Get To Know The Wellington Phoenix Women’s Inaugural Kiwi Contingent
At one stage it looked as if the Wellington Phoenix were gonna get a women’s team up and running last year. Then the Aussie authorities went and whipped that rug out from under our feet by refusing to allow the Nix to register New Zealanders as local players (like the men’s team does). Bit of a weird one... but with a year to think it over they’ve come to some sense and now it’s full steam ahead for the SheNix. Just with one wee compromise: they’re still only letting them have eleven kiwis as locals. The rest have to be Australians and any imports – of which there won’t be any in year one – will have to come out of the NZ quota.
There is an asterisk there as dual nationals will be able to fill those Aussie spots. For example, Rebekah Stott would count as an Australian for example were she to ever don some black and yellow. So we might get some happy surprises with further squad announcements on that front – players in that Gianni Stensness/Joey Champness mould who are Aussies with a kiwi parent/born in Aotearoa who are eligible to play for the Footy Ferns. Bound to be heaps of them out there. Serenity Thake is one who springs to mind having already been involved in NZ youth teams.
There’s also a second asterisk here too. In a clever bit of finagling, the Phoenix have been allowed to bring two additional NZers along on scholarship contracts, upping the tally to 13 players after all. Same deal as the HeNix are doing where Kurtis Mogg and George Ott are part of their travelling squad. Those two scholarship players were announced on Thursday 28 Oct, two weeks after Lily Alfeld was announced as the team’s first ever signing, and two days after the eleventh and final fully contracted kiwi was unveiled (along with the first two Australian signings). Now comes time for the introductions.
Lily Alfeld
The first player signed and the only New Zealander in the squad with previous A-League experience having spent last term with Perth Glory. The Glory might have sucked, finishing dead last without a win to their name, but the one helpful aspect of that scenario is it does give a goalkeeper plenty of opportunities to show what they’re made of and Lily Alfeld was a perennial Save of the Week candidate. Fingertips of steel. A genuine shot stopper. She played all 12 games for Perth in 2020-21 and at 26 years of age is the oldest player of the year one kiwi contingent. Alfeld was called up to the Football Ferns as recently as their tour to China in 2019 but has only played at youth level internationally.
Chloe Knott
The frontrunner for the captaincy? At 25yo, Knott is another one of the more experienced players in the group – in fact she’s a rare one who has actually played pro footy before. In 2018 she signed with Durham where she featured five times in the English Championship (second tier), before returning to Aotearoa to boss the midfield for Northern Lights again. Knott’s a proper central midfielder. Box to box. High workrate, doesn’t pull out of a challenge, chips in with the odd goal too. Having seen former teammates like Claudia Bunge and Malia Steinmetz make the instant adjustment to the A-League level a year ago, this jump will be less intimidating for Knott compared to some of her new buds.
However while she may be older than most of her teammates she’s also got a longer run-up to make the national team because Knott, who was born in England and moved here as at 13, isn’t on course to be eligible until 2024 thanks to FIFA’s rules about living continuously in a new country for five years before you can play for them. Knott’s been here half her life, came up through the NZ systems... but because she left for uni in the USA and then to play for Durham that means they had to wind the countdown clock again. Surely FIFA would see it kindly if they put in an exemption request?
Grace Jale
Grace Jale’s career seemingly paused for a breath over the last two years. In 2018 she was on the fast track as one of a handful of standouts for Aotearoa at the U20 World Cup – along with the likes of Malia Steinmetz, Anna Leat & Claudia Bunge – and soon after that she was offered a contract by Czech Republic giants Sparta Prague, although ultimately chose instead to head to university in the States. Then by the end of the year, Jale had been called up for the OFC Nations Cup where she came off the bench four times, scoring twice including on debut against Tonga. She’s also represented the Aotearoa Māori football team on several occasions. The only fully capped Football Fern from this inaugural group. It was all on the up and up and up for Grace Jale.
