Well, 13 months on, Ifill will likely make his return to football next weekend for Team Wellington in the national league when they host Hawke's Bay United.
Ifill, 35, has signed for Team Wellington for the rest of the season with an eye to making one last run with the Phoenix. The ASB Premiership's rules meant he couldn't play for the Phoenix's reserve team given he does not have a professional deal and the rest of their side must be filled with youth players.
"I've done the training, my recovery's slow between training sessions. I just want to see what it's like after games and if it's possible to make some kind of return in the future or not," Ifill said of his Phoenix ambitions.
The former Barbados international is the Phoenix's all-time leading goal-scorer and he made more than 100 appearances for the club from 2009-2013 where he was one of the best players to have taken the pitch in the A-League.
Rule changes have meant he won't satisfy the residency requirements for another two years to play as a local so one final stand with the Phoenix is a long shot given the club have a full import quota. The A-League are also dropping the import allowances from five players to four next season.
"I want to have a challenge," Ifill said. "I don't want to be welcomed back because I used to be quite good. I want to earn a spot."
You can't fault his confidence and the veteran has a range of opportunities that could assist his return to the game.
Aside from playing for Team Wellington, Ifill and his family have moved to a lifestyle block in the village of Opaki, which is 6km north of Masterton in the Wairarapa.
"It's a change of scenery for sure, so I've got to get used to me farm animals, which I've got no idea about," he said with a laugh.
There's a chance Ifill could be employed as a player-coach for Wairarapa United in the lower North Island's Central League during the winter.
He has also set up a football academy that has sites in Wairarapa and Nelson, which should keep him occupied.
"The thing I wanted to make sure is that I'm actually there," he said. "I think a lot of people lend a name to academies and the person involved never turns up. So I don't want to spread myself too thin."
Despite not being contracted to the club, Ifill was allowed to use the Phoenix's training facilities during his rehabilitation, including sessions with their medical staff.
