Huawei Wellington United Phoenix Academy Football School of Excellence - WeeNix

Also, which academy players are playing in the Scots team? I assume that the best/oldest are playing for the Cap Prem team, meaning most of the kids in the Scots team will be 2-3 years younger than a lot of their opponents.

I don't know, the boys in the Scots team I saw were fairly big boys and all looked about 16 or 17. Also, a lot of College footballers play both College and Men's Football. Maybe someone from Scots/Phoenix Academy can elaborate further about the Scots 1st XI team composition.

My understanding is that if the Phoenix Academy boys attend Scots College they have to play for Scots. If there are boys from Wellington College (or any other college) that just attend the Phoenix Academy for football training then they should be free to play for their own College.

I'm fairly sure (but not totally certain) that there is only a minority of Phoenix Academy players who play for the Scot's 1st XI. And as someone has said above, they're players who are not consistently playing at higher levels of the Phoenix structure.

Apparently no love lost between Calcott (scots) and Webb (WC) in their encounter

Fixed.

So let me see if I get this right...... if you are a youngster with the desire to be a pro with the Phoenix, you need to talk your parents into sending you to Scotts college - Not cheap, so that you can get yourself be seen and then to progress. What are the chances of some kid from the Hutt Valley or Kapati or even Waiarapa got to be picked up by the Nix unless they have well off parents? Just asking.

Not accurate. Plenty of lads in the Phoenix setup do not and have not gone to Scot's College. 

It is, however, an avenue for kids to come to Wellington for school from outside the city. The Phoenix have sponsored some kids the fees as I understand it.

Cheers.

Would you mind naming them please?

I'm on the football committee at Scots and it would come as a great surprise to me and the other committee members if this were in fact true.  At the start of the season , we made it clear that selection for the Scots first X1  would be based on attendance at pre -season training, successful trialling for the team and attendance at practices. The WPFA players were unavailable for this due to other commitments. So your assertion that Scots first XI is stacked with WPFA players is simply not true , I'm afraid. An exception has been made for a younger team so a WPFA goalie can get game time.There is one TW player in the Scots first X1 that I know of.

My understanding is that if the Phoenix Academy boys attend Scots College they have to play for Scots.

[/quote]

Not true.

So the whole point made earlier on by someone about how the Phoenix Academy must be shark because Scots aren't doing overly well was complete bollocks too then. Thanks for the clarification Jazzman!

[quote=patrick478

So the whole point made earlier on by someone about how the Phoenix Academy must be shark because Scots aren't doing overly well was complete bollocks too then. [/quote]

Well, yes it was I'm afraid.

The comments I had made earlier came from a casual discussion with a student from Scots. From that discussion I was led to believe that the 1st XI Goalie and a number of other players were members of the Phoenix Academy. I stand corrected if the information provided was wrong.

And congratulations must also go to Scots for getting into Premier Division in 2015. I believe Scots were in Div 2 in 2014.

Teenagers are not the most reliable informants!

Snitches get stitches, bro.

Published on Jul 15, 2015

Our sports reporter Jesse Abolins checks out the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy.

Top article on the WellingtonPhoenix.com website. Long, but well worth a read. Exciting stuff.

http://www.wellingtonphoenix.com/article/new-zeala...

Great article. Just need to clarify the statement that Max Mata was scouted by Ernie in Samoa. It was not Max in Samoa but his brother Ben, Max was too young to be in this world cup cycle. Max went on a tour to Fiji with the Phoenix later in the year.

That's a great positive article by Dome. THIS is the kind of message he should be sending to the media. Just shows the vastness of the organisation and what they are going for young footballers (whether you agree with the execution or not)

Just FYI I'm on their media distro list and he DID send it to the media. Verbatim. With pictures.

naturally they will have had no interest in it. Not enough negative click bait. 

a great read that. 

Sounds very positive and can only be win win for all concerned (the players, the schools, the Nix, Wellington football and NZ football in general).

Paul Temple appointed head coach

Hedge to assistant?

different role really. Jess Ibrom must have been turfed

Looks like it. No mention of the nix on Jess' twitter profile https://mobile.twitter.com/IbromJess

No mention of him in the press release. He came up from Christchurch when the academy shifted, yes?

Heading back to UK apparently 

he tell you that?

I really do not rate this move

Bit late on it but this was a great read

Ibrom was always very much the junior coach at APFA in Chch (precursor to nix academy). Brazilian Giovani Feranades was the coach all the players loved and admired - but he didn't make the move. When APFA transformed into Nix Academy Ibrom was still not given the top job - that went to (at the time) NZF's Andy Hedge and his salary was funded 50% by NZF. With Temple now in and Hedge demoted (anyone able to confirm this?) and Ibrom gone, do we really have the best youth coaches leading the Nix academy? Maybe, but plenty here will have other views. Likewise the nix academy does not have a monopoly on nz's best young players either. I think the academy is a great thing for shop window purposes but i'm just urging the more one eyed amongst us to remain objective when the nix academy spin machine cranks out its media releases.

Let me guess...

Blah blah he coached girls football blah blah.