KATE TAYLOR
Football Ferns and Wellington Phoenix Player
HOMETOWN:
Christchurch
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Wellington Phoenix 2021-22 Women’s Player of the Year
2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Captain
Footballer Kate Taylor is kicking goals internationally
Resilient, determined, courageous… these are the qualities that led Kiwi teenager Kate Taylor to realise her childhood dream in a breakout season on the international football stage in 2022.
In the space of 12 months, she went from being a schoolgirl playing for the Canterbury Pride, to making her professional football debut as vice-captain of the Wellington Phoenix in their inaugural A-League Women campaign and then playing for her country with the Football Ferns.
But it did not come without its challenges. At 17, Kate moved away from her family during the COVID pandemic to play for the Phoenix in Australia, juggling her final year of school with football.
Her resilience was tested but she responded with a new-found maturity, independence and determination that saw her start in 13 of the 14 Phoenix matches.
The team had a tough start to the season with multiple back-to-back losses, but the resilient Phoenix side fought back with determination to secure their first victories. Kate’s efforts in helping the team turn their season around were so impressive that her biggest dream became a reality, earning her first Football Ferns cap and playing before 15,000 people in Norway.
Despite being the youngest member of the squad, she worked hard and made every opportunity count, securing her spot in a succession of further overseas tours with the Ferns.
It capped a huge year for Kate who also began her university studies in Health Science and earned a contract for a second A-League season with the Phoenix.
Not content to stop there, Kate has her eyes set on representing New Zealand in front of the world and she’s sure to be unstoppable.