Huawei Wellington United Phoenix Academy Football School of Excellence - WeeNix

YES!! Great to see this becoming a reality!

So does this mean we can get Kosta back? heh....

Yep it's a buzz...been buzzing all night on this and the whole sponsorship...football's been like the beautiful girl who thought she was ugly and didn't look after herself...and now finally she's got a boyfriend!

Nobody reads the news huh?

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/index.php?id=11&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=701&tx_ttnews[backPid]=10&cHash=55004bef0a



Not sure the 'nix have a full reserve team, but at least they're getting some organised (and somewhat sponsored) games now :)

ASB Phoenix Challenge is different from the ASB Premiership isn't it?  What's the difference?

This is very good news re the ASB Phoenix Challenge.
Good work NZF for bringing this sponsorship in, with the hope of more sponsorships to come as well.

At last the Phoenix reserves will get the game time they need and hopefully this will pay dividends this season with players across the board being match fit and more able to vie for first team positions.

Making it work and keeping all parties happy will no doubt be challenging but a great step in the right direction.

Fantastic for the Nix and fantastic for the NZ ASB Premiership sides

ASB Premiership = NZFC as we know it now
ASB Phoenix Challenge = NZFC teams vs Nix Reserves midweek; completely different thing. Nix Reserves couldn't compete in the Premiership due to that amateur/professional thing.Doloras2010-09-03 12:39:17

I saw it discussed elsewhere on these forums, (NZFC thread I think) but those in the know may be able to clarify... although the same format as NZFC isn't there a change in structure to reflect new criteria laid down by NZF?
Is this correct???

don't we only have like 5 reserves?

think we have 21 players contracted. So that means you'd be looking at 6 players each week not included in that weeks HAL fixture. You could probably see the likes of Crowther or whoever the reserve keeper is at the time, also playing that game. Thatd be 7 if all fit. could have some of the subs also. But that still requires the addition of at least 8 players.

And I assume these guys will be picked up from the young trialists we've had over the years. I could almost see it as there being regulars around the squad, and then young players invited to train and play with the team over a set time, like a trial in a way.

If I wasn't in Hong Kong I'd be closing my account with the crap one I am with currently and moving to ASB right now.

Maybe ASB is funding the Nix Reserves in a defacto manner via this arrangement.

That's assuming a team with Diego in it is going to win those games! I expect this to be hard fought and a bloody good game to get along to.

I expect theyll be playing NZFC reserves.

Finally, Toto will play for Phoenix.

Sports report on Radio Sport today says that the reserves games will start in November and there will be prize money for the winners to make the games worthwhile.

Now let's build a squad!

Crowther
???-???-Musa-???
???-???-???-Rojas
???-Pavlovic

Let's sign Chris James and Andrew Milne.
Maybe Chris could rebuild his career.Stormpark942010-09-07 21:19:37

now we should get a U17/20 team in the central league and then we could develop young talent all year round.

still lots of details to come but it sounds exciting. Seems to be some doubt about if its midweek or weekends(earlier post form hamilton said weekend). I would pay $10 to watch the Nixettes play Waitak at Newtown on a weekend. A weeknight makes it tougher.

Would like to see Iain Hogg added to this squad.

Outstanding work ASB and NZF!

Auckland City may then get pissed, but think of it this way, in rugby players are always leaving to join the Crusaders or a bigger union. Same scenario in overseas football leagues. The nix reserves a pathway to professional football.

I believe the Nix will pick up local players for each game depending on where it is

Sweet, great work NZF, hopefully some games get on TV.

Do you think that they will try get younger people to wellington so they can train and be apart of the "Reserves" and play

Needs a game vs Nelson Suburbs!

The point of the team is to develop New Zealand's best youth footballers (plus, give fringe Nix players a run). I don't see that this is a joke.

Where did you hear that?  If true then that's right up there among the stupidest ideas I've heard in a few months at least.

Save a few bucks and that's it.

But it's pretty much how the Nix have operated in pre-season and in friendlies during the past couple of seasons.

James is currently on trial at Leyton Orient

the man himself

can't get much saucier than that

very saucy.

hope he gets signed they need a right mid.

would be good to see him back in the all whites too