The Wellington Phoenix have added four more Kiwis to their women's squad including the daughter of All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
Michaela Foster joins Te Reremoana Walker, Charlotte Lancaster and Georgia Candy as scholarship players for the upcoming season which kicks off next month.
Head coach Natalie Lawrence said she was thrilled to give more young New Zealand footballers a chance to prove themselves on the professional stage.
"For us to be able to bring in more Kiwis and give them that taste of professional football and what it might look and feel like at training, and the different intensity level of the game is only going to help them kick on," Lawrence said.
"There will be opportunities for all the players in the squad, including scholarship players, to put their hands up to be in the team."
Foster, 23, joins the squad as a former New Zealand age-grade representative, having previously captained the Young Football Ferns at the 2016 FIFA under-17s Women's World Cup in Jordan.
"Mickey’s somebody we’ve been keeping an eye on for the last year or so,” Lawrence said. “She came in and played some games for us up in Auckland, and every weekend I’m watching national league games and she’s been a consistent performer throughout the season.
"She can play any position on the field, she can use both feet and she was the captain of the New Zealand under-17 women’s team so she understands high performance.
"Being able to offer her a scholarship spot is giving her an opportunity to see whether she can really kick on with her football. That’s pretty exciting we can do that for her, and she’s earnt it."
Foster and goalkeeper Candy are new to the squad while Walker and Lancaster, who both recently represented New Zealand in the under-20 World Cup, return to the Wellington club from last season.
“Charlotte showed during the under-20 World Cup that she has an incredible impact when she comes on,” Lawrence said. "She has a beautiful left foot. She can shoot and score from anywhere.
"We wanted to give her an opportunity again and see whether we can continue developing her into the player we know she can be."
Lawrence noted that Walker, 18, was on a full-time contract with the squad last season before coming back this year as a scholarship player.
"She doesn’t see it as a demotion,” Lawrence said. “She sees it as another opportunity to get more experience in professional football. That’s the kind of attitude we want, and we’re really pleased with how she’s handling moving to a scholarship spot.
"She has a really bright future. She’s different from a lot of players. She’s incredibly technical and can play a number of positions."
The four scholarship players take the Phoenix women’s squad to 20, with two potential spots to be filled.
The women are in their first week of pre-season training, with their historic opening round match in Wellington against Melbourne City on Sunday, November 20.
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