Chris Greenacre

Chris Greenacre has taken the reins of the Phoenix men after four spells as interim boss.

He first arrived in Wellington in 2009, when he signed for the Nix as a player, and has been part of the club ever since.

His pro career began at Manchester City in 1995, where he ended up making eight appearances.

Most of his playing time came while out on loan, and he spent temporary spells with Cardiff, Scarborough, Blackpool and Northampton Town.

A successful loan period with Mansfield Town in 2000 led to them signing him on a permanent deal.

Greenacre would go on to make over a century of appearances for the Stags, scoring 44 goals in the Third Division.

Later moves to Stoke City and Tranmere Rovers, where he scored 46 goals in 142 league games, rounded out his career in the English lower leagues before he came to the Kiwi capital.

He made 84 appearances in yellow and black, scoring 19 times, and became an instant icon in his first year when scoring the club’s maiden playoff goal against Perth Glory.

After his playing career concluded, he served as assistant to the men’s first five head coaches from 2012-2021, and for the past four seasons was the head coach of the men’s reserves and head of pro development at the club’s academy.

He also headed the New Zealand under-20 men’s programme since the start of 2024 until his appointment as permanent Nix head coach, guiding the team to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile last year.

> 2025-26 season

Chris Greenacre was appointed interim head coach of the Wellington Phoenix for the fourth time after Giancarlo Italiano stepped down from his role.

He led the team to four wins from their last eight games, nearly sneaking into the playoffs.

Those wins included a hoodoo-breaking triumph at AAMI Park against Melbourne Victory, the first Wellington win at the venue since 2017.

He was appointed as the men’s permanent head coach in April 2026, becoming the seventh person to hold the role.

“It’s a real honour to lead this team,” Greenacre said. “I feel the Phoenix is my club and Wellington is my hometown.

“My wife Lynsey and I fell in love with Wellington from the moment we moved here from the U.K. and my daughter Hermione was born here.

“To play for and lead your hometown club is quite a cool situation to be in and doesn’t happen very often in world football.

“I want to grasp this opportunity and drive this club forward with everything I’ve got.”