The Wellington Phoenix have moved quickly to sign a new centre back, with Alivia Kelly to join the club next week.
The American defender is the Phoenix women’s final visa signing for the 2024-25 Ninja A-League and replaces Algeria international Imane Chebel, who has returned home to Canada.
It is Kelly’s first professional contract, having had a decorated college career at the New Hampshire Wildcats before joining the NC State Wolfpack this year.
She started all 60 matches for the Wildcats over her four years at the University of New Hampshire, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience and behaviour, before doing her post-graduate studies at North Carolina State University and playing in the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference.
Phoenix head coach Paul Temple is delighted to have secured a player of Kelly’s calibre.
“As soon as it became evident we needed to bring in a new visa centre back we went through a pretty comprehensive list of available players, and Alivia really shone out on a number of levels.
“I think she is a player who will do very well in the A-League.
“She has good athletic and physical qualities to handle the nature of the league but has also got good ability on the ball to help the team in its style of play.
“We did our research into her and without fail everyone we spoke to talks of her in glowing terms as a player and a person, so it feels like this is a really good fit for us right now and we’re excited to have her join the team next week.”
Alivia Kelly was caught off guard by the interest from the Wellington Phoenix as she completes her studies at NC State, but believes it is a “no brainer” to make the move to New Zealand.
“It’s definitely not something I had on my bingo card for this month,” Kelly said. “But I’m very excited and I can’t wait to meet everyone and get started.
“It’s a cliché but one door is closing for another one to open.
“I’m very excited about stepping into the pro ranks, developing as a player and a person and getting new life experiences abroad.”
The Boston native has “always been a defender” and hopes to bring defensive grit to the Phoenix.
“I love being a defender. You don’t get anything shiny or special, and you have to have some intrinsic motivation to keep going because defending is hard and not everyone likes to do it.
“As a player I’m very competitive. I like to give it everything that I’ve got and that usually shines through in my performances.
“I also like to be a playmaker and be involved on the ball even though I’m a defender.”
Kelly got the “inside scoop” about the club from former Phoenix forward Isabel Cox and also spoke to Paul Temple before committing to the move.
“Speaking with Paul was great. I can tell that he cares about us as people and that was important to me because I’m very family oriented.
“I talk to my parents all the time even though we weren’t in the same state for this past year. That was the first thing that struck me.
“And I’ve also talked to a bunch of people from around the A-League and about Wellington Phoenix specifically and everyone has had such great things to say about the environment and the culture, and that was really appealing.”
Alivia Kelly will join up with the Wellington Phoenix squad during the Ninja A-League’s international break and ahead of their fifth round match against Brisbane Roar at Porirua Park on Sunday, December 8.
