News | International
16 Aug 2025 8:23
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Perth dancer Faith Ward makes world-famous Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad after 'cutthroat and brutal' selection process

    The 22-year-old is the first New Zealander and third Australian to make the prestigious team for the world-famous NFL franchise.


    Perth dancer Faith Ward says she is "super excited and grateful" after making the world-famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad.

    Born in New Zealand and raised in Western Australia, the 22-year-old is the first New Zealander and the third Australian to make the prestigious team for the NFL franchise.

    She competed against thousands of cheerleaders for one of just six rookie spots on the 36-member cheerleading squad this NFL season.

    "I thought, this is my time to reach for my dreams," she said.

    "I took the opportunity and here we are."

    The US cheerleaders have attracted huge global fame in recent years through wildly popular Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts.

    The two seasons of the TV series tracked the gruelling selection and training processes for the official cheer squad of the world's biggest sports franchise.

    Ward tried out for the team after a recruiter messaged her on Instagram.

    "I was like, 'This is a fake account, this is a drill, there's no way this is happening'," she said.

    "And [the recruiter] was like, 'No, we're looking for international candidates'."

    "So I was like, 'Sign me up'."

    A 'cutthroat' and 'brutal' process

    The gruelling audition process sees veterans compete each year against rookie candidates to retain their spot.

    "I think those athletes are hands-down some of the most hard-working people I've ever seen," Ward said.

    While the Wellington-born dancer acknowledged it was a "cutthroat" and "brutal" process, she said the team's director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammell had "warm hearts".

    "They're really just wanting to see the best potential of you," she said.

    "It's a hard industry to make it in and everyone wants to do it, so you've just got to push through."

    Ward said just qualifying for the finals was more than she had ever dreamed of, adding she "couldn't believe it" when she discovered she'd made the team.

    "I was waiting for someone to wake me up from my dream," she said.

    "I kept turning to the girls going, there's no way this is real."

    Now the final team has been selected, preparations begin for the NFL regular season, which kicks off in September.

    This includes meticulous practice of DCC's most famous dance to AC/DC's Thunderstruck, which they will perform in front of 90,000 eager fans at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys' home ground.

    "It is going to be so iconic and so surreal to be representing Australia and New Zealand," Ward said.

    "It's going to make it feel like all those late nights of dance practice and training and hours I've put into my profession has paid off."


    ABC




    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     16 Aug: The Palestinian women's football team is playing for 'identity and resistance'
     16 Aug: Beauty queens, bogus footage and the battle for truth on the Thailand-Cambodia border
     16 Aug: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin head to Alaska for 'high stakes' meeting
     15 Aug: Why is there a stoush over the Pacific's top meeting next month?
     15 Aug: Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich vows to resume E1 development in occupied West Bank
     15 Aug: Flash flooding kills dozens on pilgrimage path in Himalayas, with hundreds missing
     15 Aug: Jannik Sinner reaches Cincinnati Open semifinals, clinching his 25th win in a row on hardcourt
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Southland Stags have scored 29 unanswered second half points to stun Manawatu 29-22 in their NPC rugby contest in Invercargill after trailing 22-nil at halftime More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Grocery shopping keeps getting dearer and dearer for Kiwis More...



     Today's News

    Rugby:
    The Southland Stags have scored 29 unanswered second half points to stun Manawatu 29-22 in their NPC rugby contest in Invercargill after trailing 22-nil at halftime 8:16

    Golf:
    Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox is a whopping 19 shots off the pace towards the end of his second round at the PGA's penultimate tour event in Maryland 8:06

    Rugby League:
    No luck for the Kiwis at the New Zealand Darts Masters, with all exiting in the opening round at Spark Arena 8:06

    Rugby League:
    The Warriors have just about guaranteed a top eight finish in league's NRL after a 14-10 comeback win over the Dragons at Mt Smart 7:56

    International:
    The Palestinian women's football team is playing for 'identity and resistance' 7:56

    Rugby League:
    The Roosters have moved into the NRL's Top 8 following a 32-12 win over the third-placed Bulldogs in Sydney 7:56

    Soccer:
    Liverpool have taken their off-season spending to seven hundred and thirty-five million dollars after confirming the arrival of Italian defender Giovanni Leoni 7:46

    Law and Order:
    Police say they haven't given up hope on solving a 45-year-old cold case in Auckland 7:36

    International:
    Beauty queens, bogus footage and the battle for truth on the Thailand-Cambodia border 7:26

    Rugby League:
    The Warriors are back into the NRL's top four after a 14-10 comeback victory over the Dragons at Mt Smart 7:16


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd