Canterbury teenager Gabi Rennie is in line to make her Football Ferns debut at the Tokyo Olympics, but she's already part of New Zealand football history.
There are just under 200 women who can say they’ve represented New Zealand at the highest level in football.
Gabi Rennie is well on her way to etching her name on that exclusive list. And of all the tournaments to be working towards her first Football Ferns cap, the 19-year-old hopes to do it on the biggest sporting stage, when she tours with the New Zealand team for the first time to next month's Tokyo Olympics.
But Rennie and Olympic-bound goalkeeper Anna Leat already have their names on an even more exclusive list. They were both part of the U17 side who made Kiwi sporting history by finishing third at the 2018 World Cup - the first New Zealand team, male or female, to ever make the final stages of a major FIFA tournament.
The Football Ferns line-up for the Olympics was officially revealed last week, after the players had been in camp together for a couple of weeks. But it was during a one-on-one meeting with head coach, Tom Sermanni, that Rennie was given the good news.
“He was like, ‘Look, you’ve done really well and you’ve made it’,” says Rennie, at the Olympic team naming at The Cloud in Auckland. “It was the craziest feeling. I was honestly shocked and so stoked.
“At the moment it’s still sinking in; it feels like a bit of a dream. It's just such a cool thing to be a part of, and such a crazy time as well.”
The first person Rennie called after receiving the news was her mum, Rachel. “And she burst into tears,” says Rennie, who's home from studying and playing football at Indiana University.
“It was really cool to tell my family because I’ve definitely been working hard for this, for a long time, and it's so amazing when it comes true." Her dad, Gary (pictured above), was her first football coach when she started playing for Waimakariri United at the age of five.
Rennie has been dreaming about being an Olympian most of her life: “And a Football Fern has always been my goal.”
The young forward can now dream of more success in the New Zealand jersey, having brought home World Cup bronze from Uruguay three years ago.
“The Under 17 World Cup was an insane experience as well. That was like a crazy high, and coming down from that was pretty hard,” admits Rennie, who'd played a strong role in the young New Zealand attack.
When the 2020 U20 World Cup in Costa Rica was first postponed, and then cancelled, Rennie missed out on another opportunity. She'd captained the New Zealand U20s at the World Cup qualifier in Rarotonga, scoring three goals in six games for the side.
"When it was cancelled, I was like in this open abyss," she admits. "And it was a scary thing to try and make the Ferns, but to have this opportunity and to be involved wearing the fern again... there's nothing better than wearing the fern.”
Her relationship with the Football Ferns got off on the wrong foot two years earlier. She was called into her first camp, but an injury on her first day altered Rennie’s route.
“I tore a ligament in my foot at the camp, which really sucked and definitely was a setback. But I think in the long run it probably wasn’t a bad thing,” she says. She was out for about four months with her first major injury.
“It really made me re-evaluate where I’m at and I’ve definitely got a lot better from where I was then. And I think it's put me in a good spot now to really work hard to know that I really want it.”
She’ll be making the most of her opportunity in Tokyo and is looking forward to the Olympic experience.
“But I’m also looking to get on the field,” Rennie says. “I'm going to work hard to push for some game time, push for a spot, so that’s super exciting. I think we're all just excited to get into it and perform on the world stage.”
It’s a “crazy” feeling to be playing with people who she’s looked up to for quite some time, says Rennie. “It’s definitely a change in mindset now looking at them as teammates," she says.
"But they're all such great girls, so welcoming and so lovely to be around. I’m learning so much from them already."
There are a couple of players from her Canterbury United Pride team also heading to Tokyo: Annalie Longo, one of four centurions in the Football Ferns squad, and Marissa van der Meer is a travelling reserve.
The lead-up to Tokyo continues with the Football Ferns in camp in Auckland, training for the hot and humid weather they're expecting to encounter in Japan.
“We’ll on a bike in the sauna or just sitting in there for 40 minutes," Rennie explains. "Our strength and conditioning coach puts us through this big bike workout and it’s awful. We’re dripping by the end of it but it's also a good feeling. It’s rewarding.”
The Fern's best result at an Olympics was at the London 2012 Games, when they reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by the United States.
When she’s not representing New Zealand, Rennie is studying and playing football in the US for the Indiana University Hoosiers.
She’s completing an exercise and science degree, but her first year was jolted by Covid-19. Rennie returned home to New Zealand before the end of her first semester, and completed her studies online. She managed to make it back for the second semester, flying back to New Zealand for their summer break.
While she was home, Rennie played for her Canterbury United Pride team, helping them to win their third straight national women’s premiership title.
Rennie scored two of the four goals in the final, and has been part of all of the three-peat victories. In her first season with the squad, five years ago, they also won the national title.
She’s enjoying the time over in the US, but it was nice to come home and play football in New Zealand again. “It's definitely different over there; it’s a different kind of game,” Rennie says. “But it's been cool to experience a different culture and it makes me appreciate being home.”
Her degree is over four years but Rennie is keeping her options open in terms of studying pathways. “Doors are always open so I’ll see what I’m doing day-by-day,” she says.
Rennie was grateful to spend time with her family again, even though it was for a short time with her football commitments. She won’t be able to see them again for a while as she heads straight back to Bloomington, Indiana after Tokyo.
But she says family - including brothers Liam and Lachlan - are the reason she's been able to achieve her goals so far. “I couldn't do any of it without them - driving me to all the trainings, staying up late, and putting holidays on hold for me,” Rennie says. “They're so supportive and always telling me that I can do it. Backing me 100 percent no matter what happens.
“I really owe a lot to them. I honestly couldn’t be more thankful.”
*The Football Ferns are in Group G, also known as the ‘Group of Death’, one of the hardest pools to move on from, with defending champions, USA; 2016 Rio silver medallists, Sweden; and their 2023 World Cup co-hosts, Australia. The Football Ferns kick off their tournament on July 21 against Sweden.
