History for aitkenmike

[really interesting long post]

Inspired by someone asking in the transfer thread where Ben Waine sits among WPFA prospects, given he's off to the Gold Coast with the senior team and in the mix for the FFA Cup,. I’ve whipped this up. Hope at least one person finds it useful. Warning: May not include everyone.

Wellington Phoenix Football Academy (an incomplete list)

1999 (Turning 19 this year - current NZ U-20 cycle)

Sam Philip (DF)

Soon off to college in the US, if he hasn’t left already. Didn’t make the cut for the NZ Oceania U-19 Championship squad. Sat on the A-League bench when All Whites were away in March.

2000 (Turning 18 this year - current NZ U-20 cycle)

Max Batchelor (FW), Calvin Harris (FW - England/Hong Kong), Zac Jones (GK), Liam Moore (DF), Ollie Valentine (DF), Oli Whyte (MF), Jake Williams (DF), Ronan Wynne (DF)

Harris is the top prospect here, but currently injured, which has denied him the chance to take part in Phoenix pre-season. Plenty of eyes will be on him when he’s fit, should he play for WeeNix in the national league. Liam Moore, Oli Whyte and Jake Williams were all WeeNix regulars last summer and should be again. Ronan Wynne, brother of Deklan, joined this winter. Keeper Zac Jones was chosen over Keegan Smith for the Oceania U-19 Championship. Whyte is also a member of that squad, while Moore and Williams were invited to camp in April but only on standby last week.

2001 (Turning 17 this year - current and next NZ U-20 cycle)

Zac Dean (GK), Willem Ebbinge (MF), Kurtis Mogg (MF - England?), Owen Smith (MF), Sam Sutton (MF), Noah Tipene-Clegg (DF), Ben Waine (FW), Josh Wentworth (MF - Australia)

Attacking midfielder Willem Ebbinge is the top prospect here - joined Philip on the A-League bench in March. Ben Waine has travelled to the Gold Coast with the first team ahead of the FFA Cup fixture on August 7. With Ebbinge would off to Tahiti for the Oceania U-19 Championship, Waine is the most experienced Kiwi attacking option in the academy, which probably explains that one, given the defender-heavy look of the senior squad at present. Players in this group began to play for WeeNix last summer and will be core members this coming season.

2002/2003 (Turning 16/15 this year - current NZ U-17 cycle)

Matt Braddock (DF), Blake Driehuis (FW), Henry Hamilton (FW), Adam Hillis (DF), Joseph Lee (FW), Jackson Manuel (MF), Kris Naicker (DF), Finn O’Connor (DF), Ben Old (MF), Alex Paulsen (GK), Oskar van Hattum (FW)

Blake Driehuis, Henry Hamilton, Adam Hillis, Joseph Lee, Jackson Manuel, Finn O’Connor, Ben Old, Alex Paulsen, and Oskar Van Hattum were all invited to July’s NZ U-17 camp in Auckland, with Matt Braddock and Kris Naicker previously attending April’s camp in Wellington. With academy head Paul Temple an assistant in that setup, it would seem a good indicator of who’s standing out - though I'm sure there are more players from these two years in the academy. Manuel became the first 2003-born national league player earlier this year, and expect him to be joined by some 2002-born players this coming season, with forwards Henry Hamilton and Oskar van Hattum likely contenders based on Central League game time.

Bonus: Given I've grouped the academy players by birth year, a look at how players born in the past seven years have fared at the Phoenix - all Kiwis, not just those from the club's academy.

1995

Were contracted: Joel Stevens
Trialing this season: Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi

1996

Still contracted: Oli Sail (until 2019)
Were contracted/on loan: Matt Ridenton, Alex Rufer, Monty Patterson
A-League Bench/FFA Cup: Andrew Blake, Tam Dimairo
Trialing this season: Alex Rufer, Andre de Jong

1997

FFA Cup: Tinashe Marowa

1998

Were contracted: James McGarry, Logan Rogerson
FFA Cup: Liam Wood

1999

Still contracted: Sarpreet Singh (2020), Keegan Smith (2020)
A-League Bench/FFA Cup: Jack-Henry Sinclair, Sam Philip, Luke Tongue

2000

Still contracted: Liberato Cacace (2020)

2001

A-League Bench: Willem Ebbinge