The Wellington Phoenix women will get to spend extra time at home over Christmas with their next Liberty A-League match postponed.

The Phoenix were due to travel to South Australia on Boxing Day to play Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium the following day.

But the mercury in Adelaide is expected to approach 40 degrees on Tuesday, December 27 and is forecast to still be in the high 30s for the 4:35pm (local time) kick-off.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) heat policy states that if the ambient temperature approaches 40°C and/or the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) exceeds 28°C that matches should be delayed or postponed. 

As well as getting Christmas Day off, the players will now get to spend Boxing Day with their loved ones too.

Both the Phoenix women and men will return to training on Tuesday to start preparations for their A-League double-header at Sky Stadium on Monday, January 2.

The women’s match against Adelaide United will be rescheduled to a yet to be announced date later in the season.