There’s always something to be learned in football.
It’s why Jess Rendall is so passionate about the sport.
“I love playing football because it’s a sport that you can’t conquer,” the 17-year-old footballer told The Profile.
“There’s always something that you can improve on, whether it’s attacking or defending or working on different set piece skills, there’s always something that you can learn or perfect.”
The young athlete, who has played for the Thames High School senior girls team as well as the Thames Football Club’s women’s team, said the skill she was currently focussed on was shooting the ball low into the bottom corners with power.
“I am also working on perfecting my corner kicks to help create better set piece chances this season.”
It’s no wonder the promising footballer landed an opportunity to trial for the New Zealand U20 Women’s Football Team last month in Mount Roskill, Auckland.
“This is what I have dreamt of since I was a little kid.” Those were the words Jess calmed her nerves with on the way to the trial.
“I just had to go out on the field and do the best I could and just be me.”
The star athlete said the most exciting part was that she got to play against a really good top division women’s team in Auckland and felt like she was able to “hold my own”.
There were 26 girls who trialed and were split into two teams.
The first team played one half and then Jess’s team played in the second half which was better, she said, because she could sit on the side, watch the game and “mentally prepare myself” so she knew which players to be aware of.
The opportunity to be selected for the team would “mean everything to me and my family”, she said, and would “sort of repay” her parents for driving her to football training and games.
She believed people who grew up in small towns didn’t always get as many opportunities as some people in the big cities.
“It would also mean so much to be able to show younger kids that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it’s about where you end up… [and] to show younger girls that if you stick with a sport you never know where the opportunities might take you,” she said.
She looked up to people such as Football Ferns player Olivia Chance.
“She is left footed – just like me and she plays on the left wing and centre mid which are the positions I mainly play,” she said.
Another person she said she looked up to was Keltie Mcmanus, who played for the Thames Football Club’s women’s team.
“She inspires me so much. I remember the first year I played for the women’s team in 2024 she scored over 30 goals.”
Jess was also an avid cricketer and played for the Morrinsville Piako Women’s team, as well as regional cricket for Waikato Valley Under 19s.
“I have also been fortunate enough to play for Northern districts under 17s in 2024 and 2025.”
Jess’ hope for next year was to head to university and study a bachelor of physiotherapy and keep playing football.
In the meantime, Jess was in preparation mode for the 2026 football season with two to three training sessions a week, she said.
“I love the challenge that football brings. It inspires me to get better.”
