WELCOME FROM GM DAVID DOME Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to WIN Stadium in Wollongong for the women’s second match in four days. Today we play host to Sydney FC, who beat us 3-0 in round three of the 2021/22 Liberty A-League season. They players put in a commendable performance against last year’s runners-up and I’m expecting they will push them again this evening. The women have now been based in Wollongong for the best part of two months and most of the players have just spent their first Christmas away from family and friends. It’s been an enormous challenge but Gemma and her team have got on with the job without any complaints.
Thankfully they are receiving some great support from the local community. Fraternity Club have come on board as a corporate partner and are looking after the players’ pre and post-match meals, while BaiMed have been providing all of their physiotherapy needs. We are also delighted to welcome SHOTT Beverages as the women’s front-of-short sponsor. Eagle-eyed observers would have noticed their logo on the players shorts the last time we played Sydney. It’s great to have another Wellington business step up to support the team. It follows New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) and Comrad Medical Systems signing on as the front-of-shirt and sleeve
sponsors respectively on the eve of their historic first season. Malcolm Gillies, Kevin Melville and NZCIS are great supporters of the Wellington Phoenix and they answered the call when we needed them the most. We are also very appreciative of Glenn Stewart and Catherine Savage from Comrad Medical Systems for stepping up. A big thanks also goes out to our men’s partners. Oppo and Spark have come on board as the men’s front-of-jersey sponsors this season, joining our family of commercial supporters. COYN!
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YOUR 2021/22 PHOENIX WOMEN SQUAD #1
GK
#2
LILY ALFELD (CAPTAIN)
#5
FWD
#6
FWD
MID
# 10
#7
FWD
TE REREMOANA WALKER
# 14
DEF
MACKENZIE BARRY
MID
#8
MID
# 11
GRACE WISNEWSKI
FWD
KELLI BROWN
DEF
CUSHLA RUE
#4
CHLOE KNOTT
GRACE JALE
MID
DEF
KATE TAYLOR
ISABEL GOMEZ
AVA PRITCHARD
# 13
#3
SASKIA VOSPER
JORDAN JASNOS
#9
DEF
# 15
GK
BRIANNA EDWARDS
DEF
ZOE MCMEEKEN
# 12
# 16
MID
HANNAH JONES
YOUR 2021/22 PHOENIX WOMEN SQUAD # 17
# 18
DEF
TALITHA KRAMER
# 19
DEF
ANNABEL MARTIN
DEF
CHARLOTTE LANCASTER
# 20
MID
ALYSSA WHINHAM
COACH Gemma Lewis
1
Jada Whyman
GK
12 Natalie Tobin (captain)
DEF
2
Mary Stanic-Floody
DEF
13 Natasha Prior
DEF
3
Charlotte Mclean
DEF
14 Paige Satchell
FWD
4
Jessika Nash
DEF
15 Mackenzie Hawkesby
MID
5
Ally Green
DEF
16 Kahli Johnson
MID
6
Sarah Hunter
DEF
17 Angelique Hristodoulou
DEF
7
Ellie Brush
DEF
18 Taylor Ray
MID
8
Rachel Lowe
MID
19 Charlize Rule
MID
9
Maria Rojas
FWD
20 Princess Ibini
FWD
FWD
30 Katie Offer
GK
FWD
Coach: Ante Juric
10 Remy Siemsen 11
Cortnee Vine
FEATURE:
PHOENIX WOMEN WANT TO LEAVE A MARK Leaving a legacy is one of the goals for the inaugural Wellington Phoenix women’s side. Gemma Lewis’ history-making team play their fifth Liberty A-League match this evening, when they host Sydney FC at WIN Stadium in Wollongong. Captain Lily Alfeld was Lewis’ first signing and she says it’s one of her aims to leave a “positive legacy for this club going forward”. “I think it’s a massive opportunity for us to create a culture within the club for the women’s team. We have a massive opportunity to shape where that’s going,” Alfeld said. “That would definitely be my own personal as well as our team goal to start off on the right foot and have a positive impact on women’s football in New Zealand.” Delivering consistent performances is also a goal for the players. “If we go out there every week and improve from week to week and take the learnings we’ve got from each game and put it into practice I’d be over the moon. “It’s a huge challenge for all of the girls to be expected to perform consistently every week but I think that’s definitely our goal, to go out there and build each week and play that consistent game of football. “Obviously we recognise we’re the underdogs going into almost every game so we want to win. If we can upset a few teams that’d definitely be success in our books.” Lewis has encouraged the players to be brave and not be afraid of playing out from the back. “It’s definitely a juggling act that one,” Alfeld said. “But we’ve all bought into that idea of being brave. “We started off really positively against Western Sydney and we almost went into our shell against Newcastle and didn’t have that same courage on the field. “It showed if we aren’t brave on the ball we will get punished. Lily Alfeld
“We’ll all bought into that idea and it starts with us at the back from me and the centre backs, making sure that we’re
not just lumping that ball long and trying to get out of our half but we’re actually building up and creating our own chances.” Personally Lily Alfeld wants to get recognised by the Football Ferns coaches. “That’s always been my goal to crack the national team. I’ve had a little bit of experience on a couple of tours in 2014 and 2019, but I haven’t been in the mix since then.
It showed if we aren’t brave on the ball we will get punished.”
She also wants to grow into the captaincy role and refine her leadership skills. “It’s been a massive step up for me. I haven’t captained before so it’s been a massive learning curve.
“I’d love to be a part of the squad for the home World Cup and obviously the Olympics following that.”
“Every game I’ve been taking away new experiences in that captaincy role and just figuring out the demands of it and what’s expected of me.
“At the moment if I can put in a good performance every week and play a good season hopefully I’ll get an opportunity there. That’s definitely the overall goal.”
“A number of girls in the team bring different leadership characteristics to the team so it’s been great to be able to lean on them and share the load.”
Alfeld knows she will be judged by how many clean sheets she keeps. “We obviously want to win as many games as we can and we can’t lose if we don’t concede.
The Phoenix have been based in Wollongong for the best part of two months now and the majority of the players have just spent their first Christmas away from family.
“My number one priority is a clean sheet every game.”
But overall Alfeld has loved living with her teammates.
“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s almost like being on a school camp when you’re a kid and you have all of your classmates with you all the time. “We have to manage it because not very often are you in an environment like this, almost like a camp where you don’t get to go away or go back to your family or friends. “We’ll just have to be a bit careful of making sure we’re not in each other’s presence too much, that we’re having our own downtime and that we’re getting out and seeing other people and just being a bit more conscious of the fact that it’s a lot of time to spend with each other. “Overall it’s been awesome. It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve gone out as a team and explored Wollongong.” “A lot of us, especially the Kiwis, knew each other before but we only just saw each other at training so it’s been really nice to get to know the girls outside of football.”
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THE PHOENIX WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING BUSINESSES & ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT THIS 2021/22 SEASON: P R I N C I P A L
P R E M I U M
C O R P O R A T E