LONGO Annalie

General
2023 WORLD CUP
She hopes the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be help to inspire the next generation of football players in New Zealand. "It's hard for Kiwis to be able to see the Football Ferns [women's national team] play because often we play overseas and time zones and things make it hard, especially with players playing professionally, it now means they're no longer playing on New Zealand soil. To have something like a World Cup back in our country would give huge exposure for people to see the Ferns playing, to see the development that has occurred, and I think it's just exciting. Hopefully we can inspire the next boy or girl to play football and the World Cup will do that. Often girls don't have the opportunity to see females playing any sport, but football in particular, so to have the opportunity for girls and boys to come down and see a live football game, and the fact it's a women's World Cup is huge." (stuff.co.nz, 25 Jun 2020)

COACHING AND DIRECTING
She works as the women's development officer for Mainland Football, the governing body for football in the Mainland region of New Zealand. She has also gained her Oceania and NZ Football B coaching licence. "You definitely see a different side [coaching] with everything that goes on behind stepping out on a pitch and playing. It's the little bits behind football, I really enjoy it. Sometimes I find myself critiquing the coaches on how I would change the session or do it slightly different to make the practice a little better. What I like and don't like. Sometimes you forget about just playing, so I have to take my coaching hat off." (stuff.co.nz, 20 Nov 2020)

At age 15 years and 136 days, she became the youngest footballer to debut for the New Zealand women's team in a match against the People's Republic of China in 2006. (wynrs.co.nz, 15 Nov 2015; onsport.co.nz, 13 Jun 2011)