Goalkeepers Brianna Edwards and Rylee Foster won’t be returning to the Wellington Phoenix for the next women’s A-League season.
The out-of-contract players have become free agents.
Young Football Ferns ‘keeper Edwards made her A-League debut late in the team’s maiden campaign and went on to start all but one of the women’s matches in the 2022-23 A-League.
Main photo: Brianna Edwards … leaving the Phoenix. Photo credit: Natural Light Photography Company.
She made 23 appearances for the club over the past three seasons.
Edwards (21) was limited to four appearances last season but still provided one of the moments of the year when she came off the bench against Canberra United to save a penalty.
“It has been an honour to wear the Nix jersey and live and play in Wellington,” Edwards said.
“New Zealand has become my second home and I’m so grateful to the club, my teammates and the fans for making the last three seasons so memorable.
“Walking out onto Sky Stadium in the first professional women’s football game played in New Zealand will always be one of the highlights of my career.”
Rylee Foster (25) joined the Phoenix on the eve of the 2023-24 season, two years after an horrific car accident that halted her promising career.
The Canadian went on to start 19 of the team’s 22 matches, keeping three clean sheets and helping the women achieve their highest finish.
“I just want to thank the Wellington Phoenix organisation; all of the staff, all of the players, all of the coaching staff, the fans and everyone in Wellington for accepting me with open arms,” Foster said.
“I always said the club took a big risk in taking me on and they were an instrumental part of my return to the professional game.
“If it wasn’t for the Phoenix I wouldn’t be able to take the next steps in my career like I’m able to now.
“It was an honour to be part of an historical run with the Phoenix this year. Although we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, I know the club has been put into a better position to achieve greatness and win some hardware in the future.
“I’ll miss everyone and I’ll be the Phoenix’s number one fan for the men’s and women’s sides for the season to come.”
The departure of the two women’s goalkeepers follows news that men’s goalkeeper Jack Duncan was leaving the Phoenix to play for Melbourne Victory.
READ MORE: Phoenix goalkeeper Jack Duncan signs for A-League rivals Melbourne Victory >>>>
“I want to say thank you to everyone at the Phoenix for making my time and my family’s time really enjoyable throughout the last year,” Duncan said.
“To the boys and the coaching staff: thank you for everything. I met some really good people and made some good friends at the Phoenix, and I look forward to watching them in the future.”
The Phoenix have thanked the departing ‘keepers for their contributions and wished them all the best for their futures.
This story was first published on July 10, 2024.
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