Football is rarely a profession that allows for personal time, especially when preparing for a historic finals campaign. Yet for Bev Priestman, celebrating her 40th birthday last week while leading Wellington Phoenix into their first A-League Women's playoffs was a stark contrast to the previous year, when she was serving a one-year Fifa ban following the spying scandal that engulfed Canada's women's football team during the Paris Olympics.
Finding Solace on the Pitch
“It was my 40th birthday last week,” Priestman told Moving the Goalposts. “And it’s those moments, I think to a year ago, and how I felt. And then how I felt in the club this year, around my staff, around the team. I do this job because I love people. I love the game, obviously, but it’s working with people, getting your energy with people, and trying to inspire people and help them find a better version of themselves.”
Reflecting on the scandal, she added: “What happened in Paris, and off the back of that, and the media runaway stories that you know necessarily aren’t accurate. You just become very isolated, very, very quickly in a job where it is about being part of a team. That isolation hits you really, really hard, as well as things playing out in the public domain. The biggest joy I’ve had the most this year is just again, getting back on the pitch, working with people who want to be better. I’ve loved that.”
A Fresh Start in Wellington
Wellington, far from the global spotlight, offered a perfect setting for a fresh start. The Phoenix are the only professional women’s football team in New Zealand, competing in the Australian top-tier. Introduced ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, they had never reached the playoffs before this season, with their best finish being eighth in 2023–24. They were often seen as lovable losers, rarely threatening the established order.
But in 2025-26, Priestman transformed the team into a well-oiled machine, boasting the competition’s highest-scoring attack and most miserly defence. Under her guidance, players like Brooke Nunn and Grace Jale enjoyed breakout campaigns, while 17-year-old Pia Vlok emerged as a future star. The team finished second, securing a week off in the first round of the finals. If they overturn a 2-1 deficit against Brisbane Roar in the semi-final second leg this Sunday, they will reach their first grand final, with temporary seating for an expected 5,000 fans at Porirua Park.
Community Buzz and Personal Redemption
“For the last three months, wherever I go in the city, people seem to know who I am, who the team is, and how we did on the weekend,” Priestman said. “That’s very different to when I arrived in Wellington. It’s really turned into a women’s football community. There’s a buzz about the city. But I think also being the only New Zealand team to compete in the A-League, it’s wider than just Wellington. We’ve got a lot of Football Ferns. I think there’s a real buzz and energy.”
This public recognition contrasts sharply with the isolation she felt after the scandal, when she said she “didn’t feel safe.” New Zealand has always felt like home—her wife, Emma Humphries, was born in Wellington and became the club’s academy director before the senior women’s role opened up.
“That’s nice. Not to be talked about, maybe for the controversial side of it, and just getting back to what I love and what I know I can be good at, that’s really nice,” she reflected. “And I think it’s the reason you do want to take people with you, to see a bigger opportunity in what you’re doing. And I hope the people at the club, as well, now really do see what women’s football can do.”
