It was great to see All Whites Shane Smeltz and Glenn Moss sweep the inaugural Wellington Phoenix Awards last week, in an example to young local players of what is possible in Football, if you work hard, have some talent and get some quality coaching along the way.

Both had outstanding A League seasons and will be thrilled with new signings Andrew Durante straight from a Man of the Match appearance in the Grand Final with champions Newcastle, Leo Bertos another accomplished All White and Soccerroo Jon Mc Kain who has been playing professionally in Europe, while previous Knights star Leilei Gao completes a batch of quality recruits for Ricki Herbert to enter season 2 with confidence and high expectations.

Meanwhile another great example of Wellington’s position as the “Home of Football” in this country was played out on Saturday at Kiwitea street in Auckland, when Team Wellington surged into the NZFC Grand Final through an excellent extra time victory over defending champions Auckland City.

Veteran Graham Little, once again proved his goal scoring prowess, with 2, including a high pressure penalty in extra time and Peter Halstead who has cultivated his own dedicated fan club also got 2, both very well taken strikes under severe pressure.

Coach Stu Jacobs, whose outstanding coaching credentials and ability to organise and motivate a team has transformed Team Wellington into very real title contenders, while a win on Sunday against Waitakere City in Auckland, will also put the side into the O league competition and with it the opportunity to compete at the World Club Championships in Japan.

Not content to simply win 7 NZFC games in a row, including 6 without even conceding a goal, in the run towards the final, Stu also slipped away for 2 weeks, leaving the side in the very capable hands of Charlie Howe, so he could successfully coach the NZ under 23 side to qualify for the Beijing Olympics later this year.

A victory in this Sunday’s Grand Final would be a thoroughly well deserved way to end the season for Stu, Charlie and the players and also a credit to General Manager Dave Farrington, himself a championship winning coach in past seasons, and Team Wellington Chairman Mark Chote who have led the off field performance that has created this successful outcome for Football in Wellington.