Ella McMillan

DOB 20/3/05

Ella McMillan was one of four academy graduates to sign a two-year scholarship contract with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024.

The young centre back is proudly from Waikato and played for Hukanui Rototuna, Northern United, Cambridge FC and Melville United before joining the academy at the start of 2022.

Her parents joined her in the capital in 2023 when her younger sister Libby joined the academy.

McMillan was a mainstay of the women’s reserves side for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and often wore the captain’s armband.

She represented New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2022 and more recently was a key member of the Junior Football Ferns side at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

> 2023-24 season

Ella McMillan started all nine of the Phoenix women’s reserves’ matches in their maiden National League season, which included wins over Ellerslie and Central Football and a draw with Western Springs.

McMillan trained with the first team throughout the A-League campaign and made her debut at the end of the drama-filled 2-0 win over Canberra United at Porirua Park in January 2024.

She also featured off the bench in a match against Western United the following month.

McMillan was named the women’s academy player of the year at the Phoenix awards night in April before rejoining the women’s reserves side.

She started all of their matches in the U15 mixed capital development league in 2024 and the team’s first foray into the Kate Sheppard Cup, which dramatically ended with a semi-final defeat to reigning champions Auckland United.

McMillan was one of nine Phoenix players named in the New Zealand squad for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia and she started all three of their group matches.