However she only ended up playing six games for Wake Forest Uni as that pesky pandemic swung around. Jale then didn’t play National League last year either and from scoring for her country and getting offers overseas it had all stalled a bit for her (think there may have been an injury involved too, though not sure on that one). But she shone for Eastern Suburbs over the winter and now here she’s where she belongs as an inaugural Wellington Phoenix player. Jale’s a tall, courageous midfielder with a positive style of play. Got an eye for a goal too. Still, it’s absolutely nuts that the Phoenix referred to her (aged 22yo) as a ‘veteran’ in their announcement... goes to show how young this group is overall.
Mackenzie Barry
With FFDP gaffer Gemma Lewis (and assistant Natalie Lawrence) on board to coach the Nix, and NZ Football offering up cash and support to help make it happen, the Future Ferns Development Programme was always gonna serve up a decent amount of players for this squad. Barry is one such example. Originally from the Taranaki region, she’s been based in Auckland the last few seasons having been a part of the previous three FFDP squads (one of five players from the 2021 squad to be signed by the Nix).
She’s also one of three members of the 2018 U17 squad that finished third at the World Cup, one of their key defenders starting every game except the last group stage match which saw a heavily rotated team after the kiwis had already qualified for the knockouts. More recently Barry formed an excellent CB partnership with Claudia Bunge for Northern Lights in the last Premiership season... having seen Bunge go on and win the A-League last year starting every single game for Melbourne Victory, Barry already knows exactly where the standard is at.
Kelli Brown
Also from that U17s team and also from the FFDP. Kelli Brown is a bit of a 2-for-1 with Grace Wisnewski, two highly talented goal scorers coming out of the Waikato who’ve taken the same road to where they are now. Brown was unstoppable in qualifying for that U17 World Cup scoring four goals in the first 12 minutes of their opening game against Tahiti (NZ won 17-1 and Brown ended up with seven) and going on to tally 14 goals all up in that tournament. Then in 2019 she got absolutely carried away in Oceania qualifying for the (eventually cancelled) 2020 U20 WC with 11 goals in a 30-0 win over Samoa and 21 combined in the tournament. But Kelli Brown isn’t merely a great goal scorer, she’s also a scorer of great goals. Like this one, for example...
If you watched her for WaiBOP last year then you know that particular banger was anything but a fluke. Brown’s capable of playing across the forward line or even a little deeper if needed but is best as a centre forward where she can put her ruthless shooting boots to regular effect. Don’t give her an inch of space in the attacking third or else that net’s in severe danger.
Grace Wisnewski
The other Waikato wonder in the squad. Wisnewski’s not all that far off Kelli Brown as a goal scorer and no doubt you’ll find there have been many an assist shared between the two considering all the footy they’ve played together. A trend which ain’t about to stop after they signed for the Nix together on the same day. Grace Wisnewski played more as an advanced midfielder for WaiBOP last season but is definitely an attacking player and offers many of the same qualities as Brown: good technique, high work ethic, plenty of physicality, etc. The two of them each scored in the 2-1 win against Uruguay at that U17s World Cup which booked Aotearoa into the knockouts but the ultimate highlight of Wisnewski’s career so far came in the third-place playoff against Canada where she scored the fastest ever goal in that tournament’s history after just 15 seconds and then scored again with a ripping finish from the edge of the area not so long after. The NZ team held on for a 2-1 win and a set of bronze medals. Those were Grace Wisnewski’s goals that did that.
Saskia Vosper
Chuck in an energetic fullback who can play on either side. Saskia Vosper is only 22 years of age but it feels like she’s been around for ages. Several years in the FFDP. One of Northern Lights’ most consistent performers for even longer, in fact she’s been a co-captain for the Lights already (alongside Claudia Bunge). Someone who has played for Aotearoa at both U17 and U20 level and someone who was probably very high on the list of obvious candidates for this gig. Expect Vosper to quickly emerge as one of the team’s key players in year one and look for plenty of crosses coming in from her edge.
Ava Pritchard
Striker Ava Pritchard has already been around a couple years and yet she’s still one of the youngest in this squad. She was playing National League footy for Northern Lights at 15 years of age and has consistently scored goals throughout – she’s got 13 NL goals to her name already in three seasons. Would have been a major part of the last U17s cycle had that been able to happen. Just gonna have to settle for a Welly Nix contract instead, where she’s reunited with coach Gemma Lewis who not only managed her at FFDP level but also for the Northern Lights before that (a few others in that boat too). Expect good pace and plenty of positive runs, as well as some decent finishing.
