Wellington Phoenix plan to announce a new Liberty A-League head coach next week after Natalie Lawrence’s departure.
Natalie Lawrence has opted against seeking reappointment as Wellington Phoenix’s Liberty A-League coach.
Lawrence – who was an assistant in the club’s inaugural season – took charge of the team at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, after Gemma Lewis departed in September.
The ‘Nix finished bottom for the second successive season, but finished the season on a high note, collecting four points in their last two games of the campaign – including a stirring 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory.
Following a review of last season, Lawrence decided against seeking reappointment for the 2023/24 campaign – with the club now planning on announcing a successor next week.
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“The decision to move on from the ongoing process was a hard one, that was made due to my own personal circumstances,” Lawrence said.
“I want to thank the club for giving me the opportunity to help bring professional women’s football to Aotearoa.
“And I would like to thank the players for their loyalty and support. I wish them and the club nothing but success as I now become their number one fan.”
Despite their bottom place finish, Lawrence guided Wellington to upset wins over Liberty A-League premiers and champions Sydney FC and a 5-0 drubbing of Canberra United.
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Lawrence also handed debuts to breakout stats Milly Clegg and Michaela Foster, who have gone on to not only become mainstays of the Wellington line-up, but break into the Football Ferns set-up.
“I leave with many fond memories from the past season especially; our first ever women’s professional game in this country, beating teams like Sydney and Canberra, and over the last two seasons seeing 18 Kiwis make their professional debuts, five of them making their Ferns debuts, with a further three being involved in national camps,” she said.
“I will forever be a supporter of this team and believe that this group of young Kiwi players are special.
“Giving them time and opportunity to compete at this level is really important for the continued development of our talented female athletes.
“I will now focus on helping the Ferns prepare for the World Cup and support the development of the players as we head into what will be an amazing event for this country.”
