Source: Radio New Zealand
An injured Lily Alfeld talks to her team from the stands during an A-League Women’s match in Wellington. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
The Wellington Phoenix women’s inaugural captain Lily Alfeld saw her playing career end prematurely. Now she has a front row seat to a season that is reshaping the club.
Alfeld was the first signing in the club’s history ahead of the Phoenix entering the A-League women competition in 2021. She played all but one game in goal during the team’s inaugural campaign as the expansion side battled to get a foothold in the league.
But injuries soon took their toll.
Alfeld missed all of the following season with knee and back injuries, before back surgery in 2023 that ultimately ended her playing days.
But the Phoenix were determined not to lose one of the foundational figures of the women’s programme. The club created an operations role that allowed Alfeld to rehabilitate her injury and continue to have a positive influence on a women’s programme that was still in its infancy.
“I was hoping for a slightly longer career, so when it was cut a bit shorter than planned that was a tough six months to just get my head around,” Alfeld said of the transition from player to staff member.
Now Alfeld is at the coalface of the club in the community, leading culture and community engagement.
While sidelined with injury Alfeld, she became known for her vocal support from the stands, “that was about the only way I thought I could contribute”.
“But now my role looks slightly different, I’m a little bit less vocal and more behind the scenes. I’m still the team’s biggest cheerleader.
“I’m just so stoked to see them finally start to get the reward for all the efforts that they are putting in.”
That reward has come in the form of a historic campaign.
The Phoenix are preparing for their first grand final appearance on Saturday against Melbourne City in Melbourne, Alfeld said it was the “perfect time” to be in her role promoting the club.
The former goalkeeper said the Phoenix have changed a lot since she lead them out for their first game against Western Sydney Wanderers in December 2021 during the Covid era when their home base was in Wollongong in New South Wales.
“The thinking that first season [was] we’re just like so happy to be here. But as that time has evolved, and as the years have gone on, I think every year it’s been how do we get better? How do we push? How do we increase our investment, our standards, our expectations?” she said.
“I think every year it’s been slowly chipping away, and I think they’ve just finally nailed making an incredible programme.
“I have no doubt that this is the best female programme in the league and they’re finally getting that result.”
Goalkeeper Lily Alfeld was the Wellington Phoenix’s first signing and inaugural captain. PHOTOSPORT
Alfeld was part of a squad that made football history in New Zealand in 2021 when the club entered the league, Saturday night will be another historic moment regardless of the result against Melbourne City.
Prior to this season the Phoenix had never made the top six in the competition to progress to finals. Meaning they had never been in a semifinal, or even close to being in a showpiece of the women’s game with silverware on the line.
“When they announced Bev as the coach and then they secured a lot of incredible signings, I think it all of a sudden went from let’s push for top six to, wow, we really are contenders here,” Alfeld said of this season.
“There was almost this added pressure and expectation that anything less than probably a final would be, for lack of a better word, a failure.
“We had the right ingredients, so it’s been really interesting to see how the team has dealt with that, and I think Bev has been an incredible leader that has kept everyone focused and on the task at hand and game by game, because it is so easy to get carried away, especially when the success hasn’t always been there.
“It is a long time coming, but I think they’ve just got all the ingredients right this year and it’s all come together perfectly.”
Alfeld was impressed with the “incredible resilience” of the players who had to overcome a one goal deficit from the first leg of the home and away semifinals against Brisbane Roar to win the second in front of their home supporters at Porirua Park to secure the grand final berth.
“It just shows the grit and the mental strength this team has to overcome a challenge that they haven’t faced before. “
The second semifinal on Sunday was played in front of a record crowd of nearly 6000 people.
Alfeld remembered the early days of playing in closed stadiums in Australia during Covid, with a bit of online support “from mainly family and friends”.
“It felt like a small supporter base to where it is now.
“It’s not just young girls, it’s young boys that you see are just so excited to meet these players, to hear about their stories and their journeys.
“My favourite part is just going into that school and meeting a kid that is just so excited to meet this player and that aspires to be like them. It’s pretty special that these players get the opportunity to be those role models.”
Alfeld grew up as a Phoenix supporter – of the men’s team.
She started her top level playing days at college in America and then for Perth Glory in the A-League before she got the opportunity to come home and have an influence on the next generation of players.
As the Phoenix women play out their best season Alfeld was happy with where she was.
“I’m very lucky I have that front row seat to witness all that and to see the effects on the community and our supporters.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand