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 (2007-03-19)
Ground	Sky Stadium
Ground Capacity	34,500
Owner	Welnix
Chairman	Robert Morrison
Manager	Giancarlo Italiano
League	A-League Men
2022–23	6th of 12

Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football team from Wellington, New Zealand. They play in the A-League Men, which is Australia's top football league. 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 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 has black and yellow stripes. The team's best results include reaching the A-League Preliminary Final in 2010 and the A-League Semi Final in 2024.

The club's biggest rivals are Auckland FC, another New Zealand team started in 2024. When they play each other, it's called the New Zealand Derby.

Club History

How the Phoenix Started

During the 2006–07 A-League season, the Football Federation Australia (FFA) took away the license from the New Zealand Knights. This happened because the Knights had money problems and weren't playing well. After the Knights' board left, the FFA gave the license to New Zealand Soccer (now New Zealand Football). They managed the club for a short time before it closed down.

The FFA then offered New Zealand Soccer a temporary A-League license. This was for a new New Zealand team to join the 2007–08 A-League season. The FFA wanted to make sure a New Zealand team stayed in the league.

After some time, a Wellington businessman named Terry Serepisos provided the money needed for the new team. Serepisos became the main owner and chairman. He gave NZD $1,250,000 to help start the new New Zealand team. This made sure New Zealand could keep playing in the A-League. The new Wellington club was officially confirmed on March 19, 2007.

The club's name, "Phoenix," was chosen from a list of ideas from the public. It was announced on March 28, 2007. Serepisos said the name meant a "fresh start" and "rising from the ashes." It also showed the amazing support from Wellington fans.

There were some discussions about whether the Wellington team could keep playing in the Australian league because of rules about different football regions. However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that if both the Australian and New Zealand football groups were happy, FIFA would allow it.

The Phoenix Rises

In the 2009–10 season, 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 on February 21, 2010. The Phoenix won that game in a penalty shootout. They then won another home game against Newcastle Jets on March 7.

In the Preliminary Final, the Phoenix played against Sydney FC. They lost 4–2 in a game that had a controversial moment. A goal for Sydney FC seemed to involve a handball, but the referee allowed it. This decision was very disappointing for the Phoenix players and coach. The loss ended the Phoenix's season.

On April 20, 2010, the FFA gave Wellington Phoenix a five-year extension to their license. This meant they would stay in the competition until at least the end of the 2015–16 season. Many people believe that the Phoenix playing in the A-League has been very important for the New Zealand national team and football in New Zealand.

New Owners for the Club

Before the 2011/12 season, the club's owner, Terry Serepisos, faced financial problems. He eventually gave up ownership of the club on September 23, 2011. A new group of seven Wellington business people took over the club's license. This group, called Welnix, was led by Rob Morrison.

Changes in Coaches

On February 26, 2013, Ricki Herbert resigned as head coach. The team was in last place and had not been playing well. Assistant Coach Chris Greenacre took over as a temporary coach. After a search, Ernie Merrick was announced as the new head coach on May 20, 2013. Merrick had been very successful with the Melbourne Victory. Greenacre stayed on as assistant coach.

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

The Rudan and Talay Years

On May 30, 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 9-game unbeaten run and finished 6th, making it to the playoffs. Rudan left the club at the end of the season for personal reasons.

On May 4, 2019, Ufuk Talay took over as head coach. He wanted to build a young team with many New Zealand players. He signed several new players, including All Whites goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic. Talay's team had a strong start, winning a pre-season game 7–0.

On May 22, 2021, Wellington Phoenix set a new home attendance record. Over 24,000 fans came to watch them play Western United FC. This was the first A-League game in New Zealand in over a year. Talay announced on April 14, 2023, that he would leave the club after his fourth season.

Team Colours and Badge

The original logo used until 2017.

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

Phoenix fans wanted a uniform with yellow and black stripes. At first, the league rules didn't allow this. So, for the first two seasons, the team wore mostly black with yellow and white. In 2009, when the rules changed, the Phoenix started wearing their yellow and black stripes. Paladin now makes their uniforms.

The club's badge shows a phoenix rising. In August 2017, they updated their 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 that means a "rising call."

Home Stadium

Sky Stadium, the home ground of Wellington Phoenix.

Wellington Phoenix FC plays most of its home games at Wellington Regional Stadium. Fans often call it the 'Ring of Fire'. It's now known as Sky Stadium because of sponsorship. The stadium can hold 34,500 people. It was built in 1999 and is close to public transport in Wellington.

The stadium is owned and run by the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust. It 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.

The Phoenix has also played some home games in other New Zealand cities. They played in Palmerston North, Christchurch, and Auckland. This helped them gain more fans across New Zealand. For example, a game in Auckland at Eden Park had over 20,000 fans.

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

Supporters and Fans

Crowd at the first game of the season in August 2007.

Wellington Phoenix has many loyal fans in Wellington, across New Zealand, and among New Zealanders living in Australia. The main fan group is called the Yellow Fever. It was started just a day after the club was announced. The name "Yellow Fever" was chosen because they thought the team would wear yellow. Even though the first uniform was mostly black, they kept the name. Many members wear yellow to games. The 'Fever Zone' at Sky Stadium is where most Yellow Fever members stand and cheer.

