'It is so cool being able to play for a club that really values social change' - New Zealand star is loving life at Lewes

The 26-year-old said: “It is so cool being able to play for a club that really values social change and being able to represent a message like Equality FC.

“I thoroughly enjoy it and it makes me want to perform well on the pitch. It helps that we have got a great bunch of players and awesome coaching staff to help.”

Rood has scored one goal in two appearances for The Rooks and spoke about how she’s settling into life living in Lewes: “Yeah it’s starting to feel like home. It’s a really cute little town.

“It’s got some old stuff here, a lot older than in New Zealand and it’s fun to explore. It’s got a great community as well.”

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The New Zealand forward also spoke about what is was like to score for the Football Ferns against Argentina in the FFA Cup of Nations: “Yeah it was incredible, I’ve worked really hard to get into the New Zealand squad and I feel so proud to put that jersey on and represent them. To score against a side like Argentina, was an amazing moment.”

Rood gave an insight in how she likes to prepare for a match: “For me to prepare for a match I like to make sure I get a good amount of sleep the night before and make sure my nutrition levels are right.

“When I wake up, I like to think about how I want my game to go, I might have a stretch with a foam roll. Then I’m thinking about how much I want to enjoy the game and hopefully score some goals.”

Lewes Women FC face a tough test against a Milwall side that knocked them out of the FA Cup earlier in the season and Rood expects a difficult game: “I think its going to be very competitive. We are pretty close to them in the table and they recently knocked us out of the FA Cup, which was a really disappointing game for us.

“We didn’t play nearly as well as we’d have liked. So hopefully here at home we can show the crowd what we are capable of and how far we have come.”

The Rooks forward also gave three reasons why people should come down to watch Sunday’s game: “One would be where else in the world can you see fairly resourceful women playing football.

“Another one is that it’s St Patrick’s Day, so it’s a great way to celebrate, come on down it’s always a great atmosphere here.

“Thirdly, it’s just a great environment to bring the kids into and spend some time on your Sunday, you won’t regret it!”