This week on Player Profiles, AFF Media Officer, Mark Casson caught up with NZ U20 International and AFF Goal Keeper, Nadia Olla, to get to know her a little bit more.

Get to know Nadia Olla by listening to the audio clip below:

MC: How did you start playing football? – What’s your background?
NO: I started playing football for school when I was nine, and I was that player that played in any position that the coach told me to play in and then I played school football till I was about 13 and that's when I started playing club football and got involved with FTC (AFF) and that's when I started being a full time goal keeper. My first club I played for was Three Kings United and I spent a few years there and then I moved to Norwest in 2016, and then this year I moved to Western Springs and here I am now playing in the National Women's League.

MC: Who from your family influenced you the most to play football?
NO: My Cousin used to be really good at playing football and he's two years younger than me and I used to be super jealous of him when we were younger and we would go outside and have a bit of a kick about and he was always better than me, so I guess that was a bit of motivation for me to try it out and I ended up liking it, so I decided to keep playing.

MC: As a junior, what’s one football match you remember as a child?
NO: When I was in Year 7, I didn't make the A team and it sucked, but I got the opportunity to go down with the A team to the AIMS Games on the condition that I played half a game in goal for every game so that was annoying for me at first but down there at that tournament, playing in goal, I discovered that it was my passion to play in goal and I ended up enjoying diving in the mud and getting balls shot at me, so it was a big turning point in football for me.

MC: Do you have any nicknames? 
NO: There's the standard 'Nads' or 'Nolla', which I get called by team mates, but at home, I'm known as 'Nada Banana'. 

MC: Has anyone ever called you Nadio?
NO: No, but I am pretty sure that was one of my Instagram names when I was younger.

MC: Do you support a football team?
NO: In all honesty, no, not really, but recently I've been really interested in the NWSL in the USA and these last few games, I've started supporting Chicago Red Stars.

MC: What do you do outside of football? Study or work?
NO: I study, although this semester has been interesting, I've been away for almost six weeks, but I am hoping to finish these last two papers over the next six weeks and hopefully I'll get a summer job and then see what happens next year.

MC: What are you studying?
NO: I am studying Psychology and Biology

MC: What’s one thing you like to do besides football?
NO: I love reading, watching TV Shows and just hanging with my family and friends and everything.

MC: We’ve heard from a disclosed source that your mother provides some good baking, what’s one of her best dishes?
NO: She makes some really good Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, but apart from baking, she can make a really good lasagne.

MC: What’s your best baking dish?
NO: I quite like making Scones and Brownies

MC: Do you think you'll ever bring any of the Scones and Brownies to training or match day for the team to try?
NO: I mean, maybe if we end up doing well, then sure!

MC: What about the staff? Will you bring any of your baking in for the staff to try?
NO: Oh yeah, I guess, hopefully it's good though, if its not, then it'll be embarassing, I don't want to talk myself up too much

MC: Pick two players from the team, one being a player who you would trust the most to operate a bungy jump while you’re jumping off, the other being the person who you trust the least to do the same job – Who are they?
NO: I definitley would not trust Sarah Morton to operate the bungy jump - She would be the kind of person who would totally stitch me up. But to give her a bit of a break, I love her to bits, but no way. I would want Steph to be the bungy jump operator, she's the captain, she looks out for everyone, so I feel I should be able to trust her......with my life....   

MC: If you were going to travel the country in a mini-van, which three members of the squad would you travel with and why?
NO:

- I am going to say Sarah Morton, because we never argue and we have the same taste in music and she will have all the snacks.
- Jenna Dodd, I'm pretty sure she does Motorcross and that, so I can trust her to drive us the whole length of the country.
- Liz Anton, she's crack up.

MC: Have you ever played any other sports?
NO: When I was younger, I did swimming, so I started that when I was five and I did it all the way till I was 12. I was pretty competitive with swimming, but then I got to the point where I had to choose between football and swimming and I like the team environment in football, so I ended up going in that direction. I also tried Netball, but I didn't really connect with that at all and I played Hockey for two years, which was fun, similar to football, but I chose football because I preferred it.

MC: Is there an end goal of where you want to end up in terms of your footballing career?
NO: I would love to play for the Ferns regularly when I am older, I would love to go to the Olympics and World Cups with the Ferns, but I would also like to play professional football.

Article added: Thursday 20 September 2018