Chelsea FC Women follow Tottenham Hotspur with Eden Park showcase in August
The Chelsea FC Women will visit the City of Sails to play an Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI, led by former Football Ferns goalkeeper and Olympian Jenny Bindon.
The match is set to take place on August 8 and is part of the New Zealand International Football Festival, when Tottenham Hotspur will play Auckland FC on July 26.
Bindon, who will coach the Invitational XI, said she jumped at the chance to be part of this game.
Bindon said she “jumped at” the opportunity to work with Auckland FC and be part of the women’s invitational XI.
“I said why not? And against one of the world’s best, it’s a great opportunity.”
The Chelsea FC Women have been one of the most dominant forces in European women’s football, having won eight English Women’s Super League titles, six FA Cups and finishing as runners-up in the 2020/21 Champions League.
Bindon said the English team coming to Auckland, alongside the Wellington Phoenix making the A-League Women’s grand final and the Football Ferns qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, showed how much the game had grown in Aotearoa.
“I think that the right conversations are happening and bringing Chelsea to play in Eden Park, it doesn’t get any bigger.
“And I think that this is the opportunity that really kind of starts the conversation that women’s football is a sport that we really need to take ownership of in New Zealand and really, I believe, it’s going to take over as the sport that women want to play in this country.”
The Invitational XI are likely to include players from Auckland FC’s Women’s Talent Development Centre, giving some of New Zealand’s younger players the chance to go up against some of the biggest names in the game.
“I think if you just look at [Chelsea’s] roster you can tell, from Australia you have Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter are two that people will be really excited that have grown up through the A-League structure,” Bindon said.
“I think two other players to really look out for, Lucy Bronze obviously, Lauren James, I mean there’s a handful, Alyssa Thompson, young up-and-comer from the US that you’ll probably see showcased at Olympics and World Cups in the future.
“And of course, we can’t forget Hannah Hampton, [a] goalkeeper that currently is just on the rise and doing some really good things in the game.”
Auckland FC have planned to enter a women’s team into the A-League for the 2027/28 season and club CEO Nick Becker said they are doing all they can to support the women’s game.
“Having a globally recognised club like Chelsea FC Women come to New Zealand will not just provide a fantastic spectacle for fans, but offer a chance for local players to test themselves in a professional environment against some of the world’s best,” Becker said.
“Although an Auckland FC women’s team is still a year away, this perhaps gives a bit of a flavour of what’s to come; a focus on local talent and pathways to professionalism.”
Bindon, who currently lives in England, is involved in the Football Ferns set-up and said she is looking forward to a professional women’s team being set up in Auckland, but would not say if she could be part of the future coaching staff.
“I just jump at opportunities. I never thought I’d be living in England, so you know, this opportunity’s here.
“I’m prepared along with [Invitational XI assistant coach Kirsty Yallop] and everyone involved to put the best that we can out on to the pitch to play against one of arguably the best women’s organisations within football at the moment. Chelsea, with everything that they’ve won on the women’s game ... they’re coming to New Zealand and I’m going to do that and I’m going to put my all into it. Everyone is just so excited and I think it’d be great to have as many people come out and watch it.”
Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said welcoming the Chelsea Women to Auckland gives fans the chance to see the sport grow, particularly after the 2023 Women’s World Cup that was co-hosted here, while Bindon said Auckland has the chance to become the home of football in the region.
“I think New Zealand can be showcased as a country and I think we need to champion each other and make sure that we’re fighting to bring football into New Zealand and not fighting against each other. Auckland, it’s so easy, it’s the place you come to to get to anywhere else. So everyone wants to come here,” she said.
“I think that those [events] really showcase why people want to come down under and it all kind of stems from the Fifa Women’s World Cup, where we showcased why you want to come down here and play.”
Tickets for the Chelsea FC Women v Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI go on sale on May 14 at 2pm.