Wellington Phoenix, Football

Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a New Zealand professional football club based in Wellington. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia.[3] Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 season after its formation in March 2007, by New Zealand Football to replace New Zealand Knights as a New Zealand-based club in the Australian A-League competition. The club is one of the few clubs in the world to compete in a league of a different confederation (AFC) from that of the country where it is based (OFC). Ernie Merrick was the head coach following the resignation of founding coach Ricki Herbert late in the 2012–13 season, until his own resignation on 5 December 2016. Andrew Durante has been the club captain since the 2008–09 season succeeding from the inaugural captain, Ross Aloisi. The club's highest achievement is reaching the A-League Preliminary Final in 2010. The club plays matches at Westpac Stadium, a 34,500-seat multi-purpose venue in Wellington. Their home kit consists of black and yellow stripes.