There is obviously a transition period that can be expected, and I think Juventus have handled it quite well. We have had a great turnout from the fans each week, all of them are really encouraging and genuine supporters. All the club, players and supporters are heading in the right direction and I think the women’s side of the club can expect to grow exponentially over the next decade.

And what about on a personal level, what's the transition been like settling into Italian life? What's been the most difficult thing to deal with and what's something that was surprisingly easy to adapt to?

It’s a long way from home for sure! I was ready to see what the world has to offer though and coming to Italy has been the challenge that I was seeking. The hardest thing for me has been the lack of game time. The squad is packed with quality international players and we have won every game so far. I’m not in a position to complain, I just have to keep my head down, work harder than ever and be ready for when an opportunity presents itself. Getting to train with these players each day is certainly helping me improve my game, so I’m confident this is the best place for me to be at this time in my career, even though consistent bench time isn’t ideal.

I've always thought that a European winter would ruin me, but I think I’ve adapted surprisingly well considering I’m from the winterless North! I was terrified of the cold before I left but I’ve figured out with the right gear there is nothing to fear! I even went for a run in the snow today, it was awesome.

Describe yourself as a footy player in a sentence or two. Strengths, weaknesses, attitude, etc.

My strengths as a player are my pace, my technique and my competitiveness. I love to dribble at players 1v1 and break in behind the defensive lines to get on the end of through balls. I need to improve on receiving the ball and retaining possession with my back to goal. Sometimes I’m too eager to go forward when there’s a better option back. My competitiveness drives me to push hard no matter what the circumstance.

Okay, now what's the one aspect in which you feel you've improved most as a footballer since joining Juve?

When I first arrived, it was hard for me to find my groove. I've come to realise a lot of it had to do with communication and understanding of a different culture and style of play. I've discovered that I relied a lot on my team mates back home and I have had to broaden my awareness so that I'm not as dependent on others to make a good play. I guess it comes down to being more present in the game and focused on what's important.

You were also one of the first graduates of the Football Ferns Development Programme to hit the professional ranks. How did you find the FFDP both in terms of player development and also as a pathway to the pros?

I’ve been in and around the Football Ferns scene for quite some time but had never really been valued by previous staff. The FFDP was a re-branding of what was previously set up with the additional bonus of getting to play competitive fixtures together each week. This worked perfectly for me because I had the opportunity to prove to them that I can compete and score goals regularly at a different level to the Northern Premier League and the National Women’s League. This also allowed me to get some good playing footage to send to potential interested clubs which helped a lot in securing the trial here. Training each day and often playing two games a week was also great preparation for the training load that would come with a full-time contract.

What changes would you make to FFDP and to the wider scope of women's footy in Aotearoa, from you perspective as a player?

I think the programme is great and has a lot of positives. The one thing that I do struggle with though, is that the players are drifting away from the club environments for the FFDP. There’s a lot of people within the women’s game that are committed to developing the leagues and the players within it, but when we continue to see the exodus of the better players to the high-performance environment, the quality of these leagues diminishes drastically. All the players considered for FFDP have gotten there thanks to the investments from their clubs and they are potentially the leaders and positive examples for the younger players at the club. I know that the senior players that I was lucky enough to play alongside had a massive bearing on the player and person I am today, and I’m not sure if others are now afforded the same fortune.

We also lose a lot of decent players to the American College System, which hinders the league too. I’m not sure on how to resolve this as there are a lot of factors to consider. One thing I would like to see though, is the Northern League reduced to 8 teams. Currently the talent is too spread, there aren’t enough good players for consistent competitive games. Take it down to three rounds of an 8-team league and suddenly every game counts and it’s more exciting for everyone involved. I would also love to see a team from NZ take part in the Australian W-League so that players can get more exposure there, and hopefully it’s not too much of a pipedream to someday have a semipro/pro league in NZ.

Any impressions of Andreas Heraf, the new Football Ferns manager? Seems he won over a fair few players on that tour to Thailand...

My first impression of Andreas is that he knows football. He has a very clear philosophy on how to win games and has managed to strip it right back to a very simple form. He’s a fun character to be around and the team has certainly warmed to him. I’m confident that with Andreas in charge, the Ferns will go further than they ever have before.

Keeping it 100%... is it fair to say the Ferns haven't quite lived up to hopes/expectations in the last couple major tournaments? What do you see going on that'll hopefully change that for the better come the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics?

It’s true. I think there has been a lot of frustration from people within the camp and the fans back home who are aware that this team has been consistently underachieving in the past few years. I think the recent changes are just what was needed. A fresh start and a new perspective. There also seems to have been a lot of progress recently between the Player’s Association and New Zealand Football, which is going to be a real game changer. I genuinely feel that this team is capable of something very special at the next two major tournaments. I’m determined to play a part in it all.

Let's talk dietary values to end this thing. You're a proud vegan... drop a few lines on how you believe that lifestyle has positively impacted your career as an athlete.

To put it simply – I would not be where I am today, had I not adopted a vegan lifestyle. My whole life I was told that I needed to eat animal flesh if I wanted to be an athlete. As an animal lover, I always struggled with this, but I figured, everyone else eats it so it must be okay. I guzzled back the milk and devoured the cheese like you wouldn’t believe, after all, these are healthy products, right? Packed with calcium and other important nutrients, this is the food every budding athlete needs! Or so we are told…

After opening my eyes to the horror that goes on behind the slaughterhouse walls and the tragic conditions we subject these innocent animals to, in all the industries that use them as commodities, I stopped on the spot. I finally realised I had a choice and that I could opt out of consuming the cruel practices of animal agriculture and invest my money in more compassionate industries.

As a proud Kiwi, when I discovered how the dairy industry was impacting the environment, I knew I had no choice but to stop contributing to the destruction of our beautiful country. I thought that I would suffer some nutrient deficiencies because of the change, but I was okay with that after witnessing the suffering. Prior to going vegan, I was constantly injured, every week I would have a new niggle and it would take me so long to recover. Within two weeks of this new lifestyle, I had kicked my cheese addiction and to my total surprise, I was feeling better than ever!

Recovery time was the biggest difference I noticed, I could work out harder, faster, longer and be good to go again the next day! My niggles disappeared, and I was able to play my first full season, since I could remember. This theme has continued until today and I have never, and will never, look back.

Going vegan opened my eyes to the stories we are led to believe as consumers. I can see that people are suffering, the animals suffer, and the environment is suffering. It simply doesn’t have to be like this anymore. We live in a world where we have access to so much nutritious, ethically sourced food. I would encourage anyone reading this to consider giving a plant-based lifestyle a go. There are so many health benefits and opting out of destructive industries leads to a more peaceful way of living. Isn’t that what every kid used to want? Peace on earth? Well, it starts by removing the death from our plates. Plus, I view it as a major competitive advantage on the field.

If you rate the things that The Niche Cache brings then you can support us by donating on Patreon or as simply as by smacking an ad on the page whenever you read something decent.