Diamonds Looking Forward To Kate Sheppard Cup Final

There is a sense of eager anticipation in the Wellington United Diamonds camp as they prepare for Sunday's Kate Sheppard Cup Final against Hamilton Wanderers.

It's been a long time coming for the W-League champions, they kicked of their cup run on May 15th last year with an 8-0 win over Kapiti Coast United. Close wins over Waterside Karori (3-2) and Palmerston North Marist (4-3) and a 5-1 thumping of Wairarapa United saw them in to the semi-finals of the competition for the third time in a row. With the match against cup holders, Eastern Suburbs all ready to take place COVID struck again and the country went into lockdown. When it looked as if the semi final could be played, there was a positive COVID test in the Eastern Suburbs camp, the game finally went ahead and saw Diamonds win 1-0 thanks to a Pepi Olliver-Bell goal and a solid defensive display. With the final scheduled a week later in Hamilton, it was the Diamonds who then suffered an outbreak of COVID forcing another delay.

Coach Maika Ruyter-Hooley says the majority of the team have recovered and there is a positive vibe in trainings with the squad really looking forward to the game on Sunday. The final is a first time appearance for both clubs and the first final to not feature an Auckland team since 1995. Diamonds are hoping to add to their 2021 trophy hall of the W-League championship and the Kelly Cup, while Sophie Dijkstra will be hoping to add a second winners medal to go with the one she won with Dunedin Technical in 2018.

While Diamonds home ground of Newtown Park was the venue for the first recorded women's football match in New Zealand way back in 1888 and parent club, Hungaria, formed the first women's club of the modern era in 1973. Women's football at Wellington United really started around the mid 2000's when a group of women inspired by the movie Bend it like Beckham formed a team. When that team reached the Central League the club bought in a young coach by the name of Guillermo Schiltenwolf. He had a rough start with a couple of heavy double figured defeats and was ready to walk away, but the club managed to convince him to stay and asked him to present a five year plan in which they would back him in implementing it.

That plan has been a massive success and seen Wellington United become the strongest club in Wellington winning the league title five out of the last six seasons and helping create a pathway for women which has seen the likes of Maggie Jenkins, Mickey Robertson, Francesca Grange, Charlotte Wilford Carroll, Pepi Olliver-Bell and Jemma Catherwood represent New Zealand at various levels. There have also been numerous women that have headed to university in the USA on football scholarships. As well as several of the current squad having joined the club as juniors and have now made over 100 appearances for the club including Sarah Alder, Asha Strom, Francesca Grange and Jemma Robertson.

In 2016, the first year Diamonds won the league, they were joined by Maika Ruyter-Hooley from Melbourne Victory in the W-League, where she had played 57 games. She retired from playing after that season and moved into coaching initially as an assistant to Schiltenwolf. When the club asked Schiltenwolf to help rebuild the men's side of the club, it was natural for Ruyter-Hooley to take on the head coach role of the Diamonds and she has continued the success with two league titles and the Kelly Cup and will be hoping to add the Kate Sheppard Cup on Sunday.

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