Katie Bowen’s football career has taken her from sibling matches in the garage and Oratia United’s Parrs Park, through Anson Dorrance’s celebrated University of North Carolina programme, and onto the world stage for the Football Ferns. From when she was five years old, Bowen said she wanted to be a footballer. But she meant for her beloved Manchester United men’s team.

Her father played professional and her three older siblings were already involved, so picking up the sport was inevitable. Katie Bowen loved it from the start.

“I’ve always had a strong love for it. I’m a massive Manchester United supported so watching them, and my dad’s English so we loved the English national team. I’ve always loved the game, and even more so playing it. If I had any advice for a younger girl I would say definitely watch the game. Watching it has taught me so much”.

There was no women’s football for Bowen to watch, though. Her childhood idols were the Manchester United ‘Class of ‘92 which included the likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, and Eric Cantona.

“[Female role models] just weren’t very visible at all. Even when I went to America for college I had only sort of heard of Mia Hamm a couple of times and she’s one of the biggest names in the game. When I was a bit older probably Maia Jackman was the most visible player in New Zealand but there wasn’t much exposure. I didn’t know that they went to World Cups or anything like that.”

So when a young Bowen planned out the football career she was always determined to have, she didn’t really know what playing professionally would look like.

“It wasn’t that I’d see a woman do it and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to be like David Beckham,” she said. One pathway that was clearer was the American college system.

Bowen was in contact with the University of Portland and planning to sign there when an email came “out of the blue” from the University of North Carolina.

“I didn’t know who Anson [Dorrance] was, I didn’t know that UNC had won 21 National Championships before I got there. But my family and I did a bit of research and saw that this was the university. I went on a visit and signed immediately.”

By the time her talents took her to Chapel Hill, they had also already earned Bowen a spot in the Football Ferns at 17.

Coming into camp that young was daunting, but Bowen knew she couldn’t afford to be overwhelmed.

“I thought just play my game whatever happens, happens, just make sure I give it my all so I know that at the end of the day I didn’t hold anything back. The rest is history.”

Having consolidated her national team role, Katie Bowen took a lot from the North Carolina environment to the Football Ferns.

“It’s very competitive at UNC,” she said. “All of the top players are there, you can’t let your standards drop. I took the mentality of treating training like a game, don’t hold back, play as if it’s your last game because you never know what could happen.”

That same grit and determination has been a hallmark of the Football Ferns off the field too. When Bowen first came into the side, it was before social media so there was less exposure and in turn less resources and sponsoring.

Over the years, the Football Ferns have worked to gain equality, and last year signed a Collective Pay Agreement. Bowen credits her team mates like Sarah Gregorius, Kristy Hill, Abby Erceg and Jackman for their work in that space.

“They have driven the fact that we deserve more and they got that point across, with the pay agreement. There are people that have worked in New Zealand Football too who have seen the potential in the Ferns: that we deserve more. We can see where we’ve come from and where we can go.”

Bowen has also played her part and is passionate about earning equal treatment for her team-mates and fellow footballers. She currently plays professionally at Utah Royals in the National Women’s Soccer League, a club that she says sets a standard she hopes all teams will hold themselves to.

“Utah is the most professional environment I’ve ever been in or witnessed. We have an owner, Dell Loy Hansen who really wants to boost the women’s game-he believes in equal rights. The facilities are just incredible. You can’t really put it into words until you actually get there-the locker room, the stadium, how much they take care of our training pitch which is just our pitch. You’re treated as a professional. That’s how it should be in every league, in every national team. We shouldn’t have to fight for every little thing. Then all we have to worry about is our job, which is to play well, instead of having to fight battles off the field which can drain energy. Those little things make a world of difference. At Utah they’re ticking all the boxes and I hope other clubs, other national teams follow in their footsteps.”

Her passion for equality, and that of her team mates, has turned them into role models for young people on and off a football pitch.

“You can use it in any environment. If someone plays a different sport and they see a Fern fighting for equal rights, or the right equipment, or if you don’t play sport and you’re in an office environment-it gives others courage. It’s ‘if they can do it, I can do it’.”  

Katie Bowen is aware of the legacy her and her team mates are leaving behind. She had to imagine playing for the Manchester United men’s team, but now she hopes that her work, and measures like Girls and Women’s Week, mean that is no longer the case. She is proud of what the Football Ferns represent-determination and their pursuit of positive change-and Bowen hopes to pass that on to the Ferns to come.

“There’s just something about playing for New Zealand that’s very special. It’s cool being a kiwi in America because people see us as a small but inspiring country, especially with the likes of Abby winning Defender of the Year. It speaks volumes to what we can produce and I hope it means that a 13 year old girl believes it is in within reach. The path that we’re walking on is a great one and the legacy we’re leaving is awesome, too. I hope that girls come in and find their own thing that they want to improve, and then they go after it and make a change”

Story Credit: Helena Wiseman

Article added: Sunday 24 February 2019