Kate Taylor
Taylor started every game for the championship-winning Canterbury Pride in 2020, looking so comfortable at that level that you’d never have guessed how young she is; KT only turned 18 two days after being announced as a Phoenix signing. But in fairness the pathways are always pretty efficient with the Pride and Taylor does already have three years of experience in that environment. A lot of this stuff feels repetitive because it’s true for so many of these players: Taylor was poised to be an important player in the lost U17s wave, in fact she captained them a bit in an U16 invitational tournament in Thailand.
However one point of difference from many of her new teammates is that Taylor’s not an FFDP grad. That’s because the FFDP is based in Auckland so it’s always had a bit of a tendency away from that dominant Canterbury Pride group. Hence it’s cool to see Taylor and Zoe McMeeken signed together (as well as Alyssa Whinham on a scholarship a week later) to represent that Canterbury region. Taylor is a central defender, solid in the challenge and disciplined in her positioning. Decent in the air too. She’ll go good.
Zoe McMeeken
Another 17 year old Cantabrian, signed together with Taylor. McMeeken only appeared once off the bench for the Canterbury Pride in 2020 but she has definitely been in the elite pathway slipstream. ZM was one of six players from this group who would have partaken in some cheeky U17 World Cup qualifiers at the OFC tournament had that actually gone ahead. Taylor, Lancaster, Whinham, Walker, and Pritchard are the others... just to repeat that once more: all six of them would have been eligible for the 2020 U17 World Cup. Six players aged 17-18 right now. Yet another indication of how young this group is.
As a player, McMeeken is an athletic fullback who covers plenty of ground and can deliver well off both feet (meaning she can play on either flank, same as Vosper). ‘Athletic’ is an operative word there because she’s a bit of a gun with the ol’ track and field too. We’re talking an age-grade silver medal in the heptathlon at the national champs earlier this year. Lightning quick. Probably a little green compared to others in the squad, even other at a similar age to ZM (similar but not the same... McMeeken’s the youngest), but a quick peek at the highlight reel and you can absolutely see why they’ve signed her.
Te Reremoana Walker
The last fully contracted NZer and someone who’ll know her way around town having spent the last few years playing in the Newcastle Jets system for their NPL NSW team. 3 goals in 28 games for them there. Mona Walker is another one who would have been involved in the 2020 U17 World Cup squad so she will have played a bit if a few of these teammates already – and will have played against the first couple Australians signed in Cushla Rue and Isabel Gomez.
TRW is a midfielder by trade with two good feet, plenty of composure on the ball, and a fair bit of skill as well. Had been hoping she might sneak onto the bench for the Jets last season. That didn’t happen but it only means that she’s saved that breakthrough for the Wellington Phoenix instead. Te Reremoana Walker has been one of the most interesting prospects of her age group so quality work from the Nix to bring her onboard.
Alyssa Whinham
Which brings us to our two scholarship players. In a small squad there’s every chance they’ll see some game time over the season so these two won’t merely be making up the numbers. Alyssa Whinham celebrated her 18th birthday a couple days before being signed by the Wellington Phoenix so that’ll go down well, good luck to mum and dad trying to stump up a better present than that. Whinham’s already had a couple seasons of National League though last year was when she really got amongst it – starting 5/7 games for Canterbury Pride including the grand final and scoring in a win against Capital. Whinham played as an attacking midfielder for the Pride, sitting behind the two strikers with a licence to be creative. There’s not much of her but she’s a busy player with a lovely touch and lighting quick feet. Someone who makes things happen.
Charlotte Lancaster
The other scholarship player is 17 year old Charlotte Lancaster who will probably get in as a left full/wing back at higher levels though has also operated as a left winger as well – which was where she spent the last National League season with Central. So you know she’s got those attacking instincts. Lancaster was one of three standouts for that 2020 Central team, which otherwise struggled, along with Aniela Jensen (most recently seen in the latest Football Ferns squad) and fellow NZ youth team defender Jana Niedermayr. Lancaster boasts an excellent left foot and can dish a decent cross in. Someone who wants to link up and be positive in advanced areas. Plus she scored one of the very best goals of the last NL season...
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