2025 Women’s National League – Team of the Season
Both the Women’s and Men’s National Leagues were wide open in their latter weeks only for the defending champs to swoop through and win it again. Funny how that goes. In this case, it was Auckland United making it a three-peat after beating Eastern Suburbs 1-0 in a closely-fought grand final. Fair play to AUFC, they scored most of their goals in early wins against weaker teams but that elite defensive unit of theirs allowed them to keep grinding out results, along with a few new faces helping to drive the standards. That’s what we like to see. AUFC were also more than respectable at the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, only losing 1-0 via a late goal against Wuhan Jiangda, the reigning Asian Champions League victors who’d beaten Melbourne City in that final.
Auckland United were the team that best knew how to handle the biggest moments... but Eastern Suburbs ran them as close as they could. The Lilywhites also boasted an amazing defence which only conceded four goals in their final eight games, including the final. A little more luck and that might have been their title instead. Then there’s Wellington United who only missed out on the top two by a single point yet actually beat both Auckland United and Eastern Suburbs during the season. The Diamonds scored a whopping 39 goals in nine games and boasted the League MVP.
West Coast Rangers continued their year to year improvements with a very sturdy campaign, left to rue a controversial penalty that went against them in a 1-0 defeat to AUFC as well as the 0-0 draw with Suburbs in which they got a red card. Didn’t quite have enough in the tank... though they proved themselves as competitive as anyone. This was probably the strongest top four this competition has even known. And Southern United weren’t too shabby in fifth either – their problem, aside from not being able to keep their top scorer fit, was that they lost all four meetings against the Auckland sides. Unbeaten against everyone else though.
Western Springs were in it to win it until they weren’t. Kinda fell off a cliff in the second half of the term once their fixtures toughened up, so it goes. It was a mixed bag for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves with national age teams hogging their players, leading to some wobbly results, although they still managed to introduce a few fantastic kiwi footballing prospects. The less said the better about a very subpar Canterbury United team, way below the levels we used to expect from them, however they did at least finish with a flurry by winning their last couple matches. Petone peaked in week one with a smash-and-grab victory against West Coast Rangers and after that it was committed defence but insufficiencies everywhere else as a young squad got to grips with the National League stage. They’ll be better for it. And in our prayers we ask the same for a Central Football side that was set up to fail from the outset with a squad so young they made the WeeNix look like seasoned veterans. They’re the only team that didn’t get any representatives across these three teams, no need to dwell on that.
Same yarns as usual. The teams are picked in a tiered system with a First Eleven, Second Eleven, and Third Eleven. All the selections are based on the author’s sole opinion... but it’s an opinion formed by having watched and written about every single game throughout the season so hopefully that counts for something. It’s all about recognising and acknowledging the best footballers from the greatest league on the planet, nothing too serious, no need to complain about who missed out. But fire back with your own teams if you’ve got them because it’s all good fun and the National League needs that passionate support. Deserves it, even. Now to lift the curtain on 2025’s finest.
FIRST ELEVEN
GK – Hannah Mitchell (Auckland United)
Goalkeepers can be tricky to pick with these things because the best ones often don’t actually have that much to do. That was certainly the case for Hannah Mitchell, the American in her second year with AUFC. But she came up big when she was needed – including in the narrow grand final victory. Kept six clean sheets from nine outings. Really good in the FIFA Women's Champions Cup match against Wuhan Jiangda too, although that doesn’t come into this consideration. Plus there’s more that goes into being a goalie than just making the saves. Mitchell is a strong voice at the back and comfortable in build-up play with good distribution. She makes her team better by being there. Blair Currie might have had a nudge at this spot if she’d played more and our Second Eleven pick was right up there too but nah Mitchell retains her title as the National League’s top glovewoman.
