Robert Trathen.
As far as first meetings go, All White and Auckland FC star Oliver Sail’s initial encounter with Sophia Reed was straight out of a rom-com.
Spotting the 1.98m-tall goalkeeper in line for a club in Perth, the Aussie jewellery designer decided to leave nothing to chance, asking the bouncer to wave him through with her friends. Once inside, she quickly figured out a way to make a move.
Sophia laughs, “I gave my drink to my best friend and I was like, ‘Just push me into him and make it look like an accident.’ So I knocked into him saying, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,’ and he’s like, ‘Oh, no worries, darl.’ I remember him calling me ‘darl’ straight away and thinking, ‘Wow! He’s so cute.’”
Lost in conversation
Auckland-born Oli – who then played for the Perth Glory – admits he was “blissfully unaware” of Sophia’s slick moves. But very quickly, the pair got lost in a conversation so good, it took them more than an hour to realise they were standing in a no-service area at the bar and wondering why they couldn’t order a drink!
“To be honest, I wasn’t really looking to meet anyone, but then I met Sophia,” grins Oli, 30.
It’s been two years since that night in Western Australia and, since then, the couple’s lives have been turned upside down by a surprise move back to Aotearoa in 2025, when Oli was recruited by his hometown club Auckland FC.
While the plan had been to stay in Perth, in just a week, the deal was done to come home.
“I never thought there’d be a chance to play here, let alone have a club that’s so big in the community,” says Oli, who’s currently starring in the second series of Sky reality show Forever Auckland FC.
It was a tough call for Sophia, 24, to balance her final year of studying law with shifting to a new country, but she’s grateful Oli included her in the decision.
She shares, “It wasn’t like he said, ‘I’m moving to Auckland. You want to come or not?’ It was more like, ‘What do you think?’ and I didn’t really expect that from an athlete. I thought athletes would just be like, ‘I’m doing what’s best for me!’”
Long-distance love
Spending the next five months flying back and forth while she wrapped up her studies, Sophie’s permanent move happened on the same day Oli dislocated his knee.
“She moved over to New Zealand and spent the first three months carrying me up off the couch,” laughs Oli, who aims to be back in front of the goal early next month.
The pair has settled by the beach in Auckland’s picturesque Eastern Bays with their puppy Bear. But while the location is idyllic, Sophia’s honest about how hard the move has been.
“It’s lonely having to start again,” she admits. “It hasn’t been as easy as I thought.”
Thankful to have her “best friend” Oli by her side, Sophia – who recently stepped away from law to start her own jewellery business – adds that one of the things that binds the couple is their ambition.
“I couldn’t be with someone who doesn’t have drive.”
Oli grins, “She expects the best from me and that drives me to be better.”
Sophia grew up spending school holidays working at her family’s diamond business, which began in Vietnam and carried on in Perth after her grandparents arrived as refugees. It was her dad Josh who suggested she launch a lab-grown diamond label in Aotearoa, where Luccè Diamonds was born.
Sophia’s work ethic comes from her mother Fiona, who opened her own shop at 18.
“My mum is a powerhouse – she’s so inspiring,” says Sophia. “At the time, racism was a big thing, but now Mum and Dad have built this amazing business called Stefan Diamonds. That’s very inspiring for Oli and me.”
Move into media
Meanwhile, Oli’s moved into broadcasting during his rehab, joining Sky Sport’s coverage of Auckland FC’s home games, then signing with TVNZ to cover the Fifa World Cup.
He says, “I always wanted to do it, but I never thought it would arrive until after football. Now I’ve got a foot in the door, so I’m making the most of it!”
But the secret to their love is the way they keep life easy, fun and exciting.
Sophia says, “Oli’s like my twin. Our mannerisms are super-similar and I’ve always been able to be unapologetically myself. Whenever I have late- night zoomies, he still loves me!”
Oli continues, “She’s so relatable as a person and it makes it easy because she’s my best friend. And obviously, we like the same things – eating nice food and going out. Our motivation and work ethic are the same. We know what we want out of life!”
Forever Auckland FC screens 4pm Saturdays on Sky Open and streams on ThreeNow.
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