Annie Nelson

Annie Nelson, speaking from the sidelines in Qatar, where her son Dan has been representing New Zealand at the Under-17 FIFA Football World Cup. 

The team has just come off a crucial match against Austria, and Annie shares what the atmosphere was like, how the boys handled the pressure, and Dan’s reaction after the final whistle.
We also look back on the tournament highlights, what’s next for Dan and the team, and Annie’s advice for parents supporting young athletes chasing big dreams. This is a heartfelt conversation about family, football, and the incredible journey of New Zealand’s rising stars.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
She is on the other side of the world for
the under seventeen a Faforite World coup churing on her
Sunday in from the Sidelines, we go to now to
guitar to catch up with any now say good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning city, How are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Thank you? How things in the land of crazy shopping malls?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Oh? My wold the shopping malls here they are crazy.
Went into one and it has a real life a
fun park, roller coaster going round an ice drink, and
then a gondola ride on a river that they've put
in themselves. Amazing.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Are you bringing some planes home to pop around to
the Golden Strict Council with some ideas? Yes, I am.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Remember center parks it's going to be I'll rip that
out and put in a theme park. I think that'd
be good.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Oh I think you have at least the little locker
room support.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, that's true, that's true. But likes aren't for another
three years yet, so maybe I'll stand on that.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
First. She's syr Optimus International Woman of the Year and
now she's running for me right, Other than me? Yeah,
other than starting rumors, you have been, of course cheering
for den last time we spoke that he had a
couple of games under their belt and they've just now
had their very crucial match against the top of the
table Austria. How did that play out?

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Oh no, it was awful, kitty. It started brilliantly. They
helped them to a null mill draw or like for
the first half. And that's amazing because obviously Austria, as
you say, top of the table, so they had the
straight wins over the other two teams. They paid a
really good European style football. They have a lot of

(01:49):
international games under their belt. When we saw the coaching teams,
so for New Zealand, they've got one full time coach
for the under sevent teams and that's Martin Bullock, and
then the other three to five staff members had all
taken time off work to be there for a couple
of weeks with the boys and the bench for the
Austrian team, they had thirteen full time staff members. Couldn't

(02:12):
believe it, but anyway, first half was absolutely outstanding. Second
half I think Dan came off at seventy fifth minute,
now that's crucial. So there were one nil down when
Dan came off and then they went to one all
and then it was eighty two minutes, something like eighty

(02:33):
to eighty three minutes. My brother from England looked at
the clock and said, eight minutes is a long time
in New Zealand football.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
I was it is.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
They scored three more in that time in eight minutes.
It was just incredible and so very sad for the boys,
like really sad and really amazing learning for some of them.
So their goalkeeper has come over from the UK. They
took three goalkeepers out this lad Toby played the whole games,

(03:01):
everyone that they played, and he was back on the
planet eight o'clock this morning. It's brutal for sportsmen, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
Wow? What a rollercoaster of emotions that must have been
any Like at that final whistle, Like you know, Dan,
I was obviously on the side of the field at
this stage, but what was his reaction and the boys' reaction?
Like are they still proud that they were even there
to start with?

Speaker 2 (03:26):
Yeah? I think they are really proud. And for me,
I think I read a lot of the things that
got up online and I think I don't read it,
don't read it, But there's a lot of talk that
maybe New Zealand shouldn't play in the Oceania Football competition,
which is the one that was we were in Tahiti
four last year and they were winning things like nine nil,

(03:48):
seven nil, over and over, and there's talk that maybe
they should go into another competition like the Asian competition,
which is where Australia go to. But Australia didn't get
the opportunity to come out to the under seventeen because
it's such a hard fought competition to get there. So
they don't get to go to the World Cup because
they didn't win the Asia Cup. But the teams that

(04:09):
went out with New Zealand, that Fiji and New Caledonia
also made it to the Under seventeens World Cup or
they were beaten sixteen mil and things like one of
them they were down nine they'll thirty five minutes into
the game. So like, I was really nervous for the
Austrian game and I was thinking, oh, please boys, league boys, No,

(04:30):
I don't want to see noble fingers or anything. And
actually they should be really proud to score against Saudi
Arabia and to score against Austria that alone is amazing.
But I think it takes a special type of person
to then get off and play again. They were so
disappointed after a Saudi game and seeing boys like I
mean obviously they're young men really, but seeing them sit

(04:53):
on the ground and just think, oh, we've blown it,
and I just think that's awful, and then for them
to get back up play again against the team that
they're not at the top of the table. I take
my half to all sports people this week.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Oh, you're right. It definitely builds resilience and the humans
that play, you know, even in any sport, but their
live of sport. Do you have any advice for maybe
other pearents there are potentially trying to support young athletes
chasing big dreams like that.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, I think my advice would be, like they know
themselves saying their bodies really well. You can be as
sympathetic as you like, but they aren't looking for you
to be upset for them. I've learned they don't want
you following them around, going and sure you're all right, you,
sure you're okay, you seem a bit sad. They don't
want that. They probably just want to like they want

(05:43):
to hear their coach's voice over yours. And you've just
got to be a parent just be a parent and
they'll love you for it. We've had lots of thank
yous from Dan and from his teammates, people saying thanks
very much for comment. And you think I never would
have missed this, never would have missed it. But as
you noticed, the best thing now is Dan is winging
his way home, safe and sound. He's in the air

(06:04):
right now, and I have now got a week of holiday,
no more stressed him out over games, and I can
just go maybe visit some more of those amazing mauves.
I went to a museum today but it was closed,
so that was a bit of a shame. I've got
quite a lot to do. I'm really excited.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh my gosh, I love how you're like silvil line name.
Now I'm officially on holiday, and I think with that
you win a chicken this time next week again. But
I need a tourist to do list call it research.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
Will you aft excellent? I will send you some video clips,
particularly more of the malls.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
I think I've got to a Yeah, it's actually going
to be illegal not to and you can't be illegal
over there because you'll get in some big trouble.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
I think I need to come home to New Zealand.
Don't want to be caught being illegal here right.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
Thank you so much, Rovin Reporter. I will let you
go get your adventure on and we will catch up
next week.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
Brilliant count wait, thanks Jetty