The Wellington Phoenix football club begin their A-League campaign this weekend hosting Sydney FC at Westpac Stadium.
The Phoenix have qualified for the A-League finals series three years in a row and have been touted as possible title contenders for the coming season.
The Phoenix's assistant manager, Chris Greenacre, says challenging for the title isn't out of the question with the quality of players signed during the off-season.
Greenacre says the new youth academy will give support to the first team and pointed to the success of youngsters Louis Fenton and Tyler Boyd who have both picked up professional contracts.
He says the Phoenix will try and stay focussed on their own game to avoid being distracted by the arrival of Italian great Alessandro Del Piero, who's playing for Sydney FC.
