Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' First New Zealander Dancer Reveals 'Massive' Culture Shock After Moving to the U.S. (Exclusive)
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' First New Zealander Dancer Reveals 'Massive' Culture Shock After Moving to the U.S. (Exclusive)
Tabitha ParentFri, June 26, 2026 at 5:10 PM UTC
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Faith Ward is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders first ever dancer from New Zealand.Credit: Faith Ward/Instagram -
Faith Ward is the first Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from New Zealand
Upon moving to Texas, Ward experienced quite a few culture shocks relating to American culture
She experienced culture shocks in Texas, including food portion sizes, driving differences, and Southern etiquette norms
Faith Ward's first ever time watching an American football game was also her first time cheering for one.The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, 22, is the NFL cheer squad's first ever dancer from New Zealand, and the third from Australia (the cheerleader was born in New Zealand but grew up in Perth, Australia).Her pathway to becoming a DCC was also slightly unusual. She told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's morning showABC News Breakfastback in July 2025 that she initially thought the message she received from a DCC recruiter on Instagram was a scam.
Faith Ward.Credit: Faith Ward/Instagram
"I was like, 'This is a fake account, this is a drill, there's no way this is happening,' " she said in the July 2025 interview, expressing her hesitation, especially given that the team had never had a cheerleader from New Zealand. After the recruiter assured Ward that the team was in fact pursuing international candidates, Ward flew to Dallas and underwent the DCC's rigorous tryouts.Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE following the release of the third season of the Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the rookie, who is fresh off her first year as a cheerleader with the Texas-based team, breaks down some of her experiences so far, including the "culture shocks" she encountered."Obviously it was a massive culture shock coming from the Southern Hemisphere," she says. "I was like, 'What am I getting myself into?' But I also knew that I would have to adjust and adapt and I couldn't be more grateful for my teammates, obviously educating me with the NFL."Ward originally grew up watching rugby, and later learned about the Australian Football League after she moved to Perth. "And then I come over to America to track my dream team and then I'm like, 'Okay, now I've got to learn NFL,' " she says.
However, there's one thing she pinpoints as the "biggest shock" coming from Australia, and it actually has very little to do with football culture. Rather, Ward was surprised by "the portion sizes of food.""I didn't realize how much I spoke about food on the show, which makes me look like I fit in perfectly," she laughs. "I order something and it comes massive. I love American food. Texas barbecue is my personal favorite, but that was definitely a shock, the greasy processed-ness of the food."
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Faith Ward.Credit: Faith Ward/Instagram
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Another culture shock that the cheerleader experienced was driving on the opposite side of the road from her native hometown. A few moments on the show depict a squealing Ward attempting to turn onto a busy highway. "In Dallas, everyone drives like you've got seven lives and fast. In Australia, it's very like you're chill, you're by the beach, you're driving," she says.Ward also ran up against the DCC's senior director Kelli Finglass and head choreographer Judy Trammell a few times, after learning about the Southern expectation to refer to people as "ma'am" and "sir.""Obviously you see me talking eight hundred miles an hour in the show," she laughs. "I was born and raised that you should be acknowledging someone as they're speaking as a sign of respect.""Coming here to Texas, the 'yes ma'am' is a respect thing and you stay silent until the end," she explains of her learnings. "So it was definitely a lot of adjusting, but I think at the end of the day, I love the cultural differences and getting to learn different things about each place is really cool and interesting."Seasons 1 to 3 of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are streaming now on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