RB – Talisha Green (Auckland United)
Long Throw Talisha is also Slide Tackle Talisha and Only Scores Bangers Talisha and Lifts Every Trophy Talisha. Get the signs ready for next season (assuming she’s back with AUFC – coach Ben Bate has left the club and the last time he did that, Green was one of the several players to follow him from Northern Rovers to Auckland Utd). We know what a good tackler she is at right-back and she also chipped in with goals in tough wins against Western Springs and Southern United. One of those players who leads by example with her attitude and application. You can’t go wrong with someone like Talisha Green in your squad.
CB – Laney Strachan (West Coast Rangers)
Once part of the legendary NZ U17s squad that finished third at their World Cup, Laney Strachan (pronounced: “strawn”) has seen a bunch of her teammates from that tournament move upwards into the Football Ferns and the professional ranks while she sorta just faded into the domestic scene, bouncing around a few clubs (most notably a stint with Eastern Suburbs), with injuries being a major factor there. But she popped up with WCR at the start of the year, reuniting with her old Glenfield coach Andy Clay, and quickly reminded everyone of her pedigree with consistently commanding performances for the NRFL Prem champs. Supremely good in the air. Great long passing. A vocal leader at the back. The kind of defender that no striker enjoys coming up against... her and Tessa Huntington started every single game together during the Nats, conceding less than a goal per game.
CB – Rebekah Van Dort (Eastern Suburbs)
Lilywhites legend back after a wee stint in Canada and Australia (most recently with Essenden Royals in Melbourne). She missed the very start of the season, including a 3-2 loss against Wellington United... but as soon as she arrived this team went to another level. They only conceded four goals in the eight games that RVD played and that included two outings against Auckland United. RVD was a woman on a mission. Really fit and aggressive, reads the play like she wrote it herself, deep range of passing too. A leader by example along with her attitude and experience.
LB – Hannah Mackay-Wright (Southern United)
She’s not a fullback but in a back-and-forth between her and Kenya Brooke... HMW was just a little more deserving. She began the season with a hiss and a roar, scoring twice from the penalty spot in a win over the WeeNix, and kept the good stuff going from there. Half her games were with Kelsey Kennard as her CB partner, the other half with American import Mackenzie Rastatter. No stress for Mackay-Wright. She’s a front-foot defender who’s never shy to turn a tackle into a progressive carry, winning the ball and then just carrying onwards from there. Set piece threat. Suffocating 1v1 defender. Great in the air. All the usual things that get said about HMW every year. Even though Southern fell short by losing all four games against the Aucklanders, the only time their defence was found wanting was in the only game that HMW didn’t play (losing 7-0 to Western Springs in the last round in a dead rubber).
CM – Amelia Abbott (Wellington United)
We’ve coincidentally ended up with four players from that 2019 U17 Bronze Squad in this First Eleven (plus another in the Seconds). Back at that tournament in Uruguay, many would have predicted Nelson product Amelia Abbott to have one of the finest careers from that crew. Wonderful defensive midfielder. It hasn’t quite happened that way though, spending four years in the USA getting minimal game time at college before signing with the Wellington Phoenix where she only played 40 minutes across four sub apps before being released at the end of last season. Okay, that can happen. But how do you respond? Since then Abbott helped revive Waterside Karori after a poor start and then linked up with Wellington United for the Nats where she showed all the ability that her early career suggested. Reads the game superbly, doesn’t turn the ball over, always in the right position, plus she even scored a couple of goals – including an outrageous long range winner against eventual champs Auckland United.
CM – Chloe Knott (Auckland United)
This one shouldn’t need much explaining, Chloe Knott has long been one of the country’s finest domestic players. The only reason she’s not still playing for the Wellington Phoenix is because she made that decision herself. The only reason she hasn’t played for New Zealand is because the citizenship timing was wonky. Knott is a perennial MVP candidate. Somehow she manages to be both a workhorse and a magician for AUFC, contributing heavily to an almost impenetrable defence whilst also scoring four goals and assisting another five this campaign. In less than two years she’s managed to win every major trophy with this club. What more can you say?
