Phoenix players train at Martin Luckie Park in Wellington before moving to Australia. Sentiment was mixed as players, coaches and support staff from sports franchises Wellington Phoenix and New Zealand Breakers boarded a charter flight to Sydney Monday. Phoenix A-League Women team coach Gemma Lewis said it was an exciting day for her young squad preparing for their first season in Australia’s semi-professional football competition. They will be based in Wollongong, where the A-League Men spent most of last season. WELLINGTON PHOENIX Gemma Lewis and Natalie Lawrence will lead the Wellington Phoenix team for their first season in the A-League Women. “I think reality has arrived. There has been some emotion about you finally leaving the house, but I think you are excited to get there and get started,” said Lewis. READ MORE: * NZ Breakers flies to Australia on Monday; establishes a long-term base in Melbourne * Wellington Phoenix appoints Gemma Lewis as the club’s first A-League women coach * Wellington Phoenix will set up the women’s team in the W-League with a quota of Australian players and away from their families, this stuff is big. But they have good family support and even though it’s remote their families have been really good. ”It was a bittersweet day for Phoenix men’s player David Ball. The English striker had to leave his wife and two sons behind for a second straight season began in the A-League Men on the Tasmanian Land. “It’s kind of a sad day but exciting for me because I know the season is approaching, there and as someone who loves football and just wants to come over there and start playing football, it’s nice to be able to do so, but it’s hard again for wife and children, ”he said. The Phoenix men have only played one home game in Wellington in the past 18 months. Ball clung to hope that border restrictions would be relaxed in the New Year, allowing the team to play Melbourne Victory in front of their home crowd on January 29 at Sky Stadium. “The hope is for all of us; the fans and everyone involved in the club that we are back and playing home games and that we can achieve this normality of traveling between the two countries again. “We had that one home game last season and it makes the lips wet to come back and play because it’s hard not to have home support. But we’re used to making it tough, and that toughened the group. ”Breakers player Finn Delany was looking forward to coming to her base in Melbourne and“ getting to work ”after a week of lockdown in Auckland. He was fortunate that his girlfriend would make the trip with him before the upcoming ANBL season. “We feel really good. It’s familiar terrain for many in the group, we’ve done this before, so we’re just looking forward to getting to work as the season is just around the corner, ”said Delany. “Of course we hope that we will come back and play home games, but we are prepared for anything. “This time we have a lot more families with us, which will definitely help. I wouldn’t say it’s that difficult, we’re just lucky and grateful that we can play on point. ”After 12 away games in a row, the Breakers are hoping to return to home against the Brisbane Bullets on February 5th.
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