New Zealand international striker Katie Rood has signed for Auckland club Western Springs after playing overseas for more than 10 years.
Rood (31) has not played competitive football since April 2023, when she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, ending her spell with Scottish club Hearts.
The 15-cap New Zealand international has undergone long-term rehabilitation in the hope she can play her way back into the national side.
Main photo: Katie Rood … keen to play top-level football again. Photo: Phototek.
Announcing her signing, Western Springs say Rood will also head up the club’s girls’ academy.
Rood’s arrival at Seddon Fields compensates for the loss of last season’s top scorer, Sofia Garcia, to Lotto NRFL Women’s Premiership rivals Eastern Suburbs.
Garcia and Springs teammate Sam Tawharu have crossed town to play for Suburbs’ new coach, former Football Fern Katie Duncan.
READ MORE: Golden Boot winner Sofia Garcia leaves Western Springs to join Auckland rivals >>>>
Katie Rood’s football journey
Rood first played in the United Kingdom in 2012 when she joined Lincoln Ladies in the FA WSL as a teenager, having played seven seasons at Auckland’s Glenfield Rovers.
She made her full New Zealand international debut in 2017, and signed for Italian club Juventus the same year.
A move to Bristol City followed, and then a loan spell at Lewes which became a full move in. 2019.
Rood helped Southampton win promotion to England’s second-tier Championship before moving north to Hearts in 2022.
READ MORE: Our previous stories about Katie Rood >>>>
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