Paul Temple

> History

Paul Temple was appointed head coach of the Phoenix women in May 2023 after seven years at the club’s academy.

He started out as youth team coach before taking over as technical director and guiding the men’s reserves for three seasons.

In 2022 Temple took charge of the women’s development group at the academy, which saw his coaching career come full circle.

The “naturalised Kiwi” burst on to the international scene in 2008 when he coached New Zealand at the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Aotearoa, at the age of just 26.

He also took New Zealand to the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, as well as serving as an assistant coach for the NZ U-20 women’s team.

Temple has been the assistant coach of the New Zealand U-20 men’s team for the past two seasons and travelled to Argentina in May for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He also took charge of the New Zealand U-22 men’s team for their two matches against China’s U-24 side in March.

Paul Temple was appointed coach of the Phoenix women for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Liberty A-League seasons, replacing Natalie Lawrence, who decided against seeking reappointment following a review of the 2022-23 campaign.

> 2023-24 season

Paul Temple guided the Phoenix to their highest finish in the club’s three seasons, finishing in eighth place.

A blistering start to the campaign saw the Nix spend multiple weeks at the top of the table, before a difficult stretch of away games halted their momentum.

The Phoenix were able to play a distinctive brand of “small-ball” football, but the combination of away struggles and a rash of injuries to key players prevented them from making the playoffs for the first time.