The Wellington Phoenix are excited to announce a range of initiatives this month, as part of its Wollongong Appreciation Month for the community.
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“We’ve been grateful for the support that many Wollongong locals have shown us over the past few months as the club has made the transition to a new base in New South Wales,” says Dome.
The Phoenix, who are based in Wollongong for the 2020/21 A-League season and play their home matches out of WIN Stadium, will play three key home matches at this venue in March; versus Perth Glory on 7 March, against Melbourne Victory on 24 March and versus Macarthur Bulls on 28 March.
For the Perth Glory match on Sunday 7 March, the Phoenix will host the first of two double-headers at WIN Stadium, with the Wollongong Wolves taking on Manly United as the curtain-raiser. This match comes 21 years after the famous Wolves vs. Glory NSL Grand Final match, which saw the Wolves came from 3-0 down to capture the championship in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.
The match versus Perth will also be exciting for fans for another reason, as the Phoenix will unveil its alternative home strip for March – named the ‘Wollongong Strip’ – which will feature an iconic red motif in honour of the Wollongong sporting colours. This kit will be worn for all home matches in March at WIN Stadium, with a match-worn (and signed) kit from each player to be auctioned off for charity at the end of the month.
Following this match, the Phoenix will take on Melbourne Victory in a mid-week clash on Wednesday 24 February, with a special match day event planned for this game which will be announced closer to the time.
And on Sunday 28 March, the Phoenix will play their second double-header at WIN Stadium, versus newcomers Macarthur Bulls – with this match preceded by a curtain raiser between the Wollongong Wolves and the North Bridge Bulls NPL side. The Phoenix are also planning several other ground-breaking initiatives for this match which it will announce at a later date.
Wellington Phoenix General Manager, David Dome says that the club is grateful for being welcomed by the Wollongong community, and the Appreciation Month in March presents an opportunity to both give back.
“We’ve been grateful for the support that many Wollongong locals have shown us over the past few months as the club has made the transition to a new base in New South Wales,” says Dome.
“Wollongong Appreciation Month is our chance to show Wollongong locals and the business community that we very much value them accepting us into their community – by supporting us with their attendance at games, and also for the business community who have financially come on board and assisted the club through a difficult transition.
“We want to continue building our local fanbase, and are keen to have WIN Stadium packed full of Wollongong locals cheering on the team this season.”
