Tonight will mark the third annual Sister Cities Shield fixture between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix.
The Sister Cities Shield recognises the Sister Cities relationship between Blacktown City in Western Sydney and Porirua, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand.
The Wanderers will represent Blacktown City – their spiritual home, with the Phoenix representing Porirua.
This will be the third Sister Cities Hyundai A-League match between the two teams, with the Western Sydney Wanderers claiming victory in 2018, before the Wellington Phoenix took back the honour in 2019.
The Sister Cities Shield match between the Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix was originally scheduled to go ahead in April this year, however the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the Hyundai A-League season came to a halt.
Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM said in such uncertain times it was the right decision to bring the season to a halt for the safety of the players, staff and our community.
“The recent lifting of restrictions was a welcomed sigh of relief for many sporting clubs and it’s wonderful to have the players back on the field to deliver professional football to the community.
“Both teams will be playing for the pride of their local city and community, none more so than the Western Sydney Wanderers who will be looking to claim back the title at their home ground.”
Blacktown City and Porirua have enjoyed a long relationship of friendship and learning through the Sister Cities program. The opportunity for educational, cultural, sporting and social exchanges with our Sister City has brought many benefits to the people of both our cities.
Mayor Bleasdale added that it’s fantastic that this relationship can be celebrated both on and off the football pitch.
“The Sister Cities Shield is a fitting way to acknowledge the strong relationship and link that these teams have with their respective communities and I encourage all the fans to get behind their team!”
Blacktown has been part of the Wanderers journey since day one – with the team now calling the city home following the development of the Club’s long term-training and administration headquarters at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney.
