Inaugural Phoenix women's head coach Gemma Lewis is leaving the club after one season to take up a job in Europe.
Phoenix coach Gemma Lewis talks with Grace Wisnewski. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Two months out from the start of the A-League women's season, Lewis announced she has accepted a role of senior pathway manager for women's football at the Welsh Football Association.
It comes four months after re-signing for a second season in charge of the Phoenix, having overseen the team's maiden campaign in which they finished 10th and last, having been forced to play all of their games in Australia.
Assistant Natalie Lawrence has been promoted to the head coach role.
Former Welsh international Lewis said the chance to return to Wales was too hard to refuse, while she also welcomed the chance to study for her UEFA Pro Licence.
"Being able to work in women's football in Europe right now is huge and the opportunity to do my pro licence as well is something that was a big pull for me," Lewis said.
"The cherry on the cake is I get to return home. I've been away from Wales for nine years.
"The opportunity to do all that and go home and spend a bit more time with my family all rolled into a package that was too hard to turn down."
"(But) As much as I talk about going home, I've spent a third of my life in New Zealand. It's difficult to leave. New Zealand has turned into my second home."
Lewis said Lawrence had a good relationship with the Phoenix players and believed she would quickly put her stamp on the team.
New Phoenix women's head coach Natalie Lawrence. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lawrence, who moved to New Zealand from her native England 11 years ago, described her promotion as "an amazing opportunity".
"Having been part of the team last year and seeing them grow, to now be able to bring the team back to New Zealand and play games in Wellington, which I definitely consider to be my Kiwi home, is incredibly exciting," she said.
"As soon as I got to Wellington in 2011 I was like, 'I should have been born here, this is definitely my home'.
"Being able to walk out with the team in that first game at Sky Stadium is going to be something special for me personally and all the players involved, whether they were involved last season or not. It's going to be outrageous."
A draw is released on Tuesday for the 2022-23 season, which is scheduled to start in mid-November.
Lawrence coached Capital in the national women's league for four years until 2015 before taking charge of the Vancouver Whitecaps academy programme in Canada.
She returned to New Zealand in 2018, becoming the first female head coach of a men's national league side when she took charge of Team Wellington's youth team.
Over the last two years, she has served as Lewis' assistant at the Phoenix, Junior Football Ferns and the Future Ferns Domestic Programme (FFDP).
Lawrence said one of her first tasks will be to appoint a Phoenix assistant coach.
Wellington Phoenix general manager David Dome said Lewis departed with the club's best wishes.
"Gemma will forever be our first women's head coach," Dome said.
"She did an incredible job putting a team together at short notice for our inaugural A-League women's season and ensured they were competitive on the field while playing the entirety of their season in Australia.
"We have no doubt (Lawrence) can step up into the head coaching role and we look forward to seeing what the team can achieve under her leadership."
