Our History
The Wellington Phoenix arose from the ashes of the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights, who imploded in early 2007 after just two A-League seasons, when Wellington property developer Terry Serepisos and Century City Football secured an A-League sub-licence on March 19, 2007. Five months later the Phoenix played their first competitive match, earning a creditable 2-2 draw with A-League powerhouse the Melbourne Victory in Wellington.
Since then the club has gone from strength to strength and has become an integral part of the sporting landscape in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and across Aotearoa. The Phoenix men have become a regular in the A-League finals, qualifying for the playoffs more often than they have missed out. The team has yet to play in a grand final but came agonisingly close in 2010 and 2024. The club has also broken football attendance records in New Zealand with sell-out crowds at Sky Stadium for the LA Galaxy and David Beckham in 2009, for the elimination final against the Newcastle Jets in 2010, and most recently for the second leg of the semi-final against Melbourne Victory in 2024.
In September 2011, the Phoenix was taken over by Welnix, a consortium of some of Wellington’s most successful and influential businesspeople. With business acumen and professional integrity unparallelled in New Zealand business, Welnix secured the club’s future through to the present day.
The Phoenix established its own academy in 2013, and it has become the leading high performance pathway in New Zealand football. The academy now supports eight age-group teams and has helped countless young Kiwis fulfil their dreams of becoming professional footballers, with the likes of Liberato Cacace, Sarpreet Singh, Macey Fraser, Alex Paulsen and Ben Old amongst its most high-profile graduates.
After years of trying the club secured entry into the A-League women’s competition in 2021 thanks to the support of New Zealand Football and the New Zealand Government. The Phoenix drew 0-0 with Western Sydney Wanderers in their inaugural match on December 3, 2021 in Wollongong, where they were based for their maiden season because of border restrictions brought about by the Covid pandemic. The women returned home in 2022 and were greeted by a then A-League record crowd for a stand-alone professional women’s match for their season opener. The team now plays out of Porirua Park where they receive great support from the club’s passionate fanbase.
