Phoenix hope for home playoff
The Wellington Phoenix have plans for sold-out football matches with the resumption of the A-League season confirmed yesterday.
The A-League 2019-20 season is set to restart on Thursday, July 16, when the Victory host Western United at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
The third-placed Phoenix will face leaders Sydney at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah a day later.
No fixtures have been confirmed beyond those two but the remaining 27 games of the regular season will be held over 28 days before the topsix finals series.
As things stands, the Phoenix and Perth Glory will complete the rest of their regular-season matches in New South Wales, with games at Kogarah, Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta and McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.
Football Federation Australia has confirmed if a transtasman travel bubble is in place, Wellington could host finals matches in late August.
“You saw from the result in the weekend with the Blues and Hurricanes that people know in New Zealand they will turn out for an event like that at Sky Stadium without a shadow of a doubt,” Phoenix chief executive David Dome told Newstalk ZB.
“We are confident we will be able to release the revised draw for the completion of the A-League 2019-20 season soon,” said FFA head of leagues Greg O’Rourke.
Clubs will be free to return to training from tomorrow subsequent to the successful completion of Covid-19 medical screenings and the implementation of operational plans to minimise the risk of infection at their training sites and club facilities.
O’Rourke said changes to the Australian Federal Government’s rules for crowds in stadiums, which will come into effect from July 1, would likely enable the season to be completed with fans in the stands.