Ford Football Fern #191 Jacqui Hand grew up about 30 minutes from Eden Park (Auckland traffic permitting). But these days (favourable travel itinerary permitting), she plays for a team about 30 hours and over 17,000 km away from the iconic venue for the Ferns’ World Cup opener: Åland United, which plays in the Finnish Kansallinen Liiga.

Finland is probably the least common Scandinavian port of call for our Ferns. While former Football Fern (#141) Emma Kete enjoyed success there, winning the Finnish League and Cup double in 2011 with PK-35 Vantaa, Norway, Sweden and Denmark are more regular destinations. CJ Bott, Vic Esson, Daisy Cleverley, Ally Green, Indiah-Paige Riley, Emma Rolston, Hannah Wilkinson and Ali Riley (just to name a few current Ferns) have all plied their trade in the region at some point in their careers.

The route to the Åland Islands, an autonomous territory of Finland (that speaks Swedish) is a slightly less trodden path taken by the former Colorado College kid. Why there?

“I’ve been asked that quite a lot,” Jacqui laughs.

“After college [towards the end of 2021] I was in England training with a team. It just so happened that through getting my passport and all of the paperwork, my agent said they’d got me a two-month deal in Finland. At that point there was a Ferns tour coming up, Jitka wanted me to get playing, and I wanted to be playing.

“So I said, ‘OK, it’s two months. if I hate it I hate it, if I love it I love it’.”

Turns out she loved it – and it loved her. So much so, the former Eastern Suburbs and AFF forward re-signed for Åland for a second year. She’s netted 14 goals for the club since, and is their top goalscorer this season.

Being in the right place at the right time for her career – which parallels with her goalscoring prowess.

“I love being forward and getting in goalscoring positions.

“I don't necessarily think about it and put too much pressure on myself. I focus on the game plan, which can obviously differ between club and national team. I just kind of try and do the absolute best I can and usually that results in goals!”

Having been “out of the scene for a little bit since age group,” Jacqui was perfectly placed to answer Jitka Klimková’s call for her first tour – a two game series against Olympic champions Canada, in Canada. Being at college in the United States, and the team being in the unusual scenario of not being able to call up New Zealand or Australia-based players due to COVID-19 border restrictions. After impressing in training, Jacqui duly made her debut against the Olympic champions. The experience ignited her hopes of being part of the home World Cup.

She’s the only player to have debuted in that tour and then make selection for the Ferns final World Cup squad.

“The goal was always to represent New Zealand as a Fern,” she says.

“I was just working as hard as I could being in America and getting my degree at the same time.

“When Jitka came in and picked me for that tour, making my debut was when I was like ‘this is looking really real for me now and kind of what I can build into.’”

“The rush of excitement that went through me, I don't even know how I reacted. I probably screamed! It was the best feeling ever. I was with my mum at the time – she definitely screamed.”

From Auckland to Colorado to England to the Åland Islands in order to get back to Auckland for July 2023. While Jacqui’s decision to play for a remote island-based club in her quest to represent her remote island country in the FIFA Women’s World Cup seemed a bit outside the box initially, it turns out she was exactly where she needed to be.

Article added: Thursday 06 July 2023