The Wellington Phoenix academy celebrated its achievements in 2025 with its first annual awards night at Fraser Park on Monday night.
An E Rere Te Keo award and a Whanaungatanga award were presented to each of the eight academy teams before the four academy-wide Kaitiakitanga and Manaakitanga awards.
All of the awards are named after and awarded based on the club’s values.
E Rere Te Keo is the club’s motto and this award was essentially each team’s player of the year. It recognised the players who are bold, push boundaries, are unafraid to make mistakes, and shown the highest promise in their teams this year.
The Whanaungatanga award was essentially each team’s player’s player. These were voted for by the players and recognises players who are kind, strong, supportive, and consistently put the collective ahead of themselves.
The Kaitiakitanga awards recognised the two academy players, one young woman and one young man, who show the utmost respect for the club, its history, and the tohu they represent. It celebrates those who carries the responsibility of being an extraordinary club representative and guardian of the academy environment. Young goalkeeper Brooke Neary and fullback Kyle Koch were the two recipients.
Neary embodies katiakitanga in every sense. She has made an outstanding contribution to the club, volunteering at countless events — from holiday camps to club promotions — and consistently supporting the academy teams through mentorship and guidance despite her full time commitments with the first team.
Koch always puts others first. He is the first to step up when something needs doing, the last to leave when the gear needs packing away, and the one who volunteers without hesitation. He understands who he is and what it means to represent the club with integrity.
The Manaakitanga awards recognised the two academy players, one young woman and one young man, who put their teammates at the centre and surround them with care and support. Midfielders Alyssha Eglinton and George Fullelove were the two recipients.
Eglinton received the Manaakitanga award for the way she consistently puts people first. She places her teammates at the centre of everything she does—offering care, support, and genuine kindness in every interaction. Her presence makes others feel seen, valued, and uplifted, and she embodies the spirit of manaaki not through football actions, but through who she is as a person: compassionate, dependable, and wholeheartedly invested in the wellbeing of those around her.
Fullelove also consistently puts his teammates at the centre – someone who surrounds others with genuine care and unwavering support. His season was heavily disrupted by a back injury, but his response to that challenge showed exactly why he’s so valued at the academy. Even when he couldn’t play, he stayed present: supporting the group, helping with gear, organising set pieces, and bringing positivity into every environment he walked into.
The rest of the Wellington Phoenix academy award winners are as follows:
U14 Boys’ E Rere Te Keo award: Zac Manson
U14 Boys’ Whanaungatanga award: Kieran McMahon
U15 Boys’ E Rere Te Keo award: Vasilios Kastrinakis
U15 Boys’ Whanaungatanga award: Juro Shigeeda
U16 Girls’ E Rere Te Keo award: Ruby Barber
U16 Girls’ Whanaungatanga award: Anais Lecarpentier
U16 Boys’ E Rere Te Keo award: Ben Trenberth
U16 Boys’ Whanaungatanga award: Fionn Howard
U18 Women’s E Rere Te Keo award: Freya Des Fountain
U18 Women’s Whanaungatanga award: Maisy McDonald
U18 Men’s E Rere Te Keo award: Dan Nelson
U18 Men’s Whanaungatanga award: Phil Azevedo
Women’s Reserves’ E Rere Te Keo award: Grace Bartlett
Women’s Reserves’ Whanaungatanga award: Amber De Wit
Men’s Reserves’ E Rere Te Keo award: Fergus Gillion
Men’s Reserves’ Whanaungatanga award: Anaru Cassidy
Main image: Phoenix general manager David Dome on stage at the Wellington Phoenix academy awards. Photo: Cam McIntosh/Photomac.
