The Wellington Phoenix will be based in Australia for at least the start of the 2020/21 A-League football season.
Due to travel restrictions brought on by Covid-19, the club's players and coaching staff will assemble from Monday in New South Wales (most likely Wollongong), to begin preparations for the new campaign, starting on December 27. That'll give the Phoenix eight weeks to get up to speed ahead of their first game, with the playing schedule to be released next month.
The majority of Wellington's squad are currently based in New Zealand and Australia with attacker Ulises Davila travelling from his home in Mexico and goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic returning from holiday in Germany. Quarantine will be required for Davila, Marinovic and some of the Australians who need to cross state borders, but the New Zealand based players and staff can enter New South Wales without quarantining.
"The logistics of bringing them all back together and flying them from wherever they are into Australia has been challenging," said General Manager David Dome.