Michael Burgess: New Phoenix logo a small step in the right direction

Specialist Multimedia Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·

9 Aug, 2017 10:38 PM2 mins to read

Coach Darije Kalezic speaks during a Wellington Phoenix A-League media announcement. Photo / Getty

It's going to take a lot more than a new logo to get the Wellington Phoenix heading in the right direction.

After the miserable campaign last season - including the still curious decision to give Des Buckingham and Chris Greenacre the coaching reigns after Ernie Merrick's departure - the club has a long road back to respectability.

But today's unveiling of a new logo - 'E Rere Te Keo' - based on the Maori legend of the creation of Wellington harbour - felt like a small step in the right direction.

The club's owners and management have long felt the absence of a true identity - what does the club actually represent - and this is seen as a way to redress that.

The symbol of the Phoenix was appropriate in the early days, rising from the ashes of the New Zealand Knights, but the club wants to forge a stronger identity.

It's also a signal that ownership group Welnix want to be around for the long term, despite all the questions that swirl around the club's long term future and the ongoing issues with the FFA.

'E Rere Te Keo' is translated as the rising call - the call to prepare, the call to work hard, the call to prevail regardless of circumstance.

"We want to live and breathe these values," said club ambassador Ben Sigmund. "The cautionary tale of the two taniwha and its lessons - a story of hard work not laziness, of perseverance not giving up, of facing adversity and always absolutely giving it your all."

"It's so important that everyone at this club understand who we are and what we stand for - so that whatever the players are doing on and off the field, they are representing this club with pride and passion."

A 3m x 2.4m steel representation of the new crest was formally unveiled in a dawn ceremony on Thursday morning, in front of fans, guests and the entire staff and playing group of the Wellington Phoenix.