|   Kelly-Heald playing for the Wellington Phoenix in 2025  | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lukas Eric Kelly-Heald [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 March 2005 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team  | Wellington Phoenix | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Island Bay United | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Wellington AFC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lower Hutt City AFC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Lower Hutt City AFC | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 36 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Wellington Phoenix | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | New Zealand U-20 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | New Zealand U-23 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | New Zealand | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record 
  | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|  * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 October 2025  | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Lukas Eric Kelly-Heald (born 18 March 2005) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Wellington Phoenix. [2] [3] [4]
His twin brother Alby Kelly-Heald, a goalkeeper, played for the same youth clubs and the Phoenix academy. In January 2025, they became the third pair of twins to play together in the A-League Men, and the first for the Phoenix. [5]
In July 2023, the Wellington Phoenix signed Kelly-Heald to a four-year professional contract. [6] He made his club debut on 4 August 2023 against Peninsula Power FC in the Australia Cup. [7]
Kelly-Heald made his A-League Men debut for the Phoenix on the opening matchday of the 2023–24 season in a 0–0 draw away to Western Sydney Wanderers.
Kelly-Heald was named as part of the 21-player New Zealand U-20 squad for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in Chile from September to October 2025. [8]