The Wellington Phoenix academy turned heads on the world stage on Saturday night.
A remarkable 21 past or present Phoenix academy players helped Wellington stun global football sensations Wrexham AFC 1-0 in front of 25,399 fans at Sky Stadium, with current reserve team striker Luke Flowerdew scoring the match-winner early in the second half.
Seven academy graduates (Fin Roa Conchie, Isaac Hughes, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Xuan Loke, Matt Sheridan and Jayden Smith) started the match, before another grad (Luke Supyk) and nine current reserve team players (Ryan Lee, Ryan Watson, Dylan Gardiner, Anaru Cassidy, Fergus Gillion, Lewis Partridge, Lachlan Candy, Flowerdew and Mac Munro) started the second half. A further four (Eamonn McCarron, Nick Murphy, Luke Mitchell and Dan Makowem) came on as second half substitutes and helped secure the momentous result.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was quick to give credit to the Phoenix, especially the reserve squad members that featured in the second half.
“I just felt the youngsters…had so much enthusiasm and energy about them and you could see what a big night it was for them playing in front of 25 thousand people,” Parkinson told media post-match.
“To be fair to them the manager will be very pleased with how they’ve stood up to that challenge.
“They defended for their lives at times, always looked a threat on the counter [and] got good energy in the team. As we know they’re all fit, athletic lads.”
Fitter, faster, stronger is the academy’s mantra and the players’ athleticism is what stood out for Parkinson from the team’s three-match tour against A-League opposition.
“The key is…running power. I spoke to the sport scientist here before the game and I was asking him about their physical data, and it was high, very high.
“That’s great for us coming up against that.
“Sometimes young players may lack the strength and physicality at this moment to play in Europe but their ability to cover the ground quickly was there for all to see.
“It looks like the A-League is producing some young talent which is fantastic for the sport over here.”
Reserves head coach Chris Greenacre took charge of the team in the second half and expressed his immense pride in the players and staff when he was told about Parkinson’s comments post-match.
“To get that from a fellow coach like Phil Parkinson is full credit to the whole academy,” Greenacre said.
“It’s great that you get feedback like that and I’ll certainly pass that on to everyone and tell them what a good job they’re doing.
“We’ve got some really good staff members within the academy. They work incredibly hard off the field. The data and stuff they’ve got running, I won’t bore you with details, but they’re some really cool operators.
“Some of my fellow coaches in there are doing a really good job and the future looks pretty bright I think.”
The win over Wrexham came mere hours after Phoenix academy graduate Libby Cacace completed a lucrative move to the Championship club from Empoli.
“Libby is kind of the golden star, the pinnacle of what we’ve achieved.
“What he’s done in the game; going overseas, playing in Europe, playing top level in Europe and now he’s got an opportunity in the Championship.
“And to be honest I don’t think it will be long before there’s a Premier League club knocking on the door if he doesn’t get there with Wrexham.
“We’ve got that production line. It goes below my group. There are some incredible coaches in the academy that are producing some really good footballers and that will continue.
“There’s a lot of work going on to ultimately help get in Chiefy’s team. And to be fair you’ve seen with the boss if they’re good enough they’re old enough, as they say, [and] he’ll play them.
“That’s a credit to the club all being on one page. We know what’s expected and Libby’s the pinnacle of that and we’re very proud of that.”
It has been a successful few weeks for the academy and they’re not done yet in 2025.
Earlier this month the Phoenix U15 boys side won the Christchurch International Cup while the women’s reserves won the Kelly Cup for the best performing women’s side in Capital Football competitions.
The women’s reserves will host Cashmere Technical at Fraser Park next month for a place in the final of the Kate Sheppard Cup, while the U18 women and men’s reserves are both challenging for a top two finish in their respective Central Leagues.
Main image: Priyanka Rao/Wellington Phoenix.
About the Wellington Phoenix academy
- The Wellington Phoenix academy was established in 2013 by the Welnix group which wanted to create a pathway to professional football for young Kiwi footballers.
- From one men’s youth team and a couple of staff the Phoenix academy now boasts eight age-group sides at Fraser Park who are looked after by more than 25 staff, which include some of New Zealand’s leading coaches, sport scientists, physios and analysts. It is now the country’s largest private-run academy.
- Current first team player Liv Ingham was the first female to join the academy in 2021. Now in addition to the five men’s teams (U-14, U-15, U-16, U-18 and U-20), there are now three women’s sides (U- 16, U-18 & U-20). The academy provides the only high performance pathway for young female footballers in Aotearoa. All eight teams play in Capital Football competitions during the winter with the two reserve sides playing in the National League Championship each spring.
- The Wellington Phoenix invests more in its academy than any other A-League team and it has helped countless young Kiwis fulfil their dreams of becoming professional footballers, with the likes of Liberato Cacace, Sarpreet Singh, Macey Fraser, Alex Paulsen, Ben Old and Finn Surman amongst its most high-profile graduates. Half of the players in the current Phoenix women’s and men’s first teams are academy graduates, with eight women and 10 men having come through the club’s high performance pathway.
