Wellington Phoenix FC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wellington Phoenix

Full name	Wellington Phoenix Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Nix
Founded	19 March 2007; 18 years ago (19 March 2007)
Ground	Sky Stadium
Ground Capacity	34,500
Chairman	Robert Morrison
Manager	Giancarlo Italiano
League	A-League Men
2022–23	6th of 12

Active teams of Wellington Phoenix
A-League Men	Wellington Phoenix Reserves (Men's)	A-League Women

The Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football team from Wellington, New Zealand. They play in the Australian A-League, which is the top football league in Australia. The Phoenix joined the league in the 2007–08 season. They were formed in March 2007 to replace another New Zealand team, the New Zealand Knights.

Since 2011, a group of seven Wellington business people, called Welnix, has owned the club. The Phoenix is special because it's one of the few clubs in the world that plays in a league from a different football region. New Zealand is part of the OFC, but the A-League is part of the AFC.

The team plays its home games at Sky Stadium in Wellington. This stadium can hold 34,500 fans. Their home uniform is black and yellow stripes. The Phoenix's best results include reaching the A-League Preliminary Final in 2010 and the A-League Semi Final in 2024.

Club History: The Rise of the Phoenix

How the Club Started

Before the 2007–08 A-League season, the previous New Zealand team, the New Zealand Knights, had problems. They had money issues and weren't playing well. Because of this, the Football Federation Australia (FFA) took away their right to play in the league.

The FFA then gave New Zealand Football (NZS) a chance to find a new team. This new team would take the Knights' place in the A-League. Many groups wanted to create this new team.

Finally, a businessman from Wellington named Terry Serepisos provided the money needed. He gave NZD $1,250,000 to help start the new club. This made sure New Zealand would still have a team in the A-League. The new Wellington club was officially confirmed on 19 March 2007.

The club's name, "Phoenix," was chosen from many ideas suggested by the public. It was announced on 28 March 2007. The name "Phoenix" means a fresh start, like a bird rising from ashes. It also showed the strong support from Wellington fans.

There was some discussion about whether the Phoenix could keep playing in the Australian league because of different football regions. But FIFA president Sepp Blatter said it was fine. He explained that if both New Zealand and Australian football groups were happy, FIFA would allow it.

Phoenix Reaches the Playoffs

In the 2009–10 season, the Wellington Phoenix made history. They became the first New Zealand team to reach the playoffs in an Australian football competition. They finished fourth in the league.

This meant they would host a playoff game against Perth Glory. The Phoenix won this exciting game in a penalty shootout. They then won another home game against Newcastle Jets.

Their journey ended in the Preliminary Final against Sydney FC. The Phoenix lost 4–2. There was a controversial moment when a Sydney FC player scored a goal that seemed to involve a handball. This decision was very disappointing for the Phoenix players and coach.

Despite the loss, the Phoenix had a great season. On 20 April 2010, the FFA gave the Wellington Phoenix a five-year extension. This meant they would stay in the A-League until at least the 2015–16 season. Many people believe the Phoenix playing in the A-League has greatly helped New Zealand football.

New Owners Take Over

Before the 2011/12 season, the club's owner, Terry Serepisos, faced money problems. This led to him giving up ownership of the club.

On 23 September 2011, a new group of seven Wellington business people took over. This group, led by Rob Morrison, became the new owners of the Wellington Phoenix.

Changes in Coaching Staff

On 26 February 2013, coach Ricki Herbert resigned. The team was not performing as well as expected. Assistant Coach Chris Greenacre took over for the rest of the season.

Later, Ernie Merrick became the new head coach on 20 May 2013. He had a successful history with Melbourne Victory. Greenacre stayed on as his assistant.

Merrick resigned on 5 December 2017. Then, Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre became co-coaches. On 1 March 2018, Darije Kalezic left the club as coach.

The Rudan Era

On 30 May 2018, Marko Rudan became the new manager. He was the first Phoenix coach to win his first game. The team had a great start to the 2018–19 season.

