Former Young Football Fern making most of overseas dreams being put on hold

October 28, 2020

Kelli Brown's goal against Finland was part of a historic 2018 campaign but now she's looking to make more moments in NZ.

For Waikato Bay of Plenty striker Kelli Brown, the heady days of the Under-17 World Cup in 2018 are still fresh in the memory.

Brown was nominated for goal of the tournament with her long range curling effort against Finland – a special moment in the Young Football Ferns' historic campaign that ended with a third-place finish.

"It really made me realise that this is something where I could do quite well,” Brown said on reflection.

“This is something I could go places with."

But thanks to Covid-19, she's not going anywhere just yet with a couple of offers from professional clubs in Sweden never materialising because of the pandemic.

Two years on from her heroics in Uruguay, the 19-year-old is preparing for another season in New Zealand and a summer working back on the farm "driving tractors, dairy farming and silage contracting”.

But away from all that, Brown will be one of many internationals who line up when this weekend's domestic football premiership kicks off.

Despite still dreaming of an overseas contract, playing at home is also driving her.

"We've got a World Cup here in 2023,” Brown said.

“The main goal would be to get on that field. Pull on the fern in front of a home crowd, home soil."

And with it, perhaps even replicating her most memorable moment on the biggest stage.

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