When Katie Hoyle was last the subject of an interview by this writer, in December 2005, she had only visited one country - Australia. She’s had occasion to head to West Island a few more times since then, of course, but her passport now boasts stamps from a wide variety of countries - Samoa, Argentina, Holland, Russia, China, Papua New Guinea, USA, Singapore, Cyprus, Korea Republic, Japan and Switzerland, amongst others, with Germany soon to be added. With those stamps have come plenty of highlights from the numerous New Zealand football tours of which Katie has been an integral component. So much so that being asked about some of them prompts a gasp! "Where do I start?" exclaims the 23-year-old Hamilton native. "Every tour has its highlights, but I guess the main events are the peaks for me, like the World Cup and the Olympics. "That said, not too many tours stand out, because we haven’t really won a lot of games. There’s one exception in that regard, however - the 2010 Cyprus Cup, where we reached the final. That’s definitely a highlight of my career so far". As was the recent tour to Australia and China. "I love playing against Australia", says the Football Ferns’ defensive midfield maestro. "The trans-Tasman rivalry is always a good battle, and I felt we should have beaten both Australia and China in the second matches against both countries in May. "We definitely played at a level that we need to be playing at. I feel like our team’s coming along and peaking at the right time. It’s quite exciting, playing with a team where you know everyone’s going to do their job, and you know what each of your team-mates is going to do. "We’ve just got to wait and see what happens in Germany", says a player who is set to clock up her fiftieth appearance for her country during the Finals, most likely against England. "Making my 50th appearance will be pretty awesome, but it will be even more so if we win the game concerned. I’ll make that a goal. As for scoring them, John doesn’t like me going up too far, which is probably why I’ve only ever scored one for New Zealand, against the Cook Islands last year. But as that match will be a special occasion, he might relent!" Germany 2011 is an event Katie is keenly anticipating - and why wouldn’t she? It is, after all, the quadrennial showpiece of the women’s game, which has the potential to open doors for individuals whose performances catch the eye, be it in attack or defence. "The World Cup will be really good - it’s pretty awesome how we’re playing in different parts of the country, too. I think we’ll push through to the next phase, but you just never know in football. "It really depends on the day, but I believe we’ve got enough in us to do so. If we’re on form in front of goal and clinical enough, we’re as good as any of the other teams that are there".

Beyond the upcoming Finals, Katie has her sights set on a few targets, both football-wise and personal. "Obviously we’ve got the Olympics next year which we’ll be building up for. And I’ll be looking to play professionally overseas for a couple of years. I’m keeping my options open at this stage. "Off the park, I’m studying to be a PE teacher at Auckland University, and while I’ll keep my options open after that, I imagine myself doing something in the coaching field - certainly working with kids, anyway". Katie has been on that course for a few years now - it was part of the reason she moved to Auckland in 2006, bidding adieu to her first club, Claudelands Rovers, in the process. "The club I opted for upon moving north was Lynn-Avon United, and that probably came about through the promptings of Ria Percival. She invited me along to the club for a practice session, which I enjoyed, and I stayed there for four years. "After we won the league and the cup in 2009, I just felt like I needed a change. We didn’t really know if we were going to have a coach for the following season, so I made the decision early on to go somewhere else. "I knew a few girls at Glenfield Rovers, so opted to go there. It was a bit sad that quite a few players ended up leaving Lynn-Avon, but that’s the way it goes sometimes". The move didn’t affect Katie’s form in any way whatsoever. The Javier Mascherano of New Zealand women’s football - her performances are often reminiscent of those consistently produced by Barcelona’s former Liverpool lynchpin - has earned the accolade of Northern Premier Women’s League Player of the Year twice in the past three seasons. "It’s always great to win awards, but it’s not a goal for me to get them. These are bonuses, I guess. While winning this honour has been a personal highlight, I just take each game as it comes, work my hardest, and focus on doing my part for the team". And for her inspiration, more often than not her late mother. Not for Katie the likes of Steven Gerrard et al, as she explains. "When I’m playing matches, I have a personal thing whereby I dedicate my performance to someone I know. "So it could be to my mother, who passed away when I was younger, and to whom I quite often dedicate my performances. Or it could be to my family, my brother Charlie, sometimes John Herdman, sometimes to my partner, Priscilla, but normally when I’m playing I dedicate my performance to someone who inspires me". Katie’s displays, both in terms of quality and consistency, are often inspirational in themselves, something her team-mates will testify to, particularly if, as hoped, they help propel the Football Ferns to the knockout stages of Germany 2011. That would definitely be the career highlight to beat them all.