New Zealand is set to participate in the 2025 Asia-Pacific Women’s Lacrosse Championship in January in Queensland, Australia and the team helped to raise funds for the players by working with American novelist David Baldacci.
The championship will crown the best women’s senior field team in the Asia-Pacific region, and the event also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan, with three spots on the line in January.
To help cover expenses for the team, Baldacci, who is friends with the family of New Zealand athlete Lauren Matchitt, offered to write the winning bidder of a fundraiser into one of his novels.
“We’re long-time family friends with the Baldaccis,” said Matchitt. “They are coming over in December for a holiday in New Zealand and my dad was talking to them about where to go and what to do. My name got brought up and he wanted to support the team, so he offered this donation which is amazing and very generous. We’re really grateful that he’s doing it.”
“It’s up to David about how he wants to write the character and whether you’re the villain, or the hero,” added Matchitt on the winning bidder. “You don’t know yet, but you get a signed copy to read what you’re gonna be. It’s a cool, unique Christmas gift, especially for those who have everything … ‘Well you don’t have your name in a book, do you?!'”
Baldacci is known for his thriller and suspense novels, and has published 50 novels for adults which all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television.
“We were all so surprised!” added Nikki Fordyce, another athlete on the team. “We’ve got books of his on our shelf at home, so my dad was pretty invested already, but the team’s just really excited to have support from such a unique donation.”