CM – Kiara Bercelli (Auckland United)
Fresh back in Aotearoa after a few years playing professionally in Italy – including seven games in Serie A with Sampdoria where she played against the likes of Inter Milan and Roma. The NZ U20s rep was one of a few players who joined the Auckland United cause ahead of the FIFA Champions Cup... except that Bercelli stuck around the whole way. Appeared in all ten games, occasionally on the wing though usually as an attacking midfielder. Scored four goals including one remarkable free kick against Petone. Huge energy. You want to see players returning from professional spots with a chip on their shoulder, trying to prove why they deserve another crack. Well, Kiara Bercelli rocked up at the best team and quickly made herself a key player.
FW – Summer Laskey (Wellington United)
In any other team, an import winger scoring 12 goals (with two assists for good measure) would be headline stuff. The Californian hit the net in six of her nine matches, tearing it up on the left wing... yet it just so happens that she played on the same team as Maggie Jenkins who claimed an even bigger haul. Even when Laskey scored her hat-trick against Central, it was overshadowed by Jenkins scoring six. But you know what? There’s room for both of them. Laskey’s vertical threat kept opposition defences stretched, allowing more room for Maggie Jenkins (and also Hannah Pilley and Natalie Olson) to do their own things. Very much a multi-headed beast that we’re talking about here – they’re Diamonds plural, not just Diamond singular. That sheer volume of goals from Laskey is proof of her influence, making her the second-top scorer in the competition.
FW – Maddison Ollington (Western Springs)
The former Hamilton Wanderers player had an outstanding campaign with Ellerslie during the winter, albeit not quite enough to haul them into the top four. So what did she do? She popped up at Western Springs and scored a superb double in a thrilling 5-4 win against Wellington Utd in week one and then kept that going to finish with 11 goals and 8 assists. Sometimes a striker, sometimes an attacking mid. Always a handful for any opponent. With her dynamic movement combined with some emphatic finishing she found the net in six of her eight appearances and at times seemed to carry the Swans attack almost single-handedly (and other times double-handedly alongside Britney Cunningham-Lee) – not too shabby for someone who didn’t even play for this team until the WNL portion.
FW – Maggie Jenkins (Wellington United)
The Most Valuable Player in the National League and let it be known that the decision was unanimous. Jenkins had a really nice year in Turkey last season, doing enough to warrant some smokey Footy Ferns buzz (although a call-up didn’t arise, meaning she’s still waiting to add to the cap she earned way back in 2017 as a teenager). That was her first year as a pro coming out of USA college but, regardless, a player of that calibre should at least be landing in the A-League or something. She didn’t, instead picking up with her old mates at Wellington United... and National League defenders across the country were made to suffer for that decision. Jenkins was incredible. The raw numbers are enough to warrant MVP status with 15 goals (league leader) and 8 assists (equal league leader), giving her 23 goal contributions alone which was more than half the other teams. Then you watch the games and see how she was holding the ball up, dropping in for touches, spinning out of challenges, threading her wingers into space, winning fouls, and so much more. All of the players in this First Eleven, and many of those below it, are capable of holding their own in a professional environment but Maggie Jenkins would be a no doubter.
SECOND ELEVEN
GK – Corina Brown (Eastern Suburbs)
The one they call Currie. Spent the winter as a player-coach up in Whangarei but popped back down to Eastern Suburbs for the WNL where she was a key figure within a dominant defence that took the Lilywhites all the way to the final. Very good shot-stopper though it was her ability stepping out of her area, playing with the ball at her feet, and doing those sweet modern goalkeeper things that boosted her up into this level of recognition. Only Mitchell (6) kept more clean sheets than Brown (5).