They went on a nine-game unbeaten run, which was a fantastic achievement. The Phoenix finished 6th and made it to the playoffs. However, Rudan decided to leave the club at the end of the season for personal reasons. They were knocked out of the playoffs by Melbourne Victory.

The Talay Era

On 4 May 2019, Ufuk Talay became the new head coach. He wanted to build a young team with many New Zealand players. He signed several local players and international players like Mexican Ulises Dávila and English striker David Ball.

Under Talay, the Phoenix broke their home attendance record on 22 May 2021. Over 24,000 fans watched them play against Western United FC. This was the first A-League game in New Zealand in over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 14, 2023, Talay announced he would leave the club after four seasons. He wanted to coach outside the A-Leagues.

Team Colours and Badge

The original logo for the club used between from the club's inception up until August 2017.

Wellington's traditional home kit – first used 2009–10

Phoenix fans wanted a uniform with yellow and black stripes. However, when the club first joined the A-League, the uniform supplier, Reebok, had rules about kit designs. So, for the first two seasons, the players wore mostly black with yellow and white details.

In 2009, Reebok changed its rules. The Phoenix then adopted their popular yellow and black vertical stripes. The team's uniforms are now made by Paladin.

The club's badge shows a rising phoenix. This mythical bird symbolizes new beginnings. In August 2017, the club updated its badge. The new badge has a bigger, simpler phoenix. It also includes the club's new motto, 'E Rere Te Keo'. This is a Māori phrase meaning "a rising call," connected to a Māori legend.

The team has different sponsors for their home and away uniforms. Other sponsors include eToro, Chemist Warehouse, Budget, and McDonald's.

Home Stadium: Sky Stadium

Sky Stadium, home ground of Wellington Phoenix

The Wellington Phoenix FC plays most of its home games at Wellington Regional Stadium. This stadium is also known as Sky Stadium for sponsorship reasons. Fans often call it the 'Ring of Fire'. It can hold 34,500 people.

The stadium was built in 1999 and is located near transport links in Wellington. It is owned and run by the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust. The stadium was built on land that used to be part of the railway.

Home fans usually sit in the southern and western parts of the stadium. Away fans sit in the north.

To reach more fans in New Zealand, the Phoenix has played some home games away from Sky Stadium. They have played in Palmerston North, Christchurch, and Auckland. A game in Auckland at Eden Park in 2011–2012 had over 20,000 people watching.

The Phoenix used to train at Newtown Park. In 2017, they moved their training to Martin Luckie Park. This park was updated with new pitches, with funding from the Phoenix and the Wellington City Council.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wellington Phoenix had to base themselves in Wollongong, Australia. They played their home games at WIN Stadium for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 A-League seasons.

Passionate Supporters

Crowd at the first game of the season, August 2007

The Wellington Phoenix has a strong fan base in Wellington, across New Zealand, and among New Zealanders living in Australia. Their main fan group is called the Yellow Fever. It was started just one day after the club was announced.

The name "Yellow Fever" was chosen because fans thought the new team would wear yellow. Even though the team's first uniform was black, the group kept the name. Many members still wear yellow to games. The 'Fever Zone' is where the Yellow Fever members gather at Sky Stadium. They often stand during games, like in traditional British football stadiums.

The Yellow Fever group is known for its traditions. One famous tradition is that if the Phoenix is winning by the 80th minute, members take off their shirts. They also organize a fun event called The 12 Pubs of Lochhead before the last home game before Christmas. This event is named after former defender Tony Lochhead.

Yellow Fever members also support other football teams in New Zealand. This includes Team Wellington and the All Whites. They even supported the New Zealand women's national under-17 football team during the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

The Yellow Fever supporters have a great relationship with the club. They do many charity activities. They were the first A-League fan club to offer an annual football scholarship. This "Retro Ricki Youth Scholarship" helped promising young New Zealand footballers. It is credited with helping New Zealand international Marco Rojas get professional attention.

