2023–24 Wellington Phoenix FC (women) season

Wellington Phoenix (A-League Women)

2023–24 season
Chairman	Robert Morrison
Manager	Paul Temple
Stadium	Sky Stadium Go Media Stadium Jerry Collins Stadium
A-League Women	8th
A-League Women Finals	DNQ
Top goalscorer	Mariana Speckmaier (10)
Highest home attendance	5,532 vs. Perth Glory (25 November 2023) A-League Women
Lowest home attendance	612 vs. Adelaide United (20 March 2024) A-League Women
Average home league attendance	1,899
Biggest win	3–0 vs. Western Sydney Wanderers (A) (22 October 2023) A-League Women
Biggest defeat	0–3 vs. Western United (A) (18 February 2024) A-League Women
Home colours Away colours

The 2023–24 season is the third in the history of Wellington Phoenix FC (women).

Players

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  CAN Rylee Foster 2 DF  NZL Zoe McMeeken (scholarship) 3 DF  NZL Kate Taylor 4 DF  NZL Mackenzie Barry 5 DF  NZL Marisa van der Meer 7 FW  USA Isabel Cox (injury replacement) 8 FW  NZL Grace Wisnewski 9 FW  NZL Kelli Brown 10 MF  NZL Alyssa Whinham 11 MF  USA Hope Breslin 12 GK  NZL Brianna Edwards 13 DF  NZL Michaela Foster (vice-captain)

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  NZL Michaela Robertson 15 MF  NZL Daisy Brazendale (scholarship) 16 MF  NZL Annalie Longo (captain) 17 FW  VEN Mariana Speckmaier 18 DF  USA Hailey Davidson 19 MF  NZL Olivia Ingham (scholarship) 20 MF  NZL Emma Main 21 MF  NZL Manaia Elliott 22 GK  NZL Aimee Danieli (amateur) 23 DF  NZL Rebecca Lake 26 DF  AUS Tiana Jaber (injury replacement) 27 MF  NZL Helena Errington (scholarship)

Transfers

Transfers in

No.	Position	Player	Transferred from	Type/fee	Contract length	Date	Ref.
23	DF	Rebecca Lake	Canterbury United Pride	Free transfer	1 year	28 July 2023	[1]
11	MF	Hope Breslin	Houston Dash	Free transfer	1 year	10 August 2023	[2]
18	DF	Hailey Davidson	Mallbacken	Free transfer	1 year	15 August 2023	[3]
6	MF	Macey Fraser	Unattached	Free transfer	3 years	16 August 2023	[4]
17	FW	Mariana Speckmaier	Washington Spirit	Free transfer	1 year	18 August 2023	[5]
9	FW	Kelli Brown	Macarthur Rams	Free transfer	1 year	6 September 2023	[6]
16	MF	Annalie Longo	Unattached	Free transfer	1 year	13 September 2023	[7]
1	GK	Rylee Foster	Unattached	Free transfer	1 year	19 September 2023	[8]
7	FW	Isabel Cox	North Carolina Tar Heels	Injury replacement	6 months	7 December 2023	[9]
26	DF	Tiana Jaber	Unattached	Injury replacement	6 months	27 December 2023	[10]
27	MF	Helena Errington	Sporting CP	Scholarship	6 months	27 December 2023	[10]

From academy squad

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Notes
15	MF		Daisy Brazendale	17	three-year scholarship contract[11]
21	MF		Manaia Elliott	18	three-year scholarship contract.[11] Contract upgraded on 28 January 2024.[12]
19	MF		Olivia Ingham	17	three-year scholarship contract[11]
22	GK		Aimee Danieli	18	amateur contract[13]

