Luke Brooke-Smith

Luke Brooke-Smith signed a three-year contract with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024, fresh from starring for New Zealand at the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship in Tahiti.

The young winger joined the Phoenix from Hamilton Wanderers with whom he made his Northern League bow in 2024.

Brooke-Smith is originally from Whangārei but moved to Cambridge in 2020 to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympic BMX rider.

He is an eight-time national age-group BMX champion but was also turning heads on the pitch with the RH3 Football Academy, headed by former Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert.

Brooke-Smith made his senior debut for Cambridge FC in 2023 just days after his 15^th birthday.

He joined Hamilton Wanderers at the start of 2024 and went on to make 14 further appearances for Wanderers, 11 of which were starts.

Brooke-Smith was then selected in the New Zealand U-16 men’s team for their FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifying tournament in late July.

He scored five goals, including a hat-trick in a 7-1 group win over Fiji.

> 2024-25 season

Luke Brooke-Smith began the season in the men’s reserves and made three starts in the National League Championship in October and November.

Brooke-Smith made his professional debut a few days before Christmas, when he played the final 15 minutes of the Phoenix’s match against Western Sydney Wanderers.

He started the following round match against Newcastle Jets, which the Nix won 2-1.

Brooke-Smith scored his first goal for the club against Auckland FC in February.

In total he featured in 14 A-League matches, four of which were starts.

Brooke-Smith headed to Chile in June to represent the New Zealand U-20 side in two friendlies in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup there in September.