The Yellow Fever also combines charity with their support for the Phoenix. They sell bandannas in club colours for the youth-cancer charity CanTeen's "Bandana Day." They also take part in the Movember movement, where people grow moustaches to raise awareness for men's health.

Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Josh Oluwayemi 3 MF Corban Piper (scholarship) 4 DF Scott Wootton 5 MF Fin Roa Conchie 6 DF Tim Payne 7 FW Kosta Barbarouses 8 MF Paulo Retre 9 FW Hideki Ishige 10 FW David Ball 11 FW Stefan Colakovski 12 MF Mohamed Al-Taay 14 MF Alex Rufer (captain) 15 DF Isaac Hughes

No. Position Player 17 FW Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues (scholarship) 18 DF Lukas Kelly-Heald 19 DF Sam Sutton 21 FW Marco Rojas 23 FW Luke Supyk (scholarship) 24 FW Oskar van Hattum 25 MF Kazuki Nagasawa 27 DF Matthew Sheridan 29 FW Luke Brooke-Smith (scholarship) 30 GK Alby Kelly-Heald 35 GK Dublin Boon (scholarship) 39 DF Jayden Smith (scholarship) 41 FW Nathan Walker (scholarship)

Other players with first-team appearances

No. Position Player 36 DF Tze-Xuan Loke 42 FW Fergus Gillion

No. Position Player 46 MF Lachlan Candy

Youth Academy and Future Stars

The Wellington Phoenix started its youth academy system in 2013. This academy helps develop young football players. Many talented players have come from the Phoenix academy. Some have even played for their national teams or professionally overseas.

Here are some notable players who came from the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy:

Club Officials

Technical Staff

Role	Name
Manager	Giancarlo Italiano
Assistant manager	Adam Griffiths
Goalkeeping coach	Ruben Parker
Video analyst	Francesco Evangelista
Head of Strength & Conditioning	Weijie Lim
Head physiotherapist	Cory Glover
Rehab physiotherapist	Jamie Hassett
Football operations manager	Jake Piper
Kit man	Jack Mapp

Management Team

Team Captains Through the Years

Dates	Name	Honours (as captain)
2007–2008	Ross Aloisi	First ever club captain
2008–2019	Andrew Durante	Longest serving captain
2019–2020	Steven Taylor	First captain from outside Australia and New Zealand.
2020–2021	Ulises Dávila
2021	Steven Taylor	Retired before the 2021–22 season, just after being named captain.
2021–	Alex Rufer

Club Managers

List of Wellington Phoenix Managers

Name	Nationality	From	To	M	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win %	Ref
Herbert, RickiRicki Herbert	New Zealand	26 August 2007	24 February 2013	&&&&&&&&&&&&0154.&&&&&0154	&&&&&&&&&&&&&054.&&&&&054	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&065.&&&&&065	&&&&&&&&&&&&0193.&&&&&0193	&&&&&&&&&&&&0223.&&&&&0223	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&6000035.06
Greenacre, ChrisChris Greenacre	England	27 February 2013	31 March 2013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040.00
Merrick, ErnieErnie Merrick	Scotland	13 October 2013	4 December 2016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&090.&&&&&090	&&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&045.&&&&&045	&&&&&&&&&&&&0121.&&&&&0121	&&&&&&&&&&&&0156.&&&&&0156	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.33000033.33
Greenacre, ChrisChris Greenacre	England	10 December 2016	1 January 2017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00
Buckingham, DesDes Buckingham	10 December 2016	16 April 2017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035	&&&&&&&&&&&&&032.&&&&&032	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.58000031.58
Kalezić, DarijeDarije Kalezić	Bosnia-Herzegovina	8 October 2017	23 February 2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&5000019.05
Greenacre, ChrisChris Greenacre	England	10 March 2018	14 April 2018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.67000016.67
Rudan, MarkoMarko Rudan	Australia	21 October 2018	3 May 2019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&047.&&&&&047	&&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&&&&&046	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.29000039.29
Talay, UfukUfuk Talay	Australia	13 October 2019	6 May 2023	&&&&&&&&&&&&0105.&&&&&0105	&&&&&&&&&&&&&041.&&&&&041	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040	&&&&&&&&&&&&0150.&&&&&0150	&&&&&&&&&&&&0164.&&&&&0164	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&5000039.05
Italiano, GiancarloGiancarlo Italiano	Australia	6 May 2023	Present	&&&&&&&&&&&&&030.&&&&&030	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&043.&&&&&043	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.33000053.33

