She and her younger brother, Lewis, took turns pretending to be football greats Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as they weaved through the yard.
"I don’t even think I knew that you could be a female professional footballer as a kid," Wall said.
"It was always looking up to those male football role models, which I think is the same for a lot of female sports."
Young girls can now aspire to be the next Lara Wall after the Dunedin footballer inked a two-year deal with the Wellington Phoenix, her maiden professional contract with the A-League franchise.
Wall, 24, is one of a few from Dunedin who have secured a professional football contract through the years.
"It’s really cool that I can do this, so that we can inspire the next generation and tell them that ‘yes, you can be a female professional sportswoman. That’s something that you can dream and that you can aspire to’.
"That’s really cool to be able to that because when I was growing up, it wasn’t a thing."
Joining the Wellington Phoenix had been a whirlwind since trials last month.
Wall had been dreaming at work about taking football more seriously in the coming years — "I don’t want to be sitting at a desk for the next 40 or so years of my life" — when an email landed inviting her to trial.
After being invited back for the second week of trials, Wall was then offered a contract and packed up her life in Christchurch, where she has been living for the past five years, and headed to Wellington.
"It all happened very suddenly.
"I’m just really excited to be here."
After arriving in Wellington last Thursday, Wall headed straight to training the next morning and described the facilities as "insane".
The fullback is looking forward to soaking up as much as she can to continue developing her game over the next two seasons in the capital.
"I’m really happy to have signed for two seasons because it does mean that this season I can learn as much as I can, take in the environment and really get used to that professional football lifestyle.
"Then, next season I can start to make bigger goals and have bigger aspirations."
Wall grew up in Dunedin and attended Queen’s High School, where she was head girl and dux in her final year in 2018.
She played for the former Dunedin Technical club and in her final season was part of the Kate Sheppard Cup winning team.
"That, still to this day, is one of the best football experiences I’ve ever had.
"I still remember that team, still remember the moment of winning, and that was quite a pivotal moment for me in football."
At a representative level, Wall debuted for Southern United at 14 and saw them develop through her five seasons in the national league.
When she first joined, Southern United were an "easy team to beat", but they transformed into a team that were a challenge for other teams to break through.
After moving to Christchurch in 2019 for university, Wall switched her allegiance and played for Canterbury United Pride, alongside other former Southern United team-mates.
But there had always been a strange feeling representing Canterbury against her former team.
"Most of the games have been down in Dunedin at Logan Park, so it was pretty weird coming down . . . putting on the red and black and versing Southern.
"I’ve probably got more used to it in the last few years, but it was always an odd feeling, but it was also one where I knew I was going to go really hard against my old team."
All those experiences will help as she settles into life as a professional footballer.
Away from the field, Wall has worked as a structural engineer for Holmes for the past two years in Christchurch.
They transferred her to their Wellington office, and allowed her to work part-time, taking the pressure off as she turned professional.
"I get to design buildings, solve problems and still be a professional footballer, which is kind of my dream."
