Auckland FC announce more Football Ferns, adding further talent and experience to the squad ahead of the invitational clash against Chelsea FC Women.
Following Wednesday’s announcement, Auckland FC continues to build its squad for the invitational fixture against Chelsea FC, with three more players confirmed, all with Football Ferns experience: Deven Jackson, Maddie Iro & Maggie Jenkins.
DEVEN JACKSON
The 28-year-old Football Fern brings New Zealand and Australian title-winning experience to the squad. The forward currently plays for Melbourne City, winning the A-League Premiership and Championship double this past season. Jackson was also named the 2023 NZ Domestic Player of the Year award off the back of her New Zealand National League winning campaign with Eastern Suburbs.
MADDIE IRO
The young Football Ferns goalkeeper joins the squad for the Chelsea fixture. Iro got her first Football Ferns call-up in 2025 before making her first senior appearance earlier this year, having also played at the U-20 World Cup in Colombia in 2024. She also has experience overseas, currently playing in the NPL with Hills United FC and college stints with High Point and De Paul Universities in the United States.
MAGGIE JENKINS
Maggie Jenkins, 25, started her senior career with Wellington United at 15 and debuted for the Football Ferns at 16 in 2017. At 17, she moved to Auckland for NZ’s U17 and U20 programmes, helping the U17S win bronze at the FIFA U17 World Cup, before earning a scholarship to the University of Central Florida to play NCAA Division I football in the AAC and Big 12.
After a professional season in Turkey, she returned to Wellington United in 2025, finishing third in the NZ National League and winning MVP and Golden Boot with 15 goals. In 2026, she joined Auckland United, scoring 16 goals before moving to Essendon Royals in Australia’s Victorian NPL, and was recently recalled to the Football Ferns for their Spain tour against Haiti and Morocco.
More names to be confirmed throughout the week.
The dominant, eight-time WSL champions, Chelsea FC Women, face off against the Auckland FC Women’s Invitational XI on Saturday 8 August, 4pm at Eden Park, in a landmark moment for New Zealand football. For the first time ever, local stars take the pitch against one of the world’s most dominant clubs in the NZ International Football Festival.
Get your tickets here.
