Another capital club has signed up to the Wellington Phoenix’s pre-academy centre (PAC) programme.
Island Bay United AFC, which is one of Wellington’s largest clubs with close to 1000 players, has become a PAC partner club.
It comes after Waterside Karori signed up to the programme late last year.
Island Bay United has helped develop thousands of young footballers, including past and present Phoenix players Libby Cacace and the Kelly-Heald twins, Lukas and Alby.
More than a dozen clubs across Aotearoa, from Whangarei to Dunedin, have adopted the pre-academy centre programme in the past three years.
The pre-academy centres are a stepping stone into the Wellington Phoenix academy. The PAC programme is targeted at players in the skill acquisition phase (ages 9-12) and looks to build on their key skills and confidence to help them take the next step in their football journey.
PAC clubs are able to utilise the Phoenix’s pre-academy training programme and development centre, which is an online platform to develop players, coaches and parents.