RB - Freya Des Fountain (Wellington Phoenix)
The WeeNix had a disjointed season due to NZ U19s and U17s squads hoovering up their players at various times and that tended to be expressed defensively most often – conceding multiple times in all but two games (they also scored in every game). Freya Des Fountain, who played once off the bench for Southern United last year before moving up to join the Nix Academy, was a bright spark within that disjointedness. She scored against her old team in week one, helped keep a clean sheet in week two, then jetted off to the U17 World Cup for three weeks, before returning to pick up where she left off. Used on the right edge of a back three, FDF’s athleticism and technical ability allowed her to step up and progress the ball as well as showing off some handy defensive scrappiness too. Holly Robins didn’t make this team but has a similar skill set herself. That’s what we like to see. Here’s FDF getting around the edge and setting up an own goal…
CB – Tessa Huntington (West Coast Rangers)
And now for the other WCR centre-back, who also played every single game and also bought perfectly into the team’s physical approach. Huntington’s height certainly helped but she’s even better with ground challenges than she is in the air. It’s been a couple years since we last saw her on this stage (back when she was still Tessa Berger) but there’s been no drop-off, if anything it’s the opposite. Perfect fit for her in a team like this and the result was magnifique.
CB – Alaina Granger (Auckland United)
Mostly a back-up in previous years of Auckland United dynastic activities but with Chelsea Elliott having moved on and Greer Macintosh only making two appearances in the National League phase, Alaina Granger was elevated into a key role and, well, she was brilliant. Really smooth, reliable central defender. Always in the right place. Never flustered. Quality on the ball too... Granger started every single game for a team that conceded three goals in ten matches. In a squad as stacked as this, Granger won Player of the Year at the club awards which tells you all you need to know about the regard in which she’s held there.
LB – Kenya Brooke (Eastern Suburbs)
Best long throws in the game, mate. Followed closely by her teammate TJ Anderson. Those hurlers into the box led to a fair few goals for Eastern Suburbs and Brooke also scored a couple herself thanks to her long shooting ability. Add in her dependable, physically imposing defensive mahi whether at left-back or on the left edge of a back three (she alternated between both with ease) and here we are. Just a bummer that she was injured for the grand final otherwise maybe that cross for Zoe Benson’s winning goal might not have happened.
CM – Marissa Porteous (West Coast Rangers)
The heartbeat of WCR. Back playing in the midfield this year, where she’s most effective, covering every blade of grass and setting the tone for the tough, intense footy that Rangers prefer to play. Also for someone who’s pretty short... she’s also one heck of a set piece threat, scoring twice with headers. Sienna Higinbotham and AJ Ujdur were very good alongside her but Porteous is the one who makes that team tick. You could see that by how their two worst results (losing 1-0 to Petone in the first game and drawing 2-2 with the WeeNix in the last game) came in the two matches she missed. Without her red card in the scoreless draw against Eastern Suburbs, she might have been in First Eleven contention.
CM – TJ Anderson (Eastern Suburbs)
The other long throw machine in the Lilywhites side and every bit as dangerous with them as Kenya Brooke. TJA has been a quiet revelation in the midfield since joining the club in July. Put in plenty of work without the ball and chipped in with two goals and three assists with it. Her winning goal against Western Springs was one of the crucial moments in ESAFC’s campaign. The American started all ten matches, forming a wonderful partnership with Stacey Martin (who also started every game)... although if you want to catch her next year you’ll have to move to Brisbane because she’s signed with Peninsula Power.
CM – Amber De Wit (Wellington Phoenix)
Freya Des Fountain already got her shoutout, and there’s another WeeNixer in the Third Eleven but this girl right here was their best player. She’d already excelled during the run to the Kate Sheppard Cup final and for the NZ U19s at the Oceania Championships, then once she got back from the latter she carried it all forward into the National League. Equally adept as a ten or an eight, her slick ball retention and smart eye for a pass ensured that the WeeNix always had a goal threat in them – Wellington United was the only other club to score in every game. The only shame is that ADW is now leaving the club to go play college ball in the USA.
FW – Victoria Neuefeind (Eastern Suburbs)
Very unlucky to miss First Eleven selection, ESAFC’s German import has one of the heaviest left boots you’ll see (reminiscent of when Charlotte Lancaster was playing there). She absolutely thumps those shots... which helped give Suburbs some serious range. Already mentioned the long throws but having someone like VN who also scored goals from distance and could whip in those excellent early crosses gave them even more variety. Five goals and four assists. Plenty of dynamic action. She was brilliant.
