THE Wellington Phoenix has decided to use Woolongong as its hub ahead of the upcoming A-League season, instead of Tamworth.
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The club was weighing up Tamworth, Wollongong or Canberra, but announced on Friday it had opted to base itself in the Illawarra region.
Players will arrive at the hub at the University of Wollongong (UOW) on Sunday to begin planning for the season, which starts on December 27.
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Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay said the club will use this time to further evaluate their options for a season-long base in Australia.
"Our primary need is to get our players on the ground in NSW and into training for the December 27 start, while we wait for the rest of the squad to clear quarantine," he said.
"UOW gives us a great initial location to base ourselves from for this pre-season camp, while we continue to evaluate Wollongong - as well as other locations - for the squad to base themselves from for the 2020-21 season."
It's not all bad news for Tamworth soccer fans, as the Leader understands Scully Park could be in line for a trial game between the Newcastle Jets and the Central Coast Mariners.
Tamworth was considered a front runner to host the Phoenix after the New Zealand Warriors used Scully Park as a hub ahead of the NRL season earlier this year.