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'It's a dream': Kiwi dancer makes Dallas Cowboys Cheer squad

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July 28, 2025
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'It's a dream': Kiwi dancer makes Dallas Cowboys Cheer squad

Wellington-born Faith Ward has become the first New Zealander to join the world-famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team.

The well-known NFL cheer squad based in Texas gained international attention last year after featuring in a Netflix docuseries which showed the process of picking "America's Sweethearts" for the 2024 football season.

This year, Faith Ward has been announced as one of just six first-time dancers, or "rookies" who beat out hundreds of other applicants, went through weeks of training, and brutal team cuts to be named on the final 36-strong squad.

"I am super excited to be representing New Zealand, super proud," the 22-year-old told Breakfast.

"Everything that I worked towards has finally paid off and honestly I'm still pinching myself to this day, it's a dream."

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She said the "full on" training camp has come to an end, and the cheerleaders were now into rehearsals ahead of the first game on August 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Faith Ward pictured with her uniform. (Source: Instagram)

"I'm feeling so excited, but also so overwhelmed at the same time because there's so much information to learn, and only six of us rookies made the team this year so I look around and think 'everyone knows what they're doing except us six' because we're still trying to pick up everything.

"But I'm sure we’re going to absolutely nail it when game day comes," she said.

Ward said people likely don’t understand how physically demanding and "taxing" the dances were on their bodies.

"We're literally athletes, we're putting our bodies through so much strain everyday to do what we love. But it pays off and just making sure you're warming up and cooling down and doing everything correctly, and everything has a place it needs to be.

One of the signature aspects of the opening dance sequence set to AC/DC's Thunderstruck is the kickline, where a line of cheerleaders perform synchronised high kicks, often alternating legs before ending in a jump split.

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The signature jump split ending to the Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders opening number, Thunderstruck. (Source: Netflix)

"So when we’re kicking our legs up 100 times a day, you have to take a magnesium at the end of the night and rest your body, recover and I think that’s super important," Ward said.

"But lots of training has gone into this dream and I think its all paid off."

Ward, who moved to Australia when she was 10, said the team had all been "so welcoming" – despite a slight accent barrier.

"They're all like 'Faith, we can’t really understand you’ [as] obviously I have a bit of an Australian/ New Zealand accent," she laughed.

"They’re like 'can you repeat yourself again,' and I'm like 'Guys!' I have to translate a lot of words for them, but they laugh and love having a new girl on the team.”