Transfers out

No.	Position	Player	Transferred to	Type/fee	Date	Ref.
11	MF	Betsy Hassett	Stjarnan	End of contract	24 May 2023	[14]
9	FW	Ava Pritchard	Unattached	Free transfer	23 June 2023	[15]
19	DF	Charlotte Lancaster	Unattached	Free transfer		[15]
18	DF	Te Reremoana Walker	Unattached	Free transfer		[15]
2	DF	Saskia Vosper	Unattached	Free transfer		[15]
22	GK	Georgia Candy	Unattached	Free transfer		[15]
20	FW	Milly Clegg	Western Sydney Wanderers	Free transfer	11 July 2023	[16]
17	DF	Claudia Cicco	Newcastle Jets	Free transfer	28 July 2023	[17]
6	MF	Isabel Gomez	Central Coast Mariners	Free transfer	4 August 2023	[18]
13	FW	Paige Satchell	Unattached	Free transfer	10 August 2023	[19]
16	MF	Emma Rolston	Unattached	Free transfer		[19]
1	GK	Lily Alfeld	Unattached	End of contract	5 September 2023	[20]
7	MF	Chloe Knott	Unattached	Mutual contract termination	30 November 2023	[21]
6	MF	Macey Fraser	Utah Royals	Undisclosed	17 April 2024	[22]

Contract extensions

No.	Position	Player	Duration	Date	Ref.
20	Emma Main	Forward	1 year	13 June 2023	[23]
14	Michaela Robertson	Forward	1 year	15 June 2023	[24]
4	Mackenzie Barry	Defender	2 years	21 June 2023	[25]
5	Marisa van der Meer	Defender	1 year	21 June 2023	[26]
3	Kate Taylor	Defender	1 year	1 August 2023	[27]
8	Grace Wisnewski	Midfielder	1 year	3 August 2023	[28]
13	Michaela Foster	Defender	1 year	8 August 2023	[29]
12	Brianna Edwards	Goalkeeper	1 year	8 August 2023	[30]
2	Zoe McMeeken	Defender	2 years	22 August 2023	[31]

Pre-season and friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix

3 October 2023	Newcastle Jets	1–2	Wellington Phoenix	Lisarow
15:00 AEDT		Report	Taylor (pen.) Wisnewski	Stadium: Pluim Park

Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix

7 October 2023	Central Coast Mariners	2–3	Wellington Phoenix	Gosford
16:00 AEDT	Trimis ?' Galic ?'	Report	Main ?' Elliott ?' Knott ?'	Stadium: Industree Group Stadium Attendance: ~3,000

Competitions

Overall record

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
A-League Women	15 October 2023	30 March 2024	Matchday 1	8th	22	9	1	12	36	33	+3	040.91
Total					22	9	1	12	36	33	+3	040.91

Source: Soccerway

A-League Women

Main article: 2023–24 A-League Women

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
6	Newcastle Jets	22	10	3	9	43	36	+7	33	Qualification to Finals series
7	Western Sydney Wanderers	22	10	3	9	30	30	0	33
8	Wellington Phoenix[a]	22	9	1	12	36	33	+3	28
9	Brisbane Roar	22	7	5	10	28	35	−7	26
10	Perth Glory	22	6	6	10	25	32	−7	24

Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) wins; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) head-to-head results; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away head-to-head results; 8) home head-to-head results; 9) toss of a coin^[32]
Notes:

1. Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
21	9	1	11	35	31	+4	28	7	1	2	21	10	+11	2	0	9	14	21	−7

Source: KEEPUP

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	17	18	19	20	16	21	22
Ground	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	N	A	H	A	A	A	A	H	H	A	H
Result	L	W	W	W	L	W	D	L	W	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	L	W	L	W	L	W
Position	9	4	3	3	3	3	3	4	3	4	6	7	9	7	9	9	10	10	10	8	9	8
Points	0	3	6	9	9	12	13	13	16	16	16	16	16	19	19	19	19	22	22	25	25	28

Updated to match(es) played on 30 March 2024. Source: KEEPUP
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

The final league fixtures were announced on 24 August 2023.^[33]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne City

15 October 2023 1	Wellington Phoenix	0–1	Melbourne City	Wellington
15:00 NZDT		Report	Wilkinson 73'	Stadium: Sky Stadium Attendance: 2,505 Referee: Beth Rattray

Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix

22 October 2023 2	Western Sydney Wanderers	0–3	Wellington Phoenix	Sydney
17:45 AEDT		Report	Speckmaier 68' Fraser 83' Elliott 87'	Stadium: CommBank Stadium Attendance: 2,461 Referee: Isabella Libri

Wellington Phoenix v Brisbane Roar

4 November 2023 3	Wellington Phoenix	2–1	Brisbane Roar	Wellington
14:45 NZDT	Speckmaier 6' Longo 85'	Report	Corbin 90+4'	Stadium: Sky Stadium Attendance: 1,788 Referee: Georgia Ghirardello

