Van Hattum’s move to the United Sport Centre will be a special moment for his family.
His uncle, Frank van Hattum, was part of the Christchurch United team in the early 1980s after playing with the All Whites at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.
“Obviously it's cool to have an uncle who's also an All White, probably the more well-known van Hattum, but it's cool to have that connection of him also playing down in Christchurch.”
The 23-year-old former Wellington Phoenix player has just completed a stint with Canadian Premier League club Valour FC.
When the Winnipeg club folded last month, he joined South Island United in the new OFC Pro League.
“I think it's a pretty exciting league to be involved in, and I’m excited to see how it goes,” he said.
“Hopefully we’ll do well, and I can’t wait to get started,” said Van Hattum, who has also played at Sligo Rovers in Ireland.
After winning the Golden Boot at the national under-14 tournament in 2016, he was invited to the Wellington Phoenix Academy.
Van Hattum was part of the New Zealand under-17 squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he played in all three group matches.
After five years with the Phoenix reserves, he made his first team debut in December 2021 in an FFA Cup fixture against Western United. His A-League debut came against Sydney FC two weeks later.
Van Hattum made 41 A-League appearances over four seasons.
South Island United chief executive Ryan Edwards said van Hattum will bring a wealth of experience to the new club.
“Oskar is still relatively young, but has been in a professional set-up for many years, in New Zealand and overseas, so he will bring a lot of knowledge to a group in which many embark on their first season as a professional,” Edwards said.
Van Hattum earned two caps for the All Whites team which won the OFC Nations Cup in Vanuatu last year. He was also part of the New Zealand squad at last year's Paris Olympics, playing three group matches.
-Allied Media
