{"id":322809,"date":"2024-09-12T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/?p=322809"},"modified":"2024-09-13T15:03:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T03:03:06","slug":"foster-to-further-career-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/foster-to-further-career-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"Foster to further career overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Michaela Foster has informed the Wellington Phoenix she won\u2019t be returning to the club for the upcoming Ninja A-League season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Football Ferns fullback is pursuing opportunities abroad after being an integral member of the Phoenix women\u2019s squad for the past two seasons and becoming an A-Leagues All Star.

Foster made 38 appearances for the Nix, all but one of which were starts, scoring two goals and setting up six others.

She was a revelation in her first season as a professional after joining the Phoenix on a scholarship contract.

Foster went on to start all 18 matches during the 2022-23 A-League, primarily at left back, and dominated the club\u2019s end of season awards night; named the women\u2019s player of the year, players\u2019 player of the year, members\u2019 player of the year and media player of the year.

She was again one of the team\u2019s best performers last season and showcased her versatility by playing as a centre back, wing back and midfielder as well as her usual fullback spot.

Foster\u2019s performances for the Nix have seen her called up to the Football Ferns and she was part of New Zealand\u2019s squads at the 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup and this year\u2019s Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – MARCH 17: Michaela Foster of the Phoenix passes during the A-League Women round 20 match between Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC at Porirua Park, on March 17, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phoenix head coach Paul Temple has mixed emotions about Foster\u2019s departure.

\u201cSelfishly I\u2019m disappointed Mickey won\u2019t be playing for the Nix this season,\u201d Temple said. \u201cBut I\u2019m also excited because I know she\u2019s ready to take the next step in her football career.

\u201cMickey\u2019s established herself as one of the best fullbacks in the A-League in just two years. She\u2019s reliable, smart and composed, I\u2019ve never actually seen her flustered, and she\u2019s the ultimate pro.

\u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be a success wherever she lands and her new team will be better for having Michaela Foster in their XI.\u201d

The Wellington Phoenix would like to thank Mickey for her contribution to the club over the past two seasons and wish her all the best for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":322810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,330,343,355],"tags":[],"competition":[],"acf":{"match_card_embed_league":null,"match_card_embed_club":null,"match_card_embed_match":false,"match_card_embed_disable":false,"auto_publish_updates":true,"reference_article":null,"article_featured_video":"","article_featured_video_tagline":"","article_byline":"","article_media_type":"news","article_video":"","gallery":"","shared_ffa_source":"keepup","shared_hide_in_app":false,"article_player":"","article_team":"","article_competition":"","article_match":"","credit":"","related_articles":"","push_to_social":false,"priority":1,"sport":false,"language":"en","private_content":false,"access_level":"","article_id":"","app_featured_image":null,"article_content_group":"news"},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/foster-to-further-career-overseas\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Foster to further career overseas","url":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/foster-to-further-career-overseas\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/news\/foster-to-further-career-overseas\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/09\/FOSTER-Leaving-1920x1080-1.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/09\/FOSTER-Leaving-1920x1080-1.png"},"articleSection":"Breaking News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"brenton"}],"creator":["brenton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wellington Phoenix","logo":"https:\/\/wellingtonphoenix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2022\/04\/cropped-Wellington_Phoenix_FC_logo-2.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2024-09-12T02:00:00Z","datePublished":"2024-09-12T02:00:00Z","dateModified":"2024-09-13T03:03:06Z"},"rendered":"