Wellington Phoenix v Western United

12 November 2023 4	Wellington Phoenix	3–1	Western United	Porirua
16:00 NZDT	Knott 31' Fraser 41' Hieda 76' (o.g.)	Report	Logarzo 90+3'	Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 1,746 Referee: Beth Rattray

Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix

18 November 2023 5	Central Coast Mariners	1–0	Wellington Phoenix	Gosford
18:00 AEDT	Rasmussen 76'	Report		Stadium: Industree Group Stadium Attendance: 1,654 Referee: Azusa Sugino

Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory

25 November 2023 6	Wellington Phoenix	2–1	Perth Glory	Auckland
14:45 NZDT	Breslin 48' Knott 61'	Report	Farrow 21'	Stadium: Go Media Stadium Attendance: 5,532 Referee: Bec Mackie

Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory

10 December 2023 7	Wellington Phoenix	2–2	Melbourne Victory	Porirua
16:00 NZDT	Taylor 17' Main 24'	Report	Morrison 15' Okino 37'	Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 672 Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley

Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix

16 December 2023 8	Adelaide United	2–1	Wellington Phoenix	Adelaide
17:00 ACDT	Condon 75' Sasaki 85'	Report	Main 21'	Stadium: Marden Sports Complex Attendance: 593 Referee: Rebecca Durcau

Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets

23 December 2023 9	Wellington Phoenix	2–0	Newcastle Jets	Wellington
14:45 NZDT	Speckmaier 34' (pen.) Breslin 39'	Report		Stadium: Sky Stadium Attendance: 2,614 Referee: Mikayla Ryan

Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix

29 December 2023 10	Sydney FC	1–0	Wellington Phoenix	Sydney
17:00 AEDT	J. Dos Santos 78'	Report		Stadium: Allianz Stadium Attendance: 4,866 Referee: Bec Mackie

Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix

7 January 2024 11	Brisbane Roar	2–1	Wellington Phoenix	Brisbane
17:00 AEST	Yallop 34' Stephenson 46'	Report	Cox 20'	Stadium: Perry Park Attendance: 1,955 Referee: Caitlin Williams

Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners

12 January 2024 12	Wellington Phoenix	1–2	Central Coast Mariners	Sydney
19:45 AEDT	Main 3'	Report	Badawiya 23' Trimis 34'	Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 1,938 Referee: Bec Mackie
Note: Originally scheduled for 13 January 2024, was moved due to Unite Round.[34]

Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix

20 January 2024 13	Melbourne City	2–1	Wellington Phoenix	Melbourne
17:00 AEDT	Pollicina 51' Ekic 74'	Report	Speckmaier 78'	Stadium: City Football Academy Attendance: 1,124 Referee: Isabella Libri

Wellington Phoenix v Canberra United

28 January 2024 14	Wellington Phoenix	2–0	Canberra United	Porirua
17:00 NZDT	Speckmaier 43', 52'	Report		Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 1,227 Referee: Molly Godsell

Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix

4 February 2024 15	Newcastle Jets	3–2	Wellington Phoenix	Newcastle
17:00 AEDT	Karipidis 33' Copus-Brown 50' Bolden 65'	Report	Speckmaier 4' Cox 56'	Stadium: No.2 Sportsground Attendance: 1,634 Referee: Caitlin Williams

Western United v Wellington Phoenix

18 February 2024 17	Western United	3–0	Wellington Phoenix	Melbourne
17:00 AEDT	Logarzo 29' Maher 72' Keane 78'	Report		Stadium: City Vista Recreation Reserve Attendance: 638 Referee: Casey Reibelt

Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix

3 March 2024 18	Melbourne Victory	5–3	Wellington Phoenix	Melbourne
14:00 AEDT	Goad 10', 35' Hansen 17' Foster 45' (o.g.) Lowe 64'	Report	Rankin 57' (o.g.) Robertson 90' Speckmaier 90+1'	Stadium: The Home of the Matildas Attendance: 1,087 Referee: Rebecca Durcau

Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix

8 March 2024 19	Perth Glory	1–3	Wellington Phoenix	Perth
19:00 AWST	Foster 42' (o.g.)	Report	Whinham 24' Robertson 56' Fraser 78'	Stadium: Macedonia Park Attendance: 964 Referee: Georgia Ghirardello

Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC

17 March 2024 20	Wellington Phoenix	2–4	Sydney FC	Porirua
14:00 NZDT	Cox 63' Speckmaier 71'	Report	Vine 18', 56' Jaber 42' (o.g.) Thompson 74'	Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 1,010 Referee: Bec Mackie

Wellington Phoenix v Adelaide United

20 March 2024 16	Wellington Phoenix	4–0	Adelaide United	Porirua
17:00 NZDT	Speckmaier 13' Taylor 59' Robertson 65' Foster 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 612 Referee: Mikayla Ryan
Note: Originally scheduled for 11 February. Rescheduled due to players involvement in the 2024 OFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[35]

Canberra United v Wellington Phoenix

24 March 2024 21	Canberra United	1–0	Wellington Phoenix	Canberra
14:00 AEDT	Heyman 78'	Report		Stadium: McKellar Park Attendance: 1,341 Referee: Isabella Mossin

Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers

30 March 2024 22	Wellington Phoenix	2–0	Western Sydney Wanderers	Porirua
14:00 NZDT	Main 18', 55'	Report		Stadium: Jerry Collins Stadium Attendance: 1,280 Referee: Caitlin Williams

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	A-League Women		Total
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Rylee Foster	19	0	19	0
2	DF		Zoe McMeeken	9+7	0	16	0
3	DF		Kate Taylor	16+1	2	17	2
4	DF		Mackenzie Barry	19+1	0	20	0
5	DF		Marisa van der Meer	6	0	6	0
6	MF		Macey Fraser	18+1	3	19	3
7	FW		Isabel Cox	10+2	3	12	3
8	MF		Grace Wisnewski	2+1	0	3	0
9	FW		Kelli Brown	1+6	0	7	0
10	MF		Alyssa Whinham	7+9	1	16	1
11	MF		Hope Breslin	17+5	2	22	2
12	GK		Brianna Edwards	3+1	0	4	0
13	DF		Michaela Foster	19+1	1	20	1
14	FW		Michaela Robertson	3+6	3	9	3
15	MF		Daisy Brazendale	4+2	0	6	0
16	MF		Annalie Longo	10+3	1	13	1
17	FW		Mariana Speckmaier	18+3	10	21	10
18	DF		Hailey Davidson	18+3	0	21	0
19	MF		Olivia Ingham	0+1	0	1	0
20	FW		Emma Main	15+3	5	18	5
21	DF		Manaia Elliott	6+10	1	16	1
22	GK		Aimee Feinberg-Danieli	0+1	0	1	0
23	DF		Rebecca Lake	11+6	0	17	0
25	DF		Ella McMillan	0+1	0	1	0
26	DF		Tiana Jaber	7+4	0	11	0
27	MF		Helena Errington	0+5	0	5	0
Player(s) transferred out but featured this season
7	MF		Chloe Knott	4+3	2	7	2

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

Rank	No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	A-League Women			Total
1	1	GK		Rylee Foster	0	0	1	0	0	1
2	11	MF		Hope Breslin	4	0	0	4	0	0
3	10	MF		Alyssa Whinham	3	0	0	3	0	0
	21	DF		Manaia Elliott	3	0	0	3	0	0
5	18	DF		Hailey Davidson	2	0	0	2	0	0
	20	FW		Emma Main	2	0	0	2	0	0
	23	DF		Rebecca Lake	2	0	0	2	0	0
8	3	DF		Kate Taylor	1	0	0	1	0	0
	4	DF		Mackenzie Barry	1	0	0	1	0	0
	6	MF		Macey Fraser	1	0	0	1	0	0
	13	DF		Michaela Foster	1	0	0	1	0	0
	16	MF		Annalie Longo	1	0	0	1	0	0
	17	FW		Mariana Speckmaier	1	0	0	1	0	0
Total					22	0	1	22	0	1

Clean sheets

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

Rank	No.	Nat.	Goalkeeper	A-League Women	Total
1	1		Rylee Foster	5	5
2	12		Brianna Edwards	0 (1)	0 (1)
	22		Aimee Feinberg-Danieli	0 (1)	0 (1)
Total				5 (2)	5 (2)

