Ella McMillan will juggle her fledgling football career with a new role at the Wellington Phoenix academy next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first year professional has been appointed the academy\u2019s youth female sport scientist.
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be hectic but I\u2019m really looking forward to it,\u201d McMillan said.
\u201cIt\u2019ll be good to be able to focus entirely on these two key aspects of my life and help the next generation step into the space that I\u2019m in at the moment.
\u201cI know the ins and outs of the club from a player perspective and I\u2019m hoping to be able to use that knowledge to be able to help them become the best players possible.\u201d
McMillan, who signed a two-year scholarship deal with the Nix in August, recently completed her Bachelor of Sport, Exercise and Health degree at Auckland University of Technology, majoring in sport and exercise science.
As part of her studies this year she completed a 350 hour placement at the Phoenix academy, working alongside head of female sport science Issy Coombes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIssy\u2019s amazing and so good at her job. To be able to work alongside her and learn off her is really exciting.
\u201cI\u2019ve had her as my sport scientist for so many years now. We go back to when I was living in Hamilton before I even moved down to join the academy.
\u201cA female sport scientist is not something you come across every day so super grateful for Issy and all of the help she\u2019s given me through my Phoenix journey, but also the New Zealand Football side of things as well.
\u201cShe\u2019s helped me grow so much as an individual and I want to be able to do that with other players as well. To be able to learn off her will be really beneficial for me.\u201d
Ben Maunsell has been appointed the head of male academy sport science.
Maunsell is joining the Phoenix from Auckland United, where he\u2019s been their head of strength and conditioning. He has also interned at Auckland FC.
Raff Moro and Rob King will work alongside Maunsell on the male side of the academy\u2019s sport science team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, familiar faces have been appointed to head the academy physiotherapy and performance analysis departments.
Grayson Harwood is returning to the Head of Academy Physiotherapy role in 2025 after four years away.
Harwood was the head physio for the academy and men\u2019s reserves from 2016 to 2020 before most recently working with Cricket Wellington.
He will be assisted by Sam Wilkins and Kasey Leary.
Alex Richardson has been appointed the academy\u2019s head of performance analysis.
He has been an analyst at the academy since early 2022 and will also coach the under-15 boys team in 2025.
Joining Richardson in the academy\u2019s analysis team will be Johnny Thompson and Sam Casey-Popovich. Thompson is the performance analyst and data lead and Casey-Popovich is the assistant performance analyst.
Their appointments come after the club announced earlier this month that Emma Humphries was taking over as academy director in 2025<\/a>.
2025 Wellington Phoenix academy staff<\/u><\/strong>
Academy director \u2013 Emma Humphries
Head of pro development \u2013 Chris Greenacre
Head of female academy \u2013 Callum Holmes
Head of coaching \u2013 Josh Neff
Head of player pathways \u2013 Brad Bicknell
Head of male junior youth development \u2013 Luke Tongue
Head of female youth development \u2013 Jess Fuller
Head of goalkeeping \u2013 Ed Harding
Head of performance analysis \u2013 Alex Richardson
Performance analyst & data lead \u2013 Johnny Thompson
Assistant performance analyst \u2013 Sam Casey-Popovich
Head of female sport science \u2013 Issy Coombes
Head of male sport science \u2013 Ben Maunsell
Senior youth male sport scientist \u2013 Raff Moro
Junior youth male sport scientist \u2013 Rob King
Youth female sport scientist \u2013 Ella McMillan
Head of physiotherapy \u2013 Grayson Harwood
Assistant physiotherapist \u2013 Sam Wilkins
Assistant physiotherapist \u2013 Kasey Leary
Operations manager \u2013 Eilish Graves
Main image: <\/em><\/strong>Ella McMillan celebrates scoring a goal for the Wellington Phoenix women’s reserves in the 2024 National League. Photo: Ryan Imray\/Imray’s Snaps.<\/em>
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