Women's Team

In June 2020, the Wellington Phoenix announced they wanted to create a women's team. This was part of a plan to add more teams to the A-League Women before the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

In September 2021, they announced the new women's team would join the A-League for the 2021–22 season. This made the Phoenix the first professional women's football team from New Zealand.

Club Achievements and Honours

The Wellington Phoenix is the only A-League club (besides the very new Auckland FC) that has not yet won a major trophy.

League Achievements

Chart of yearly table positions for Wellington Phoenix in A-League Men

• A-League Men Premiership
  • Runners-up (1): 2023–24 (finished second in the regular season)

Cup Achievements

• A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2008

End-of-Season Awards

Season	Player of the Year	Members' Player of the Year	Players' Player of the Year	Media Player of the Year	Under-23 Player of the Year	Golden Boot	Lloyd Morrison Spirit of the Phoenix Award
2007–08	Shane Smeltz	Shane Smeltz	Shane Smeltz	Shane Smeltz	not awarded	Shane Smeltz	not yet established
2008–09	Leo Bertos	Ben Sigmund	Shane Smeltz	Shane Smeltz		Shane Smeltz
2009–10	Andrew Durante	Paul Ifill	Paul Ifill	Paul Ifill	Troy Hearfield	Paul Ifill
2010–11	Ben Sigmund	Manny Muscat	Manny Muscat	Marco Rojas	Marco Rojas	Chris Greenacre
2011–12	Ben Sigmund	Ben Sigmund	Ben Sigmund	Ben Sigmund	not awarded	Paul Ifill
2012–13	Andrew Durante	Since 2012–13, members vote for the U–23 player of the year	Jeremy Brockie	not awarded	Louis Fenton	Jeremy Brockie	Ben Sigmund
2013–14	Albert Riera		Vince Lia		Tyler Boyd	Stein Huysegems	Leo Bertos Stein Huysegems
2014–15	Nathan Burns		Nathan Burns		Roly Bonevacia	Nathan Burns	Rob Lee Lee Spence
2015–16	Glen Moss		Glen Moss		Dylan Fox	Blake Powell	not awarded
2016–17	Kosta Barbarouses		Roy Krishna		Jacob Tratt	Roy Krishna
2017–18	Roy Krishna		Dylan Fox		Matthew Ridenton	Andrija Kaluđerović	Chris Greenacre
2018–19	Roy Krishna		Roy Krishna		Liberato Cacace	Roy Krishna	Alex Rufer
2019–20	David Ball	Liberato Cacace	Liberato Cacace	Liberato Cacace	Liberato Cacace	Ulises Dávila	Wellington Phoenix
2020–21	Ulises Dávila	Oli Sail	Ulises Dávila	Ulises Dávila	Ben Waine	Tomer Hemed	not awarded
2021–22	Oli Sail	David Ball	Oli Sail	Oli Sail	Sam Sutton	Jaushua Sotirio Ben Waine	not awarded
2022–23	Oskar Zawada	Oskar Zawada	Oskar Zawada	Oskar Zawada	Callan Elliot	Oskar Zawada	Lily Alfeld
2023-24	Kosta Barbarouses	Alex Paulsen	Alex Paulsen	Kosta Barbarouses	Alex Paulsen	Kosta Barbarouses	David Dome

