Macey Fraser’s rise from Wellington Phoenix mascot to ‘influential’ Football Fern
Monday, 8 April 2024
International friendly:** Football Ferns v Thailand; Where: Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch; When: Tuesday, 7pm; Coverage: Live on FIFA+ and TVNZ Duke; live updates on Stuff**
Macey Fraser once walked out as a mascot alongside Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante.
Now she walks out alongside mascots while playing for the Phoenix and the Football Ferns.
Ferns coach Jitka Klimková has described her as “influential” while captain Ali Riley says she is “the full package”.
Macey Fraser once made the trip into Christchurch from Rangiora to walk out onto Lancaster Park alongside Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante, when his side played an A-League Men match in the city in early 2010.
Fourteen years later, she is now a Phoenix player herself, and on Saturday, her family and friends made the journey into town to watch her play at Apollo Projects Stadium – the temporary replacement for Lancaster Park that has been in use for almost 13 years.
Playing her fourth match for the Football Ferns, in a year where she is hoping to be on the plane to the Paris Olympics in late July, a few weeks after she turns 22, Fraser had a mascot of her own holding her hand as she took the field – a local footballer from the Canterbury region – then posed with more fans for photos afterwards.
Fraser posted a photo of her and Durante on Instagram last week and ahead of the Ferns’ 4-0 win over Thailand – and their rematch at the same venue on Tuesday – she reflected on how it’s now her sharing moments with little kids who have big dreams.
“I want to inspire young kids and especially young girls,” Fraser said. “I would always watch boys when I was growing up – boys were almost always my role models – so the fact that I'm walking out and I can hold a little girl's hand, it's really cool for me.
“I hope I'm inspiring them and I hope one day they can look back at a photo, that would be really special.”
Fraser had long been tipped for big things as a prodigious technical talent, and was a member of the New Zealand team that won a historic bronze medal at the 2018 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay, but as recently as last August she wasn’t close to being on the Ferns’ radar.
Wellington Phoenix coach Paul Temple’s decision to back her with a three-year contract ahead of the 2023-24 A-League Women season has paid off big time, not only for the club – who benefited to the tune of three goals and five assists – but for the player.
“It's been a huge, huge year for me,” Fraser said. “I'm really grateful that Paul gave me the opportunity to have my first professional season and gave me that stage to step on.
“I'm grateful for that and happy I could have my first season and learn and grow as a player.”
While they showed a rare eye for goal in Saturday’s win over a Thailand side that showed little in the way of attacking intent, the Ferns have largely lacked creativity for several years now, which makes Fraser an especially exciting prospect.
She is able to pick out passes others can’t even envisage and also has an eye for goal, both from free kicks and from distance in open play. Ferns coach Jitka Klimková said ahead of this month’s matches: “You can see how Macey is influential. She's already influential in the Phoenix environment and in our Ferns environment'.
On Sunday, the Ferns farewelled veteran midfielder Ria Percival, who has retired from international duty after amassing a record 166 caps over the past 18 years.
Captain Ali Riley said on Monday that Percival had “walked so other players could run” – the likes of Fraser, who made her debut as the Ferns won the Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in February.
“To train with Macey and now to have played with her,“ Riley said, “I'm so impressed by her.
“I just think the future is so bright for her. She's going to be a huge part of this team. She's speaking up in meetings, she is the full package, and she's so so exciting to watch.”