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

Many Yellow Fever members also support other football teams in New Zealand. This includes Team Wellington and the New Zealand national football team.

A Phoenix fan in Algeria.

The Yellow Fever fans have a great relationship with the club. They do a lot of charity work. They were the first fan club in the A-League to offer a yearly football scholarship. This "Retro Ricki Youth Scholarship" helped promising young New Zealand footballers. It helped players like Marco Rojas get noticed professionally.

The Yellow Fever also sells bandannas in the club's colours each year for the youth-cancer charity CanTeen. They have also taken part in the Movember movement since 2007, where people grow moustaches to raise money for men's health.

Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Josh Oluwayemi 3 DF Corban Piper 5 MF Fin Roa Conchie 6 DF Tim Payne 7 FW Ifeanyi Eze 8 MF Paulo Retre 9 FW Hideki Ishige 14 MF Alex Rufer (captain) 15 DF Isaac Hughes 17 FW Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues (scholarship)

No. Position Player 18 DF Lukas Kelly-Heald 23 FW Luke Supyk 25 MF Kazuki Nagasawa 27 DF Matthew Sheridan 29 FW Luke Brooke-Smith (scholarship) 30 GK Alby Kelly-Heald 36 DF Xuan Loke (scholarship) 39 DF Jayden Smith (scholarship) 41 FW Nathan Walker (scholarship) — FW Carlo Armiento

Other players with first-team appearances

No. Position Player 40 GK Eamonn McCarron 42 FW Fergus Gillion

No. Position Player 44 FW Daniel Makowem 46 MF Lachlan Candy

Youth Academy

The Wellington Phoenix has a youth academy system that started in 2013. This academy helps develop young football players. Many players who have come through the Phoenix academy have gone on to play for New Zealand or professionally overseas.

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

Club Staff

Coaching Team

Role	Name
Manager	Giancarlo Italiano
Assistant manager	Kelly Guimarães
Goalkeeping coach	Dylan Cope
Operations manager	Matthew Hastings
Head of Strength & Conditioning	Weijie Lim
Head physiotherapist	Grayson Harwood
Equipment manager and assistant analyst	Sebastian Bayliss
Rehab physiotherapist	Jamie Hassett
Assistant analyst	Tyron Curtis

Club Management

Updated March 26, 2019.

Team Captains Over Time

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, a few days after being named captain.
2021–	Alex Rufer

Club Managers

This table shows all the managers who have coached the Wellington Phoenix. Key

•        Caretaker (temporary) manager
•        Started as temporary, then became permanent manager
• Manager dates, statistics and nationalities are from WorldFootball.net and Ultimatealeague.com

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	England	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	&&&&&&&&&&&&&057.&&&&&057	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&075.&&&&&075	&&&&&&&&&&&&&072.&&&&&072	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.35000040.35

Women's Team

In June 2020, Wellington Phoenix shared their goal to create a women's team. This was part of a plan for the A-League Women to add new clubs before the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. In September 2021, they announced that 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

Wellington Phoenix is the only A-League club that has not yet won a major trophy. In the 2024/25 season, Auckland FC won the A-League Premiership.

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)

Cup Achievements

• A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2008 (finished second)
• NE Lajong Super Series Championship
  • Runners-up (1): 2012 (finished second)

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
2024–25	Kosta Barbarouses				Corban Piper	Kosta Barbarouses	Annalie Longo

Records and Statistics

Player Records

• Most League appearances: 273, Andrew Durante
• Most appearances in one season: 31, Chris Greenacre, 2010–11
• All-time top 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, August 26, 2007 (drew 2–2)
• First goalscorer: Daniel against Melbourne Victory, August 26, 2007
• First win: against Sydney FC, September 14, 2007 (won 2–1)
• Biggest victory:
  • 6–0 against Gold Coast United, October 25, 2009
  • 8–2 against Central Coast Mariners, March 9, 2019
• Biggest defeat:
  • 7–1 against Sydney FC, January 19, 2013
  • 6–0 against Melbourne City, April 2, 2022
• Most wins in a row: 5 matches; January 30, 2010 – March 7, 2010
• Most losses in a row: 9 matches; March 20, 2016 – October 31, 2016
• Highest home attendance: 33,297 against Melbourne Victory on May 18, 2024
• Highest regular season attendance: 26,252 against Auckland FC at Sky Stadium, Wellington on November 2, 2024
• Highest friendly attendance: 31,853 against Los Angeles Galaxy on December 1, 2007
• Highest average attendance in a season: 11,683 – 2007–08 season
• Lowest home attendance: 3,898 against Perth Glory FC on January 8, 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
2024–25	A-League Men	26	6	6	14	27	43	−16	24	11th	–	R32	Kosta Barbarouses	11

Partner Clubs

The following clubs work together with Wellington Phoenix:

• Kerala Blasters FC (2024–present)

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