Records and Statistics

Player Records

• Most League appearances: 273, Andrew Durante
• Most appearances in one season: 31, Chris Greenacre, 2010–11
• All-time leading goalscorer: 51 goals, Roy Krishna
• Most goals in one season: 18 goals, Roy Krishna, 2018–19 (in 26 games)

Team Records

• First League match: against Melbourne Victory, 26 August 2007 (drew 2–2)
• First goalscorer: Daniel against Melbourne Victory, 26 August 2007
• First win: against Sydney FC, 14 September 2007 (won 2–1)
• Biggest victory:
  • 6–0 against Gold Coast United, 25 October 2009
  • 8–2 against Central Coast Mariners, 9 March 2019
• Biggest defeat:
  • 7–1 against Sydney FC, 19 January 2013
  • 6–0 against Melbourne City, 2 April 2022
• Most wins in a row: 5 matches; 30 January 2010 – 7 March 2010
• Most losses in a row: 9 matches; 20 March 2016 – 31 October 2016
• Highest home attendance: 33,297 against Melbourne Victory on 18 May 2024
• Highest regular season attendance: 26,252 against Auckland FC at Sky Stadium, Wellington on 2 November 2024
• Highest friendly attendance: 31,853 against Los Angeles Galaxy on 1 December 2007
• Highest average attendance in a season: 11,683 – 2007–08 season
• Lowest home attendance: 3,898 against Perth Glory FC on 8 January 2012

Season-by-Season Performance

Season	Division	League										AUS Cup	Top scorer
		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Pos	Finals		Name	Goals
2007–08	A-League	21	5	5	11	25	37	–12	20	8th	–	–	Shane Smeltz	9
2008–09	A-League	21	7	5	9	23	31	–9	26	6th	–	–	Shane Smeltz ♦	12
2009–10	A-League	27	10	10	7	37	29	+8	40	4th	3rd	–	Paul Ifill	13
2010–11	A-League	30	12	5	13	39	41	–2	41	6th	SF	–	Chris Greenacre	8
2011–12	A-League	27	12	4	11	34	32	+2	40	4th	SF	–	Paul Ifill	8
2012–13	A-League	27	7	6	14	31	49	–18	28	10th	–	–	Jeremy Brockie	16
2013–14	A-League	27	7	7	13	36	42	–6	28	9th	–	–	Stein Huysegems	10
2014–15	A-League	27	14	4	9	45	35	+10	46	4th	EF	R32	Nathan Burns	13
2015–16	A-League	27	7	4	16	34	54	–20	25	9th	–	R16	Blake Powell	8
2016–17	A-League	27	8	6	13	41	46	–5	30	7th	–	R32	Roy Krishna	12
2017–18	A-League	27	5	6	16	31	55	–24	21	9th	–	R32	Andrija Kaluđerović	9
2018–19	A-League	27	11	7	9	46	43	+3	40	6th	EF	R32	Roy Krishna ♦	19
2019–20	A-League	26	12	5	9	38	33	+5	41	3rd	EF	R32	Ulises Dávila	12
2020–21	A-League	26	10	8	8	44	34	+10	38	7th	–	–	Tomer Hemed	11
2021–22	A-League Men	26	12	3	11	34	49	–15	39	6th	EF	SF	Jaushua Sotirio Ben Waine	8
2022–23	A-League Men	26	9	8	9	39	45	–6	32	6th	EF	QF	Oskar Zawada	15
2023–24	A-League Men	27	15	8	4	42	26	+16	53	2nd	SF	R16	Kosta Barbarouses	13

Affiliated Clubs

The Wellington Phoenix works with these clubs:

• Kerala Blasters Football Academy

See also

In Spanish: Wellington Phoenix Football Club para niños

• Football Kingz FC
• Phoenix (sports team), a list of sports teams named after the mythological phoenix or Phoenix, Arizona