Awards

Players

No.	Pos.	Player	Award	Source
1	GK	Rylee Foster	A-League Women Player of the Month (October/November)	[36]
			A-League Women Player of the Month (December)	[37]
17	FW	Mariana Speckmaier	A-League Women Player of the Month (March)	[38]

Managers

Manager	Award	Source
Paul Temple	A-League Women Coach of the Month (October/November)	[39]
	A-League Women Coach of the Month (December)	[37]

See also

• 2023–24 Wellington Phoenix FC season

References

1. "Canterbury defender joins the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 28 July 2023.
2. "Women make first visa signing". Wellington Phoenix. 10 August 2023.
3. "Nix sign another exciting young American". Wellington Phoenix. 15 August 2023.
4. "Nix secure young midfielder on multi-year deal". Wellington Phoenix. 16 August 2023.
5. "Phoenix sign Venezuela international". Wellington Phoenix. 18 August 2023.
6. "Inform Brown coming back to the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 6 September 2023.
7. "Decorated Football Ferns midfielder signs with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 13 September 2023.
8. "Foster rises again with the Phoenix". Wellington Phoenix. 19 September 2023.
9. "Tar Heel signs with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 7 December 2023.
10. "Phoenix bolster women's squad". Wellington Phoenix. 27 December 2023.
11. "Talented trio promoted from the academy". Wellington Phoenix. 28 August 2023.
12. "Elliott signs full contract with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
13. Wellington Phoenix [@WgtnPhoenixFC] (1 October 2023). "The 2023/24 Squad numbers for our A-League Women's team are 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝! Aimee Danieli has been confirmed as the sides third choice GK as an amateur player" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. Daníelsson, Gunnar Egill (24 May 2023). "Nýliðarnir skelltu Stjörnunni" [The newcomers hit the Star]. Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic).
15. "Nix confirm women's departures". Wellington Phoenix. 23 June 2023.
16. "Wanderers sign Football Fern Clegg". Western Sydney Wanderers. 11 July 2023.
17. "Newcastle Jets sign Young Matilda Claudia Cicco". Newcastle Jets. 28 July 2023.
18. "Central Coast Mariners sign young midfielder Isabel Gomez". Central Coast Mariners. 4 August 2023.
19. McKay, Ben (10 August 2023). "Phoenix make first foreign signing after game-changing move but reveal two exits". Keep Up. Paul Temple confirmed Paige Satchell and Emma Rolston will not be returning
20. Voerman, Andrew (5 September 2023). "Wellington Phoenix women's captain Lily Alfeld set for season on sideline after surgery". Stuff.
21. "Ever-present midfielder departs the Phoenix". Wellington Phoenix. 30 November 2023.
22. "Fraser finalises record transfer to the NWSL". Wellington Phoenix. 17 April 2024.
23. "Emma secures Main contract". Wellington Phoenix. 13 June 2023.
24. "Robertson re-signs for 2023-24". Wellington Phoenix. 15 June 2023.
25. "Phoenix founding player signs on longer term". Radio New Zealand. 21 June 2023.
26. "Goalscoring defender re-signs with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 27 June 2023.
27. "Vice-captain recommits to the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 1 August 2023.
28. "Ferns training partner signs on for another season". Wellington Phoenix. 3 August 2023.
29. "Football Ferns fullback re-signs with the Nix". Wellington Phoenix. 8 August 2023.
30. "Young 'keeper re-signs after breakout season". Wellington Phoenix. 9 August 2023.
31. "Foundation player signs on for two more seasons". Wellington Phoenix. 22 August 2023.
32. "Competitions Rules". A-Leagues. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
33. "Full A-Leagues fixtures released: What you need to know & key talking points". keepup.com.au. 24 August 2023.
34. "What is Unite Round?". aleagues.com.au. 18 October 2023.
35. "Women's home match against Adelaide rescheduled". Wellington Phoenix FC. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
36. "Rylee Foster's remarkable return to football just keeps getting better 💛". A-Leagues Facebook. 5 December 2023.
37. "Wellington pair pick up Coach and Player of the month awards for December after fan vote". A-Leagues. 23 January 2024.
38. "Five-month streak ends as Phoenix star scoops March award". A-League Women. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
39. "What a turnaround it has been for the Wellington Phoenix FC under Paul Temple 👏". A-Leagues Facebook. 5 December 2023.

External links

• Wellington Phoenix official website