FW – Britney Cunningham-Lee (Western Springs)
After playing for Katie Duncan at Eastern Suburbs last season, BCL followed her to Western Springs for another National League campaign (she plays her winter footy with Franklin United down a division) where once again she was dominated the nation’s premier defenders. Kinda played second fiddle to Maddi Ollington but that’s still one heck of a duet. Sometimes used up front, sometimes as left wing-back, BCL’s barnstorming runs and thumping finishes led to eight goals and four assists, including a five-for against Central.
FW – Emily Lyon (West Coast Rangers)
Missed the first two games while she was away with the NZ U19s winning Golden Boot at the Oceania Championships and that meant we got a look at Rangers both with and without her. The difference was stark. Lyon’s still a teenager but she’s tall and strong and offers a focal point in attack. Works hard off the ball and brings others into the play. Three goals and one assist don’t do her justice for the way she anchored that WCR attack... plus she’s got a bit of that mongrel spirit about her too. Truly one of Aotearoa’s most exciting emerging players right now.
THIRD ELEVEN
GK – Lauren Paterson (Southern United)
This was one of the toughest spots to pick. Lauren Paterson has emerged in the last couple years as one of the most dependable keepers going around, a really nice shot-stopper who works extremely hard at her game. Held the fort behind a Southern backline that had quite a few changes through the term and yet never conceded more than once in a game except against the Auckland clubs. And when, already eliminated, they wet the bed to allow seven against Western Springs in a dead rubber... well, that was arguably Paterson’s best performance. Could have been double that without her efforts. Actually, second best performance because she was unreal in the 1-1 draw with Wellington Utd earlier in the season. But for the record, Sophie Campbell (West Coast Rangers), Angelique TuiSamoa (Western Springs), and especially Aiofe Gallagher-Forbes (Petone) all put up a real battle for this selection.
RB – Maisy McDonald (Wellington Phoenix)
There were a couple games early on where the Nix played McDonald in the back three and those didn’t go very well. There were also a bunch of games where she played wing-back and it was those performances that have gotten her picked here... and made her into one of the most exciting prospects in the academy. Awesome mobility up those edges, capable of playing on either side too. Not only does she whip in a magnificent cross... she also gets stuck in defensively, scrapping away against far more experienced players. Two goals and three assists are pretty crazy numbers for a wide defender in a bottom half team. MM moved up from Southland last year – meaning all three WeeNixers in these selections are from the South Island.
CB – Caelin Patterson (Petone)
Couldn’t quite make room for Aoife Gallagher-Forbes but we’ve still got one Petone player in here. Caelin Patterson is the inspirational leader for this lot, a reliably superb central defender with several National League stints under her belt. Although Petone struggled in their first year of National League, they tended to put in some solid shifts. They hung about in games and didn’t concede that many early goals. Marie Green has some sweet performances alongside her but yeah Caelin Patterson was the gem there. Wonderful defender, reads the game so well. The one match that she missed, they suffered by far their worst defeat losing 7-0 to Welly United (Petone otherwise never lost by more than three goals).
CB – Yukino Nishizono (Eastern Suburbs)
The quality of that Suburbs defence has already been discussed in entries for Van Dort, Brooke, and Brown... but here’s another one. Can’t forget Yuki. Effortlessly capable of moving between a back three and a back four. Has both a short passing game and a long passing game. Understands the play flawlessly. Started every single game. What more could you ask for?
LB – Sarah Alder (Wellington United)
It took a little while for the Diamonds to settle on a back four that worked and you can make a solid case that it was bringing Sarah Alder in at left-back that flicked the switch (that happened in week three when they beat future finalists Eastern Suburbs 3-2). Alder brought up 200 games for the club during these Nats and that kinda experience always helps. So does having someone who scores free kicks and possesses a very accurate long ball in a team stacked with runners in the frontline. Get this: Alder made six starts at left-back and the Diamonds won all of them, including against Auckland United in the last round. She missed one game, played off the bench in another, and had one start at CB. They didn’t win any of those.
