Wellington Phoenix have rewarded talented young gun Luke Brooke-Smith with a three-year contract following a successful trial.
One of the “standouts” during New Zealand’s triumphant OFC Under-16 Men’s Championship campaign, the 16-year-old winger trialled with 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League semi-finalists Wellington before his international commitments.
The teenager, who is an eight-time national age-group BMX champion, caught the eye of Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano.
“In school I had to write down what my aim was, and it was to sign a scholarship at a professional club by the end of the season coming, around May next year,” Brooke-Smith said. “To get the call so early, I’m kind of in shock.
“I got back from training, and my dad and Ricki Herbert both messaged me saying can I give you a call, we’ve got good news.
“My dad told me the Phoenix have offered me a professional contract. I thought he was joking around. I just started walking around in circles. My heart was beating.”
Brooke-Smith relocated from Whangarei to Cambridge in 2020 in order to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympic BMX rider.
Also part of the RH3 Football Academy – led by former Phoenix head coach Rickie Herbert, Brooke-Smith made his senior debut for Cambridge FC aged 15 before joining Hamilton Wanderers in the Northern League this season.
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“Last year making my debut in men’s football was one of the seasons I learnt the most,” said Brooke-Smith.
“Taking that one step further this year to the Northern League, the best league in New Zealand that’s not professional, I’ve learnt so much.
“Not just with the ball, but the maturity without the ball and being involved with adults.
“That atmosphere’s set me up to be in a similar atmosphere at the Phoenix where it’s adults and I’m going to be the youngest. It’s taught me to be quite mature.”
“I think my best attribute is one-on-one abilities down the wing. I love getting the ball and bringing life to the game,” he continued.
“I hate watching players who slow the game down when it’s not needed, or don’t have the confidence to take players on.
“My biggest strength is getting the ball and doing what’s best for the team, creating a chance or scoring and assisting.”
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Brooke-Smith is the 18th player contracted to Wellington’s Isuzu UTE A-League squad for the 2024-25 campaign, and joins Marco Rojas and Paulo Retre as new faces at the Phoenix.
“Luke has attributes that are already commonplace for a lot of our established players,” head coach Italiano said. “He has explosiveness and he’s very good with the ball.
“He poses a real threat every time he’s in possession, and I like that because it means he’s dangerous and hard to defend.
“I was also impressed with how much Luke improved in the time he spent in our environment. That made me believe the range of development that he can achieve in the next year to two years is going to be significant.”
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Herbert added: “Luke’s a super talented boy. He’s very attacking and very quick. He can play on either side and is very positive in what he does going forward.
“Luke’s also super professional to say the least. He’s an excellent trainer, hugely resilient, and just somebody who’s had a real focus on wanting to be the best footballer he can.
“I’m delighted to see that he’s moving into his first professional contract at the Wellington Phoenix.”
