The Wellington Phoenix have reluctantly accepted Lee Padmore\u2019s resignation as the club\u2019s academy director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Padmore has decided he can\u2019t continue in the role next year as he needs to spend more time with his family in Christchurch.
While he has only been academy director since early February, Padmore has led the eight age-group teams and staff at Fraser Park through a great deal of change and has been instrumental in putting together the talent development partnership between the Phoenix and New Zealand Football.
Phoenix director of football Shaun Gill has mixed feelings about Padmore\u2019s impending departure.
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to accept Lee\u2019s resignation if I\u2019m honest,\u201d Gill said. \u201cHe\u2019s been a great leader for the academy and has created an amazing environment at Fraser Park.
\u201cHe\u2019s an incredible people person and is loved by the staff who work across all eight of our academy teams.
\u201cBut as a husband and dad myself I know how difficult it has been for Lee to be away from his wife Nicole and son Louie in Christchurch.
\u201cI wish him all the best for the future and hope he can still be involved with the club in some capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee Padmore says it was a really tough decision to tender his resignation, but one he had to make.
\u201cI am really sad to be leaving,\u201d Padmore said. \u201cI\u2019m leaving one of the top football jobs in the country, but ultimately family is the single most important thing to me.
\u201cIt is very much a family decision not a professional decision and I won\u2019t regret it because of that.
\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to having back those days and evenings at home with Nicole and Louie.\u201d
Padmore has thanked all of the staff, players and parents he\u2019s worked with at the Phoenix.
\u201cThe people here are unbelievable. Being back at the club for the second time you see the distance it\u2019s come and the people that have been attracted to the Phoenix shows you the club is a great place to be.
\u201cI\u2019ll miss them for sure. There are some top people at the football club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he too hopes to stay involved with the Phoenix in some capacity.
\u201cI believe in the project. That\u2019s the reason I took the job initially because I genuinely believed in the project, and I still do.
\u201cYou see the likes of Jayden Smith, Nathan Walker, Ela Jerez and Brooke Neary graduating to the first team, and you see there\u2019s something special about the football club developing its own talent while trying to win the A-League and helping New Zealand win on the world stage.
\u201cI want to be a part of that. It\u2019s just not the right time for me to be in Wellington and central to that.\u201d
The Wellington Phoenix are now turning their attentions to finding Lee Padmore\u2019s replacement and hope to make an appointment ahead of the 2025 academy season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Main image:<\/em><\/strong> Ryan Imray\/Imray’s Snaps<\/em>
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