Victoria Esson

Victoria Esson is returning for a second season with the Wellington Phoenix after joining the club in June 2025 after seven seasons in Europe.

The Football Ferns goalkeeper left New Zealand in 2019 in order to realise her dream of playing professional football.

Esson joined Avaldnesss in Norway’s Toppserien and was a mainstay in goal for the best part of three seasons.

She signed with SC Sand in the women’s Bundesliga in 2021 but after a season in Germany moved to Rangers FC in Scotland.

Esson spent three seasons in Glasgow, making more than 50 appearances and winning five trophies.

She made her Football Ferns debut in 2017 and in recent years has established herself as a regular in the national squad.

Esson was in goal for all three of New Zealand’s matches at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after being a squad member in 2019.

She is also a two-time Olympian.

> 2025-26 season

Victoria Esson was a key member of Wellington Phoenix’s history-making side.

Esson started all but one of the team’s 23 matches, including the grand final, and kept eight clean sheets, twice as many as any other Nix ‘keeper in the team’s five-year history.

She was voted by her peers as a substitute in the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) team of the season .

Esson signed a one-year contract extension with the Phoenix in June as she feels she has unfinished business in Wellington.

“You get that close, you get a taste of it and you want more. We came second in the league and second in the finals.

“We’re going to have to work really hard to get ourselves into a position where we’re able to compete for the title again, and it won’t be easy.

“I definitely think that’s achievable with the squad we’ve retained and the coaching staff we’ve got.”