Minor premiers and Oceania champions Auckland City will provide the first opponents for the ‘Nix in a series of midweek games with ASB Premiership franchises to be played between November and February.
The ‘Nix ‘A’ side will be led by Wellington Phoenix assistant coaches Chris Greenacre and Jonathan Gould and comprise members of the current A-League squad plus members of the Football School of Excellence.
The confirmation of the Wellington Phoenix Challenge Series is the latest initiative designed to provide meaningful opportunities for squad members outside of the first team and talented young players crucial game time outside of the A-League.
The Wellington Phoenix have been able to build a successful club despite being the only A-League franchise without a youth team playing in the Australian National Youth League or a reserve team playing in the ASB Premiership.
FIFA statutes preclude the Wellington club from entering a reserve team in the amateur ASB Premiership because of their professional status.
A similar concept – the ASB Challenge Series – was played during the 2010/11 ASB Premiership season.
New Zealand Football CEO Grant McKavanagh says the launch of the Wellington Phoenix Challenge was another indication of the support for the Wellington Phoenix by NZF and a positive development for football in New Zealand.
“We see the ASB Premiership as a pathway to professional environments, we’ve seen a number of players move on to bigger and better things and that’s great. The Phoenix is obviously the closest club for the players to try and break into,” McKavanagh says.
“We’ve already seen the likes of Tyler Boyd and Louis Fenton make the step up from the ASB Premiership to the Football School of Excellence and ultimately the Wellington Phoenix A-League squad.”
Wellington Phoenix General Manager David Dome says the reincarnation of Phoenix ‘A’ was a win-win prospect for the club and for football in New Zealand.
“Phoenix ‘A’ is part of our overall development plan for the club. Not only does it allow our players who have been on the periphery of the first team or are coming back from injury an opportunity to transition themselves back into the first team, it also provides a vehicle for our Football School of Excellence players to continue their development,” Dome says.
“We also believe it’s an excellent opportunity to get the ASB Premiership players in front of our coaching staff which may lead on to future opportunities like Tyler and Louis.
“And importantly we’re very keen to be a visible part of the football community and continue our association with football clubs around the country.”
The Phoenix seem to have no issues in calling up ASB Premiership players as cover, a fact highlighted in the Melbourne Heart match which was played during the recent FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers. No fewer than seven current or former ASB Premiership players were involved in the match day squad.
Jacob Spoonley (Auckland City), Scott Basalaj, Luke Rowe and Tom Biss (all Team Wellington) were released back to their ASB Premiership sides in the weeks that followed, with all eight franchises agreeing to waive the 30 day stand down for players returning to amateur status.
For Auckland City it is an opportunity to continue their preparation for the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan this December.
Auckland coach Ramon Tribulietx says the Wellington Phoenix Challenge makes up for lack of competitive activity in pre-season.
Auckland City leaves for Japan in three weeks where they face a warm up match with a J-League 2 club before taking on the J-League winners on December 6 in Yokohama.
“The Phoenix game is an opportunity to keep competing. Our pre-season in terms of the number of games we played has not been very good and the Wellington Phoenix game comes in at the right time.
Auckland’s season got off on a sour note, losing 2-1 in the ASB Charity Cup to rivals Waitakere United, but they bounced back in some style beating Canterbury United 5-2 on Saturday.
“The mood has always been very good in our camp and we have just started the ASB Premiership and everyone is willing to participate and the new players and staff are fitting in well with the group,” says Tribulietx.
Tribulietx has an injury free squad to pick from, an important element in a week where the team plays three games.
“We will probably use everyone in this game, we have two balanced elevens, we have a lot of very competent players in the squad and most people will take part in it,” he said.
Auckland City last played the Wellington Phoenix ‘A’ in January 2011, the match ending in a 1-1 draw. The match kicks off at 5:30pm at Kiwitea Street in Auckland.
Wellington Phoenix Challenge
Auckland City v Wellington Phoenix ‘A’
Kiwitea Street, Auckland
Kick-off: 5:30pm local time
Referee: Nick WALDRON
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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