Phoenix Academy forced to go on hiatus

The football academy that helped produce All Whites Sarpreet Singh and Liberato Cacace has been placed on hiatus, as the Wellington Phoenix come to terms with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A letter was sent to parents of the A-league club’s academy members yesterday afternoon, which Stuff has sighted, outlining the club’s decision, which will be reassessed when grassroots football resumes.

The letter said the club felt its ability to deliver its academy programme had been compromised due to the impacts of the coronavirus, which has forced all football in New Zealand to be postponed until at least May 30.

‘‘We are not comfortable as an organisation to continue to run an academy without being able to deliver the quality training programme to the players and families who had sacrificed so much to be there.’’

The letter said there was no guarantee every player would be able to return if and when the academy programme was able to resume and they were free to move home from Wellington, or remain at home if already there, and to register with other clubs.

No football team is allowed to train at present, during the Covid-19 alert level four lockdown, so the immediate practical impact is limited, but the Phoenix are clearly anticipating not being able to sustain the academy’s current level of operations going forward.

The club declined to comment on its decision.

Around 60 players are involved in the academy programme, which is run in conjunction with local amateur club Lower Hutt City. The academy’s top prospects play for Lower Hutt in the regional Central League competition during the winter and for the Phoenix reserves in the national league during the summer.

The Phoenix have placed a great deal of emphasis on their academy in recent years, with graduates Cacace and Singh playing major roles last season as the club returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Singh was sold to German superclub Bayern Munich last July for a fee reported to be in the high six figures – valuable income for the Phoenix, who are understood to operate at a loss each season.

This decision to put the academy on hiatus is the first sign of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the club, which is one of four in the A-League still paying its players and staff.

Seven of the 10 Australianbased clubs have stood their players and staff down without pay, as they are able to under Australian employment law.

The Phoenix, like the rest of the A-League clubs, are facing a financial crunch due to the Covid19 pandemic, with Fox Sports reportedly failing to make its latest broadcast rights payment – money most of the clubs rely on to stay afloat.