Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
There are highs and lows in any football club's history.
But when it comes to Wellington Phoenix, they have had more than their share of misery in just fifteen years of existing.
For many Kiwis, the club is one of the main reasons that football and best online casino betting is on the rise in New Zealand, and so the club remains a force to reckon with in the A-League.
Let us look at the journey of the only New Zealand-based football club in the Australian A-League and look at the highs and lows the club has gone through.
Wellington Phoenix was founded in March 2007. They call Sky Stadium their home which has a seating capacity of 34,500 seats.
The name of the club (Wellington Phoenix FC) was announced on 28th March 2007. The name was finalised after considering a shortlist of 250 names.
It wasn't long before the club started to make waves. In 2009/10, the Phoenix created history by becoming the first club from New Zealand to play the play-off of an Aussie competition.
After the change in ownership and management, Wellington Phoenix kept finding ways to keep themselves competitive.
In 2015, Wellington Phoenix were denied a 10-year licence by FFA. This was one of the dark phases for the club as nine other Australian clubs were given the licence to play in the league until 2034. However, Wellington Phoenix were the only club denied such a luxury.
As their own licence was set to expire in 2016, the WelNix group demanded a 10-year extension, which got denied swiftly.
What they got instead was a 4 plus 3 plus 3 year licence with three checkpoints to evaluate their performance over ten years.
One of the most disappointing pieces of news for fans of the club came when the transfer of Birmingham City striker Alex Jones fell through due to a faulty Internet connection - something you don't want when you're playing online pokies.
The New Zealand association staff member had to launch a loan request online with FIFA, but due to a faulty internet connection, he failed to do it in time leading to considerable embarrassment for the club.
Another disappointing moment came in the 2019 season as the inspirational coach Mark Rudan left the club after inspiring the club to a sixth place finish in 2018/19.
Wellington Phoenix fans have also had some moments of joy in their time supporting the Yellow Army.
We have already talked about the time they reached the playoffs after coming fourth in the league just three years after their inception.
In 2021, Wellington Phoenix broke their attendance record by attracting 24,105 people against Wester United FC.
Since May of 2021, Wellington have found it tough to attract fans as they have perennially been playing away from New Zealand.
But as they return home as COVID-19 restrictions get lifted, it is sure to bring a wave of optimism for the flag bearers of Kiwi football in the A-League.
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