They may be more than 2,200 kilometres from home, but the Wellington Phoenix hope to make WIN Stadium a fortress for visiting teams over the coming months.
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Football Federation Australia on Tuesday released the draw for the 2020/21 A-League season, which confirmed the Phoenix will play all home games in Wollongong. It ended weeks of speculation about the New Zealand club's short-term future.
The Phoenix arrived in Wollongong early November to undertake a pre-season training camp at the University of Wollongong campus. Due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19, the Phoenix can't return to New Zealand.
The majority of the squad have now arrived in Wollongong, however, goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic and midfielder Ulises Davila remain in quarantine after arriving from overseas.
The 2020/21 A-League season is set to start on December 27 with a derby between the Western Sydney Wanderers and newbies Macarthur FC at Bankwest Stadium. The Phoenix will launch their campaign with an away game against Brisbane Roar two days later.
Wellington's first home game at WIN Stadium will be against Sydney FC on January 2, 2021. The Phoenix will play a further 11 matches in Wollongong during the home and away season, which ends in late May before finals get under way.
More to come.