Alby Kelly-Heald
New Zealand footballer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albert Otto Kelly-Heald (born 18 March 2005) is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for A-League Men club Wellington Phoenix.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Otto Kelly-Heald | ||
| Date of birth | 18 March 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wellington Phoenix | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Island Bay United | |||
| North Wellington | |||
| Wellington Phoenix | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Wellington Phoenix B | 50 | (0) |
| 2024– | Wellington Phoenix | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2023 | New Zealand U19 | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 February 2025 | |||
Club career
Summarize
Perspective
Born in Wellington, Kelly-Heald played youth football for Island Bay United and North Wellington alongside his twin brother, defender Lukas. The brothers then joined the academy of Wellington Phoenix, with Alby becoming first-choice goalkeeper for the reserve team in the New Zealand National League.[1][2]
In December 2023, Kelly-Heald signed a scholarship deal with the Phoenix until the end of the 2026–27 season, joining his brother in the first team.[3] He made his debut on 6 August in the last 32 of the Australia Cup, a 1–0 loss away to South Melbourne of the National Premier Leagues Victoria; his team had a record low starting average age of 20.8 due to the recent transfers of several players and others being at the Olympic tournament in France.[4]
Kelly-Heald signed a new contract in September 2024, making his existing deal fully professional.[5] On 15 January 2025, he made his A-League Men debut at home to Sydney FC, as manager Giancarlo Italiano had dropped Josh Oluwayemi for having made mistakes in the two previous matches. Kelly-Heald faced the league's leading goalscorer Joe Lolley, and made five saves in a goalless draw; he and his brother became the third set of twins to play in the A-League, and the first for the Phoenix.[2]
International career
Kelly-Heald played four of five games as the New Zealand under-19 team won the 2024 OFC U-19 Men's Championship. He did not concede a goal during the tournament in Samoa, which ended with a 4–0 final win over New Caledonia, and he was awarded the Golden Gloves for best goalkeeper.[6][7][8][9]
Kelly-Heald was called up for the under-23 team in the Oceanian qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic tournament.[10] Alex Paulsen played in goal as the team beat Fiji 9–0 in the final to make the tournament in France.[11]
References
External links
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