Getting to represent New Zealand at a World Cup on home soil was a dream come true for Football Fern Grace Jale – but once it was over, she hopped on a plane to tick off another.
The 24-year-old made history as the first Fijian heritage player to have made the national squad for a FIFA Women’s World Cup. But Jale, who was born in Auckland, had never been to Fiji until this week.
“Just before the first game my family in Fiji had sent me a video,” said Jale, whose father is from the island of Kadavu.
“There were lots of kids and uncles and aunties saying ‘good luck’ from the village. I hadn’t met them before but I felt really close to them.”
Being a professional football player means there’s “not much time for holidays”, but an invitation from Tourism Fiji ended up coming at the perfect time.
“I’d been hoping to get here after the World Cup to have a little wind-down time and connect with my roots,” Jale said.
“Tourism Fiji got hold of me and said ‘we’d love to be the ones who take you there’.”
Last weekend Jale touched down at Nadi International Airport, where she was given a heroine’s welcome.
“I was getting emotional, but it didn’t last long because one of the performers was like, ‘come dance with me’ – then I was getting embarrassed.”
The InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa was her base for a packed itinerary of activities, including a visit to a local school, a training session with the Fiji U16 girls’ squad, scuba diving and ziplining.
She was also travelling to Suva to meet up with family members.
Jale said after four years building up to the World Cup, this was her longest break in years, other than time out for injuries.
“My face is sore from smiling so much,” she said.
“I kept hearing about how nice and friendly everyone is but experiencing it first-hand is really special.”