The Wellington Phoenix Reserve Team plays in the ISPS Handa Premiership during the Summer Season where it competes against the best teams from around the country. The season runs from October to March. A number of TV games are broadcast live on Sky Sports plus additional highlights packages. The squad is made up of the best Academy players and supplemented with professional players from the A-League roster. For the 2019/20 Season the regulations allow a maximum of 1 professional GK and five professional players in any given match day squad with a maximum of two from those 5 over the age of 21.
(Photo by Photomac NZ, Cam McIntosh of Kurtis Mogg in action for Phoenix Reserves during an ISPS Handa Premiership game against Auckland City at Westpac Stadium, Nov 2019)
The Reserve Team also competes in the New Zealand winter season which runs from April to August. The team plays under our partner club Lower Hutt City AFC in the Mens Central League which is one of three regional premier leagues across New Zealand. In the winter competition no professional players are allowed to supplement the squad which is made up purely of Academy players. In the 2019 Central League Season the average age of the team was 17.5 years old.
(Photo by Weston Design, Blake Weston of Oskar van Hattum celebrating after scoring for Lower Hutt City AFC during a Central League Game at Endevour Park, July 2019)
CURRENT SQUAD
ISPS Handa Premiership 2019/20
1. Alex PAULSEN
2. Lukas HALIAKIAS
3. Harry BARK
4. Kurtis MOGG (VC)
5. Ronan WYNNE
6. Noah TIPENE
7. Adam HEWSON
8. Henry HAMILTON
9. Riley BIDOIS
10. Ben OLD
11. Sam SUTTON (C)
12. Kris NAICKER
13. Finn O'CONNOR
14. Oskar van HATTUM
15. Adam HILLIS
16. Max DRAKE
17. Luis TOOMEY
18. Owen SMITH
19. Byron HEATH
20. Zac DEAN
21. Ahmed OTHMAN
22. Stephen SPROWSON
23. Joseph LEE
24. Blake DRIEHUIS
30. Zac JONES
Head Coach: Paul TEMPLE
Assistant Coach: Sam WILKINSON
Assistant/Analyst: Steve COLEMAN
GK Coach: Ryan EGO
Sports Scientist: Weijie LIM
Physio: Brendan WYATT
Team Manager: Justin RAFFAN