Wellington Phoenix women's call for sponsorship has been answered, on the eve of their Women's A-League debut on Friday.
On Monday, Phoenix general manager David Dome issued an SOS to potential corporate partners, with the team facing the prospect of their inaugural match - against Western Sydney Wanderers - without a front-of-shirt sponsor.
The team had an initial backer locked in, but the deal fell through when a competitor was named as the A-League sponsor.
But with the 2021/22 season less than a day away, not one, but two Wellington businesses have stepped up to back the team for their historic professional bid.
The New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) have become the team's principal partner, while Comrad Medical Systems are also on board.
"Fortunately some proud Wellingtonians have stepped up to sponsor the Wellington Phoenix women," Dome says.
"It was looking rather bleak at the start of the week, but now New Zealand's first professional women's football team has two commercial partners."
"They are the first professional women's football team in New Zealand and they need to look the part for their debut.
"It is the first game of the new season and it is live and free-to-air on Prime so there will be a lot of eyes on our young team."
The NZCIS partnership continues its already existing relationship with the Phoenix, with the team to relocate to its high performance centre in Upper Hutt in 2022.
Wellington Phoenix women make their Women's A-League debut against Western Sydney Wanderers in Wollongong on Friday night (NZ time).
