The Wellington Phoenix have triumphed in four categories at the Āti Awa Wellington Regional Sports Awards.
Held on Thursday night, the awards have been running for over 40 years and celebrate the contribution that sport makes to the wider Wellington region.
The first award for the Phoenix was club of the year, which is based on a mixture of both sporting excellence and community engagement.
This was reward for a year where both men’s and women’s sides broke points and attendance records, while community initiatives like Football for All continued to make tangible and positive differences.
The men’s team received an additional acknowledgement with the team of the year award.
This came after they smashed expectations last season, finishing second and coming agonisingly close to making their first ever grand final appearance.
There were two individual awards for Phoenix representatives as well, as Giancarlo Italiano and Lukas Kelly-Heald were recognised.
Italiano was the victor in the coach of the year category, where a stunning first season as an A-League head coach saw him also win the league’s manager of the year award.
Finally, Kelly-Heald won the rangatahi sportsperson of the year, for the most outstanding athlete aged 20 or under.
His debut professional season showcased an incredible rise from a reserve team standout to an internationally capped first team regular.
Former Nix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen was also a finalist in the sportsperson of the year category, which was won by cricketer Rachin Ravindra.
Wellington Phoenix winners at the Āti Awa Wellington Regional Sports Awards
NW Group club of the year – Wellington Phoenix
Hiremaster team of the year – Wellington Phoenix men’s first team
Shoe Clinic coach of the year – Giancarlo Italiano
IT Works rangatahi sportsperson of the year – Lukas Kelly-Heald
