10 October, 2025

Top teen footballer heads for U-17 World Cup, with UK opportunities to follow

On the mark… Ariana Vosper after scoring against American Samoa at the Oceania U16 tournament in Samoa in August

Fifteen-year-old Ariana Vosper is off to the Under-17 Women’s Football World Cup, and has every chance of a bright future in a sport that is very much a family passion.
On Monday, the Year 10 Takapuna Grammar student and her teammates were presented with their New Zealand shirts before flying out to Morocco, where they begin their campaign against Japan on 20 October.
Ariana is following in the footsteps of her sister, Saskia, aged 26, who played in the under-17 cup when it was held in Jordan a decade ago, before a professional stint with the Phoenix. Brother DJ (23) – named coach of the year at North Shore United last month (story, page 37) – rounds out the talented trio from Devonport.
Before Christmas, Ariana will travel with her parents to England, where she will trial to join youth pathway set-ups at several top teams. “She’s seen what her elder sister can do and she’s following in her footsteps and taking it to the next level,” says her father Andy. “If she’s selected we’d go over there to get her established.”
For her part, Ariana is modest about the opportunity. “It’s pretty cool, I feel like it’s a good experience, even if I don’t make it through trials,” she tells the Flagstaff.
Her track record is impressive. As well as having made national age-groups teams for the last few years, including playing in the under 16s this year to qualify for the U17 Cup, she was tapped to join Auckland FC’s women’s development programme involving players up to under-19 level.
Ariana has also joined Saskia on the roster of Auckland United’s premier women’s team, which plays in the national league and contested the Oceania football club championships in Tahiti. The versatile midfield and defence player has clocked up a few games off the premier bench. She is in the club’s academy and U15 boys’ side.
Andy and wife Brenda are right behind their children’s sporting endeavours. “They get such a lot out of it,” Andy says. “That competitive drive, discipline, hard work and team work.” He played football himself, though “not at this level”.
For Ariana, it all started with mini football at North Shore United, and going through the age grades there in boys’ teams. Andy says the experience of doing sliding tackles on boys has stood her in good stead. “She’s fair but feisty and doesn’t get pushed around,” he adds. After time doing well in junior athletics, which helped her game, she turned her focus fully on football. Unfortunately, her club, academy and national commitments rule out playing for school due to the injury risk.
The tight-knit family works as a team to get her to practices.
“When Ariana was younger, it was just in Devonport, so she walked or cycled to practice,” says Brenda. That taught her independence, but the transport logistics became more complicated as venues and the number of training sessions expanded, including a couple of seasons when she played at Western Rangers.

Family affair… Ariana (centre) with brother DJ and sister Saskia

“I’m lucky I’ve got Saskia and Daniel to help as well,” Brenda says.
Ariana embraces training, including in a home gym. “I was born around football, as soon as I walked I was pretty much involved,” she says.
DJ says she has good game IQ and her older sister advises her to make the most of what football can offer.
“It’s a cool opportunity to travel the world with your game,” says Saskia.
Both the older Vosper siblings are out of action for now. DJ, a North Shore United under-23 team player, has been on crutches this season after breaking then reinjuring bones in his foot. He has stayed very busy coaching five age-grade teams.
Saskia recently had a serious knee injury, thwarting her Auckland FC season. She is studying for a masters in sports science at AUT and hoping Auckand FC will launch a women’s professional side into the Australian league.
Saskia says the football set-up and pathways have definitely developed since she went to the U17 World Cup. “They’re more prepared.”
For Ariana, the trip to play in Morocco is still a step into the unknown. Cup commitments will play out over between two weeks and a month, depending on whether New Zealand makes it out of the group stage. The team expects Japan to be very tough opposition, but know less about their other pool opponents, Paraguay and Zambia.
Ariana knows her family will be cheering her on from home.
Explaining football’s appeal to her personally, she says: “The team sport of it, and the feel and the passion.”
• U17 World Cup games will be screened on Fifa+