Biography
Clayton Lewis is a 24-year-old, Kiwi-born midfielder, who is entering his second season with the Wellington Phoenix.
> History
Lewis joined the Phoenix in October 2020 after playing the previous season with Auckland City in the ISPS Handa Men’s Premiership, where he made nine appearances and scored a goal.
Prior to this, Lewis spent two seasons playing for Scunthorpe United FC in English football’s League Two division, as well as a previous stint with Auckland City in which he made 29 appearances and scored nine goals.
Lewis also has significant All Whites experiences under this belt, having made 14 international appearances during his career – including scoring four goals while playing in the New Zealand Under-20 team and participating in both the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
In 2021, Lewis was also selected to the 18-man OlyWhites squad that travelled to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics Games.
Wellington Phoenix Head Coach, Ufuk Talay, says that Lewis was a solid signing for the club.
“Clayton has shown a good feel for the game and has proved himself for the All Whites in the past, so he’ll be given an opportunity to push for a spot in our midfield rotation.”
> 2020/21 A-League Season
After joining the Phoenix in October 2020, Lewis went on to play in all 26 matches – including 24 starts – in his first A-League season.
Known for his endurance and passing vision, the Wellington-born midfielder registered 45 key passes for the Nix (second only to Ulises Dávila’s 49) and was second in minutes played with 2,060. Lewis also registered two goals and one assist, with his maiden A-League goal coming in the Club’s 4-1 demolishing of Melbourne Victory on 24 March.
Coach Ufuk Talay said that Lewis was an important part of the Phoenix this season.
“Clayton has done well for us this season, he’s shown good character and passing range, he’s been solid for us,” said Talay.
“And I’ve asked a lot of him playing as a number 6; to his credit he’s adapted well and continues to grow as a player and a person - I believe Clayton is an important part of our squad going forward.”
> 2021/22 A-League Season
The Wellington Phoenix have confirmed that Lewis has signed a two-year extension with the club, keeping him in the yellow and back through the 2022-23 A-League season.
Lewis said that he feels privileged to be playing for the Club that he grew up following.
“To be able to join the Phoenix was always been kind of a dream of mine, I was born and raised in Wellington so it’s been an exciting opportunity for me,” said Lewis.
“I didn’t really expect to play as much as I have done, so obviously I’m really happy about that and I’m really enjoying it - I think playing in the 6 is a little bit different to my usual position, but I get the ball a lot more and I can showcase my passing abilities from a little bit further back, so I’m definitely enjoying playing in this position.”
