Laura Bennett | Sport

I am a 16 year old footballer from Hamilton. I am currently in year 12 at Rototuna Senior High School.
I love all sport, but Football has always been my passion.
I started playing when I was 4 years old after watching my older sisters play and wanting to be involved. Throughout my junior years I have played in the highest level of boys football and in girls teams entered into the top boys leagues. I played alongside my older sisters, and often against much older players most years I have played.

I have been part of the Melville womens premier team since I was 14 years old, helping them twice gain promotion in three years, and in 2026 this team will play at the highest level of womens club football in New Zealand. I have been part of the clubs under 18 team which has qualified to play in the national youth league for 3 season in a row, beating much bigger Auckland clubs as part of the qualification process.

I was first selected for the New Zealand U16 womens team in 2023, and won the golden boot award at the Oceania U16 championships in Tahiti in September 2023. I was the youngest member of the New Zealand team. New Zealand were the champions in this tournament, earning qualification for the 2024 Fifa U17 world cup in Dominican Republic. In September 2024 I was again part of the New Zealand U16 womens team, where we again won the Oceania U16 championship (in Fiji), earning qualification for the 2025 Fifa U17 world cup in Morocco. I was again the youngest player in the New Zealand team the golden boot winner for the 2nd year in a row. I was part of the 2024 NZ U17 team which played at the Fifa U17 world cup in Dominican Republic in October 2024 and have been selected to be part of the NZ U17 team to play at the Fifa U17 world cup in Morocco in October 2025.

I am very proud to have been part of these New Zealand age group teams, but I am also incredibly focused on continuing to improve and and work towards my ultimate goal of playing professionally and representing New Zealand at the highest level. My recent selection to be part of the inaugural Auckland FC womens talent development centre is another step on this pathway.