Phoenix arrive with hint of new-look A-League

A condensed A-League season looks set to play out almost entirely in Sydney and Melbourne under a revamped schedule that is close to finalisation.

Cameron Devlin wears a face mask at Wellington Airport, before the departure of the Wellington Phoenix team to Sydney Picture: Getty Images

A condensed A-League season looks set to play out almost entirely in Sydney and Melbourne under a revamped schedule that is close to finalisation. Wellington Phoenix general manager David Dome gave an insight into the overhauled nature of the league caused by the need to isolate teams and reduce travel because of coronavirus.

Dome revealed Australia’s two biggest cities will be hubs for the remainder of the regular season, which will be completed by mid-April at empty stadiums. The finals format is still to be confirmed but is likely to remain on the east coast of Australia.

Dome let slip the fundamental change hours before the Phoenix players and staff flew to Sydney on Wednesday.

Under the draw he’s seen, which is not yet confirmed, five of Wellington’s six subsequent regular season games will be in Sydney, with the exception being a drive to Newcastle to face the Jets.

The Sydney venues are still to be confirmed.

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“It’s not my place to release the draw but there are certain plans in place to have the A-League based out of two hubs, being Melbourne and Sydney,” Dome said. Once out of quarantine, Wellington will play their first game three days later, on April 4, squeezing their six games into less than three weeks. Despite the strain placed on his players by the schedule, Dome said Wellington had given a cautious nod to A-League bosses.

“We are relatively comfortable with that, given the circumstances,” he said. “Under normal circumstances that would not be an acceptable solution but all the clubs realise that we have to complete the season as soon as possible.”

Dome believed locating to two cities made sense as it reduced the travel component considerably, aiding safety measures and helping players recover from the taxing schedule.

He said all clubs were undergoing their own form of isolation to give the league the best chance of being completed, as it would be severely compromised if any player contracted COVID-19.

“It’s almost like every club has gone into an isolation window within the club itself,” he said.

Wellington’s confirmation of their travel came as a relief to FFA chief executive James Johnson after the club had raised concerns on Tuesday and delayed their arrival.

Phoenix bosses only agreed to go ahead with the plan after being given assurances their players would be able to train together during their quarantine period.

Johnson said his organisation is prepared to do what it can to ensure both Phoenix and Melbourne Victory players – who are also in isolation after playing in Wellington on Sunday – can maintain their focus and condition before returning to action.

“Knowing they’ve got to come out of that 14 day period and play a football match, it is very challenging for them,” he said.

“So yes, we’re relieved but on the other hand we’re really just trying to help them both mentally and also physically and we’re also working very closely with the PFA to do this.”

On arriving in Sydney the Phoenix’s attention has turned to the really important stuff.

Now it’s about making sure the Wi-Fi is working, the board games are stacked up and nobody gets bored at their remote accommodation base. The third-placed Kiwis were to get an early taste of what lies ahead on Wednesday, the start point of up to six weeks away from home. After crossing the Tasman on a near-empty plane, they were guaranteed clear passage through Sydney Airport and a chartered bus to take them to their secret base for the next fortnight.

Every contracted player travelled aside from defender Luke DeVere, who flew to Brisbane with his pregnant wife on Tuesday, helping her settle back with her family before joining his teammates 24 hours later.

Phoenix bosses won’t reveal the location of the facility somewhere in greater Sydney that will double as their living quarters and training base. They are anxious no members of the public visit, such is the regimented nature of their stay.

The FFA has paid for the venue and Phoenix operations manager Shaun Gill was pleased the governing body had agreed to all of their requirements, including individual rooms for every player and enough sports and leisure activities to keep them occupied.

“We’re comfortable the facility we’ve got has everything we need and will still give the players a little bit of flexibility, that they’re not just stuck in a room for 24 hours a day,” Gill said.

“We’re pretty confident we can get this done and the players have been absolutely amazing.

“It’s obviously something challenging and new that we’re not used to but it’s been a fantastic season to date and a lot of them are still keen to see how far they can go.”

AAP