The club was formed to develop players for the New Zealand national under-20 football team in preparation for the then up-coming 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, hosted in New Zealand.

[2] New Zealand Football High Performance Director Fred de Jong said that "one of the objectives is to retain our top young players in New Zealand for longer, and entry into the ASB Premiership gives us an opportunity to prepare in a cost effective manner when compared to touring the team internationally.

"[3] The club is considered to be a continuation of Northern-Based, an under-17 team that played in the ASB Youth League and provided several players to New Zealand for the 2013 OFC U-17 Championship.

[3] The team entered the 2013–14 ASB Premiership season, replacing outgoing YoungHeart Manawatu.

[5] Young players who were in the Wanderers squad included the following (with position and previous club):