October 30, 2020
UOW welcomes Wellington Phoenix to train on campus
A-League football club chooses Wollongong for pre-season camp
The University of Wollongong (UOW) will be welcoming A-League football team Wellington Phoenix to campus as its high-performance training base for a three week period beginning 1 November 2020.
The Wellington Phoenix squad will commence training at the UOW campus as it prepares for the 2020/21 A-League session, due to commence from 27 December 2020, amid COVID-19 travel restrictions.
UOW Vice-Chancellor Paul Wellings CBE has welcomed the team’s decision to hold its pre-season camp at UOW, saying the University was pleased to offer the Wellington Phoenix its world-class facilities along with the best of Wollongong’s hospitality.
“We acknowledge the sacrifices being made by Wellington Phoenix players and staff and are thrilled to host them at UOW for the next three weeks,” Professor Wellings said.
“The University has a long history of supporting great athletes and promoting sports throughout the region by providing modern facilities that support world-class training programs. We are pleased to play our part in supporting the Phoenix as they prepare for their upcoming A-League season.”
Professor Wellings also thanked the team for their support and cooperation adhering to the University’s COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene are being maintained throughout the training period.
Wellington Phoenix General Manager, David Dome, has thanked UOW for hosting the team and making its facilities available.
“We are excited to hold our pre-season camp in the beautiful city of Wollongong and utilising UOW’s facilities where many high-performance teams and great athletes have trained,” says Dome.
The University has well established relationships with other professional sporting clubs that use its high-performance sports facilities for joint education programs or training. These include the St George Illawarra Dragons Rugby League Club, the Hawks National Basketball League team and recently the Gold Coast Suns Football Club.
Phoenix players and the football operations staff will relocate to Wollongong for the three-week period and use UOW’s training fields, gymnasium, pool, physiotherapy treatment facilities, accommodation, as well as office spaces during this time. The team’s use of the facilities will not significantly impact their availability for use by students, staff or the community.
The University considers the health and safety of students, staff and community as its utmost priority. All the physical activities on campus are performed under strict health and safety requirements outlined in UOW’s COVID safe plan.