Busy Lifestyle Set To Get Busier Still For Sowden by Jeremy Ruane Squeezing an interview for Soccer Talk into her busy schedule, prior to heading off with the New Zealand women's squad for their two-match excursion to Japan, is something which midfield general Rebecca Sowden greatly welcomes. It's a pleasant respite for the TV2 marketing assistant, who is fresh off a plane, having spent parts of her day in both Wellington and Christchurch, looking at the venues and auditions for the upcoming 'New Zealand Idol' series. So given there's no training with the NZ Elite Senior Women's International Development Squad on this particular evening, it's a rare chance for her to have a chat about her career to date, something the University of William & Mary scholarship graduate plans to do a lot more of in the very near future. "Having returned home upon graduating from William & Mary has led to many enquiries of me about how to go about pursuing a US sports scholarship", says Sowden. "This led to me thinking that there's a business opportunity developing before me. "So what I'm planning to do is assist Kiwi athletes looking to further their sporting career in the USA by providing them with detailed information on how to go about securing a scholarship, the experience, what to expect … "Basically it's helping potential scholars decide if it's for them, and if so, how to go about it from A to Z, and to help them find the university which best satisfies their academic and sporting mix". It's another challenge which the ball-playing central midfielder will relish, on top of those already mentioned. "I'll be making presentations to groups on a regular basis, starting in Auckland and seeing how it grows from there. "To aid the process, I've set up a website, www.askus.co.nz, which is an acronym for Academic Scholarships for Kiwis to the US". Fitting this in alongside her footballing and career commitments is something which the four-times-capped international doesn't envisage as being too difficult. "I do have a pretty full-on life as things stand, I must admit, but you get more done when you're busy!" Rebecca's prioritising hasn't done her too much harm to date, that's for sure. Eighteen years have past since the twenty-three-year-old first kicked a ball at Forrest Hill-Milford United, with dad Gary coaching, brother Brad also playing and mum Anita looking on with pride. In between times, spells at Glenfield Rovers, Lynn-Avon United, University, Three Kings United and Ellerslie have ensued, but she has no doubt as to what has made the biggest impression on her life to date. "William & Mary was the best four years I've ever had. It was great playing competitive games every week, often against up-and-coming US internationals. Then there was the crowds, the facilities, being recognised when walking round the campus … the atmosphere was just amazing! "Getting to train five days a week at a competitive level was awesome, as was experiencing the whole idea of women's soccer in the USA - it has a far greater following there than the men's game, that's for sure". The New Zealand squad is already seeing the benefits of Sowden's time abroad. She is a far more polished player today, compared to the rough diamond who left these shores at the start of this century to pursue her twin targets of broadening her horizons in both marketing and footballing terms. In her absence, a few things have changed, and for the better, in the view of the 1998 NZ Young Player of the Year. "The Elite Squad idea is definitely taking us in the right direction towards being competitive at international level, especially in terms of the Women's World Cup and the Olympics, the twin ambitions of every single women's player in the country right now. "From what I saw in the US, we weren't training anywhere near as much as we needed to, nor at a high enough standard, but this concept has done a lot to rectify that, and bringing together the calibre of players that we have in this country who are capable of performing on the international stage ensures quality training sessions. "Playing against male teams is a big plus, too. It makes us raise our standards, play quicker, and push ourselves. Physically, playing against the guys is what we have to get used to, to prepare for playing against the likes of the USA and North Korea on the big stages for which we're aiming". There is one small regret which the sushi-loving Sowden admits to, however. "While I don't miss not playing for clubs - this concept is a major step up from that level - I do miss playing on a regular basis in competitive fixtures. But make no mistake, the Elite Squad idea is what needed to be done if we want to achieve on the international stage". It's certainly a far cry from those early morning training sessions under Kevin Fallon's watchful eye many moons ago, alongside some other young players who are knocking on the door of national teams nowadays. "I got to train with the likes of Rory Fallon, David Mulligan and Neil Jones, all of whom have gone on to do pretty well. "Someone else I trained with and played alongside at William & Mary is Tara Flint, who has become a really good friend and is a US international in waiting. She's one of six Americans in the Olympique Lyonnais women's team, but is the only one yet to play for her national team. She should get the chance soon, though - she's a great player, as are two of my other favourites, US women's international Shannon Boxx and Zinedine Zidane". Playing golf and tennis are pursuits which Sowden enjoys in what spare time she does have, as are hanging out with friends and going to the movies. "I'm a real movie buff - my favourite actors are Keira Knightley and Brad Pitt - he's good eye candy!! And TV-wise, 'Nip Tuck' and 'Lost' are two excellent shows, and they're both on TV2!!" She's certainly not one to miss an opportunity, is the former New Zealand U-17 and U-19 international, be it in her marketing career, with her new ASKUS project, or on the football field, where, proudly sporting the silver fern on her chest, you can guarantee to find the ever-busy Rebecca Sowden giving her all for the cause.