20/21 Season - Wellingong Phoenix

Heard from a source that McGarry and Lewis will be signed this week. Could well be bollocks but I'd hope it's true

Why wouldnt Ball be starting. Thought it had been mentioned earlier on that next season may be about using more of the youth which wont be a bad thing at all. Just hope people have realistic expectations if they are expected to be based away from home.Dont think its ant more a make or break season than any others have been since we started.

I didn’t realize he is still around. But if he is 100% he starts. Throw in Lewis and Sutton and the front end looks good. It’s the defense that looks thin. Even if we get De Vere back there is no depth. Without him we would have problems. In Uffie we trust! I am sure he will find someone......maybe another experienced CB from UK???? I am not worried about our team for next season. Other A-league teams are going to have more problems than us restocking their squads. If we get Davila, Ball, de Vere, McGarry, Lewis we are 90% there.

Well, looks like we have one away trip confirmed

SA just allowed NZ travellers to come in and not quarantine :)

If you're prepared to pay the $3,100 MI fee on the way back, that is.

Just move here permanently instead - no fee!

When is the Nix pre-season likely to start?

From the ex-Nix thread

Guessing they will do some of the fitness testing here but given half the squad isn't in NZ, they can't do much until they set up camp over in Aussie.

Club GM David Dome has told @newstalkzbsport that some players and staff will take their families and / or partners with them to Australia for some or all of the season and the club is helping to facilitate that.

— Jason Pine (@pineyzb) October 26, 2020

That sounds really good. 

No bubble this time, so the club can rent the players some apartments and they can have their freedom.

This is gonna cost the club thousands of dollars they don't have just because a few players/Staff chucked a hissy fit there missus couldn't come. The club should have just sacked them and get replacements to keep the cost low.

I'm filing this one in the "unfathomably bad takes" category. 

would love to know how the accomdadation costs are shared between the three parties. 

would love to know how the accomdadation costs are shared between the three parties. 

I think we are in for the spoon this up coming season, No games at home and poor squad its really going be a uphill battle.

How can you even say that when all of the A-league squads have not yet been finalized? 

Cos he's a dumbass troll that the mods refuse to deal with

 

It is fine to be negative and think we are gonna struggle, cuz we probably are but there are some other teams who are clearly in worse positions than we are.

He wouldnt survive in Smithys day

A DECISION about whether Tamworth will host the Wellington Phoenix ahead of the A-League season is expected to be made on Thursday. Tamworth, Canberra and Wollongong are confirmed to be the three front runners to host the club as some of its players prepare for the upcoming season, which begins on December 27. A Phoenix spokesperson said the successful city would need to meet "specific needs". "Ideally our choice of location comes down to some pretty specific club needs - accommodation, training facilities (including pitch), stadiums available local support and of course cost, " the spokesperson said. "These are our primary considerations we're looking at, regardless of any word of mouth. " If successful, the Phoenix would be the second New Zealand-based club to call Tamworth home, after the Warriors quarantined at Scully Park at the beginning of the NRL season. However, unlike the Warriors, only the Phoenix's international players would have to quarantine while in Tamworth. "It won't be a quarantine-isolated hub situation like was necessary during the 2019-20 season re-start, it's likely we'll have some players living together in a communal space, " the spokesperson said. "We'll also have players living in separate apartment-style housing as well, especially those players bringing their families or partners with them. "Any hub will likely be a training hub only, as in place with a suitable training pitch, gym facilities etc. " The spokesperson said the club had been in contact with the Warriors about considering Tamworth as an option. "Canberra, Wollongong and Tamworth are three locations the club has explored, as well as others, for the Phoenix to be based at for the start of the 2020/21 A-League season, but no final decision has been made on this as yet, " the spokesperson said. "We were in contact with the Warriors earlier in the season and they had good things to say about Tamworth and their experiences there. " Wests Entertainment Group chief executive officer (CEO) Rod Laing said the club would be more than welcome at Scully Park. "Any New Zealand side would be welcomed at Scully Park by Wests and we would welcome the Phoenix absolutely, " Mr Laing told the Leader. "I feel as though the success of the Warriors' stay at Wests earlier in the year should hold us in good stead to host the Phoenix.

Canberra would be toasty warm Dec-Feb especially. Not always fun training in 30 Celsius plus

The use of Wollongong as a Wellington Phoenix base for the upcoming season could be in jeopardy, with discussions hitting a number of roadblocks. The club will spend the early stages of the A-League in NSW as a result of New Zealand's strict quarantine requirements. The Phoenix have been investigating their options for a number of months, with Wollongong long considered the leading candidate. Other options include Canberra, Tamworth and the Central Coast. The majority of players will arrive in Sydney on Sunday, those flying from New Zealand not required to undergo two weeks of hotel quarantine. From there, they are expected to travel south to Wollongong. The club is yet to finalise their plans, with the lack of elite football facilities in the region emerging as a potential stumbling block. The University of Wollongong is the likely training venue, however it is understood the Phoenix have concerns about sharing the grounds with other sporting organisations. Wellington are considering spending three weeks in the Illawarra as a test run, before determining if they will remain in the city long term. The University declined to comment when contacted by the Mercury on Thursday. Some members of the Wollongong football community are optimistic the Phoenix's arrival will clear the way for a permanent A-League franchise. Others, however, have raised concerns over whether the costs of their stay outweigh the potential benefits. Wollongong City Council has been in discussions with the Phoenix, officials pointing to the success of the Gold Coast Suns' visit during the AFL season. "We understand the Wellington Phoenix are looking to base an A-League squad in NSW for the upcoming season, and that their options include Wollongong," a spokesperson said. "We welcome any opportunity to highlight the many benefits Wollongong has to offer. "We believe welcoming teams from outside the area offers an invaluable opportunity for local sporting fans or players to have exposure to a range of sporting codes. It also celebrates our reputation as a sports-loving city.

would love to know how the accomdadation costs are shared between the three parties. 

% % %

The non greater Wellington players would have to sort their own digs out in the capital so surely a similar set-up would be used in Oz temporarily (ie short term rentals).