Kiani Wong

Kiani Wong

Personal information
Full name	Kiani Heipuarii Mareva Wong[1]
Date of birth	(2000-11-21) 21 November 2000 (age 24)[1]
Place of birth	Papeete, Tahiti[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder[1]
Team information
Current team	1. FC Saarbrücken
Number	16
Youth career
	A.S. Tefana
	Clairefontaine
	FC Vendenheim[3]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	FC Vendenheim	5	(0)
2019	Cardiff City
2019–2020	Yeovil United
2020–	1. FC Saarbrücken	1	(0)
International career
	Tahiti	4[4]	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 October 2020

Kiani Heipuarii Mareva Wong (born 21 November 2000) is a Tahitian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for 2. Frauen-Bundesliga club 1. FC Saarbrücken and the Tahiti women's national team.

Early life and training

Wong has played football since the age of 4.[5] Her father is a football coach.[2] In Tahiti, she played for A.S. Tefana for ten years, and was a finalist for the Tahiti Nui cup as an U15 player.[2]

In May 2016 she attended the INF Clairefontaine in France.[6] While overseas she studied at the Lycée Jean Monnet and University of Strasbourg.[7]

Club career

Wong was subsequently recruited by FC Vendenheim in Alsace, France.[8] She later played with Cardiff City in Wales,[5] and signed with Yeovil Town Women in England at the end of 2019.[9] In the fall of 2020, Wong transferred to 1. FC Saarbrücken in Germany, and was expected to start playing immediately due to team injuries.[10]

International career

Kiani Wong was selected for the Tahiti national team for the 2018 OFC Women's Nations Cup[5] and for the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.[11] In 2021, she was appointed as a football ambassador by the Oceania Football Confederation as part of its women's football strategy.[12]

In February 2022, she was selected for Tahiti's friendly matches against Luxembourg and Andorra.[13] In July, she was named to the squad for the 2022 OFC Women's Nations Cup.[14][15]

Wong featured with women's footballers Gwendoline Fournier and Camille Andre on a stamp to celebrate international women's day 2023.[16][17]

References

1. Kiani Wong at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
2. "Les trophées du sport 2017 : Kiani Wong N°15". polynésie 1 (in French). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
3. "Kiani Wong" (in French). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
4. "Match". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
5. "Challenger #17 : Kiani Wong" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
6. "Kiani Wong, le rêve au bout des crampons" (in French). TNTV News. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
7. "Kiani, espoir féminin du football français" (in French). Femmes de Polynésie. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
8. "Football féminin - Kiani Wong réalise son rêve" (in French). La Dépêche de Tahiti. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
9. "International trio sign for Yeovil Town Women". SheKicks. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
10. "FCS-Frauen haben jetzt elf Neue beisammen". Saarbrücker Zeitung (in German). 10 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022 – via PressReader.
11. "Football – Jeux du Pacifique : Du renfort pour nos sélections" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
12. "Waqanidrola is Fiji's ambassador to OFC". FijiLive. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
13. "Tahiti Women's National Team on tour in Europe". Oceania Football Center. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
14. "Tahiti name 22-player squad for OFC Women's Nations Cup". Oceania Football Confederation. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
15. "Les Vahine 'Ura à la conquête de la Nations Cup" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
16. "Fare Rata met à l'honneur les footballeuses tahitiennes" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
17. "Un timbre pour promouvoir le sport au féminin" (in French). Radio1. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.