Retired Football Fern Ria Percival wants a permanent move from her London club Tottenham Hotspur to newly-promoted Crystal Palace.
Percival (34) joined Palace in a loan deal in January, making 11 appearances and helping them win promotion to the Women’s Super League.
So far, Palace have reportedly signed contracts for next season with only four players, and Percival wants to join them.
She told Standard Sport: “I’m one that likes to stay at a team long-term.
“I’ve felt since two weeks of being here that I would love to stay. I feel it has become a home.
“There aren’t many teams where you will settle so quickly.
“Coming in when I did, it was nice to step into a team where all the players get on. We’re really tight as a unit and our football this season has been some of the best we’ve played as a club.
“We’ve got a good mix of ages, and we’ve fought hard to get up to the WSL for next season.”
Percival signed a contract extension with Spurs in January 2023 which runs till June 2025.
Crystal Palace manager Laura Kaminski has praised Percival’s approach to the game, and the impact she’s had on the Eagles.
“Having Ria in the building has added such value to the group — she’s been fundamental to the group,” she told the South London Press.
“Her experience – she’s been to World Cups, been an international footballer with a high amount of caps for New Zealand — she is an athlete with great professionalism and a fantastic role model who can share her experiences of football at the highest international and domestic level to help younger players.”
Percival announced her retirement from international competition in April 2024, after 166 appearances for the Football Ferns, more than any other female or male player in New Zealand football history.
Percival appeared at four Olympic Games and five FIFA Women’s World Cups, playing her last game for the Ferns as part of the home tournament in 2023.
As a teenager, Percival won a league and cup double with Auckland club Lynn-Avon United, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the MVP award in the final of the National Knockout Cup (now Kate Sheppard Cup).
She became the first New Zealander to play in the Football Association’s Challenge (FA Cup) Cup final in 2019 with West Ham United.
Her professional career has taken her to clubs including F.C Indiana in the United States, Ottawa Fury in Canada, FFC Frankfurt and FF USV Jena, before moving to England, where she’s played for West Ham, Spurs and Crystal Palace.
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