Ella McCann

Ella McCann signed a two-year scholarship contract with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024, alongside reserves teammates Ella McMillan, Aimee Danieli and Ela Jerez.

The young striker hails from Māpua, a small town west of Nelson, and played for Māpua Rangers FC, Tasman United Academy, Nelson FC and Canterbury United Pride before moving to Wellington at the start of 2023 to join the Phoenix academy.

McCann represented New Zealand at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India and was a key part of the team which won the OFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Fiji in 2023.

She was the Phoenix women’s reserves’ top goal scorer in the team’s maiden National League Championship campaign in 2023, finding the back of the net six times including scoring a hat-trick in their season opener against Ellerslie.

McCann was also a key member of the reserves team in 2024 in the U-15 mixed capital development league and during the team’s run to the semi-finals of the Kate Sheppard Cup.

She was rewarded with selection in the New Zealand squad for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup before she cruelly ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on the eve of the Junior Football Ferns’ opening match at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

> 2024-25 season

Ella McCann had surgery upon her return home and remained with the Wellington Phoenix to do her rehabilitation.

McCann sat out her maiden season as a pro but cheered on her teammates from the sidelines.

She worked at the academy in 2025 as a sport scientist.