CM – Yume Harashima (Auckland United)
First Eleven talent, no doubt about that, it’s just that in a team like Auckland United even a premier defensive midfielder like Yume Harashima can get crowded out. Little bit quieter this season but don’t take her for granted. You’d need to go a long way to find a midfielder who is so constantly in the right place at the right time. It’s pretty notable that AU’s only defeat (their only defeat for over two years in this competition) came without Harashima in the line-up.
CM – Rose Morton (Southern United)
Dunno that this one even really needs much of a blurb. Rose Morton does this every single year, she’s an outstanding defensive midfielder who never goes missing. Plays with a smile yet isn’t afraid to get rugged with those tackles. The team around her wasn’t as stable this year, injuries to Amy Hislop up top being a factor in that as all four of their defeats came in scoreless fashion against the four Auckland qualifiers. But they also had four big wins and a draw vs Wellington Utd and this website will never overlook Rose Morton’s mahi.
CM – Kate Loye (Canterbury United)
The only Canterbury United player to make the cut after what was probably that team’s worst ever National League effort... although they did at least finish strongly with wins against Petone and Central (11-0 aggregate). They had some good contributors in there. Lily Fisher was a shout in defence, Frankie Morrow as a midfielder/forward. Margi Dias too. But Kate Loye, once again, was their most valuable performer. Only played six games but there was a massive difference when she was there versus when she wasn’t - they conceded 19 goals in those three without her calming midfield presence.
FW – Zoe Benson (Auckland United)
Things have evolved rapidly for Zoe Benson. She was Player of the Day in the grand final on the back of her winning goal, then straight away switched to the Wellington Phoenix on a scholarship contract where she’s already made a couple of A-League appearances off the bench. But just know that the foundations for that elevation were laid over multiple years of exciting creativity on the left wing at National League (and NZ age grade) level. After missing the first game due to NZ U19s duty, Benson scored inside of a minute of her first WNL appearance for Auckland United – having joined earlier in the year after topping the WNL assist charts for Eastern Suburbs the previous two years – and finished with five goals and two assists. AUFC may have made it a three-peat but they weren’t always a sizzling attacking force. Take out games against the bottom four clubs and they only scored seven goals in six matches. But Benson never misfired. She was consistently effective every single week and that’s what’s earned her that professional opportunity.
FW – Natalie Olson (Wellington United)
After scoring 38 goals in 19 games across the Central League and Kate Sheppard Cup, expectations were high for what Nat Olson might do in the National League. As it happens, the additions of Maggie Jenkins and Summer Laskey shifted the focus away from Olson... and yet even as the third most threatening force in that front three she still scored five goals with five assists. Gotta love that selfless willingness to adapt her role like that. She made great runs. She combined nicely with those around her. And she also made an international debut, cashing in on that dual-eligibility to feature for Thailand as they finished third in the Southeast Asian Games. Didn’t quite get to that half-century but 43 goals in 28 matches for Wellington United this year is unreal stuff... can’t complain, can’t complain.
FW – Ruby Nathan (Eastern Suburbs)
Finally let’s get one more capped Football Ferns player in there. Ruby Nathan came to the attention by setting up buckets of goals for Auckland United which led to a few years in the A-League with Canberra United, which in turn led to some Fernies appearances. Lots of opportunities already for someone who only turned 20yo in October... and many of them, especially with the national team, seeming to be more about nurturing her potential than reflecting the level she was actually at. She didn’t get re-signed by Canberra this season so she signed with Eastern Suburbs, seeking to show the progress she’s made and maybe get back into the pro stuff sooner rather than later. And you know what? After a few early games where she looked to be snatching at chances, feeling the pressure of expectation a little bit, she soon found her rhythm and ended up with five goals and three assists. Good production but it was the way that ball stuck to her feet, the way she held it up and made clever decisions, that stood out the most. That’s not potential, that’s a well-rounded player ready for whatever comes next.
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