Wellington Phoenix and New Zealand Football have announced a significant talent development partnership to support the growth and progression of the next generation of Kiwi players.
They say the partnership, which is supported by FIFA, will see them collaborate on a talent development system to maximise the impact of both parties’ resources, aligning with the New Zealand Football high performance and talent development plan to support New Zealand’s best football talent.
As part of the partnership, there will be additional scholarship positions at the Wellington Phoenix academy for Kiwi talent, and steps to align the development pathway for players from the domestic game to the A-Leagues and beyond.
The partnership is agreed for an initial two-year term and comes into effect immediately.
Wellington Phoenix general manager David Dome said: “We believe this partnership will be a game-changer for the development of young footballers in Aotearoa.
“Through the investment of our owners, the Phoenix academy has gone from strength to strength and is setting the standard for youth development in New Zealand, with graduates now playing in the world’s top leagues.
“With the support of New Zealand Football and FIFA, we believe we can take the academy to a whole new level and will help more young footballers realise their dreams of playing professionally.”
New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell said: “Wellington Phoenix have a critical role to play in talent development in the player pathway and have an established record of successfully supporting players to become professional footballers, transferring them into top flight clubs around the world as well as producing All Whites and Ford Football Ferns.
“Following the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, football is exploding in Aotearoa; our community club network are doing a great job in player development and our development pathway is continuing to evolve, so it is really important that we have an aligned approach across the country to support the next generation of Kiwi talent.
“With two A-League clubs now in New Zealand, there is an opportunity to ensure our professional academies are accessible and present the best opportunities towards a professional pathway for talented young players in Aotearoa.
“The NZF-Phoenix partnership in creating the first-ever women’s professional team was groundbreaking, so it’s very exciting to now move forward with this collaboration that will allow New Zealand Football and the Phoenix to really maximise both of our resources and ensure we support each other for the benefit of New Zealand talent.”
Photo credit: Natural Light Photography Company.
This story was first published on September 18, 2024.
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