The Netherlands team is receiving a warm welcome from the people of Tauranga as they prepare to compete in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 in Aotearoa.

Nicknamed the ‘Orange Lionesses', the team was first embraced by Tauranga with a pōwhiri at Bay Oval on Wednesday.

As part of the welcome, the team sang ‘Zie die leeuwinnen', or ‘See those lionesses' – a tribute song made for the team by Netherlands artist Claudia de Breij.

Amongst the crowd of supporters at the event was team mascot ‘Kicky”', who joined children from across Tauranga in celebrating the team's arrival at Bay Oval.

The Tauranga cricket ground has also been temporarily changed into a soccer pitch, after being prepared to host the training sessions scheduled for the team ahead of their upcoming matches.

Tauranga City Council venues and events manager Nelita Byrne says it's a great honour for Tauranga to be selected as base camp by such a high-ranking team.

"We are thrilled, we can't wait for the team to experience the manaakitanga our city is becoming renowned for.

"The selection recognises Bay Oval as a premier sports facility and is a testament to how wonderful our city is. We stood out to one of the world's best football teams as the place to be.

"We look forward to embracing the Orange Lionesses alongside our community and supporting them in their World Cup campaign."

The Orange Lionesses will begin their world cup by playing against Portugal on Sunday, July 23 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

Dutch footballer Shanice van de Sanden singing with the team during the pōwhiri at Bay Oval. Photo: John Borren.

Currently, the team is ranked number six in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, and were finalists in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in France.

The world cup officially kicked off Thursday, July 20 with the first match played at Eden Park between New Zealand and Norway.

For more information on the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, visit the fifa.com website.