The 29-year-old will join Phoenix after agreeing a two-year deal with the club. Ifill, who has also represented Millwall and Sheffield United, will partner Chris Greenacre in attack.

Phoenix chief executive Tony Pignata said Ifill had been a target for Phoenix for some time.

"Paul is someone we've been speaking to for a while and we've kept those discussions open while he has been making some decisions around his future. Now that Crystal Palace have granted him a release we're thrilled that we've been able to secure his services in Wellington for the coming two seasons," he said.

Ifill is set to arrive in Wellington next week and will hook up with his new teammates in time to be considered for selection for Phoenix's first A-League match against Newcastle Jets on August 9.

"Paul has a young family and we want to make sure he gets everything sorted first and he's settled in as quickly and smoothly as possible," said Pignata.

"He has played professional football at the highest levels for some time, so he knows exactly what is required of him when he links with the team."

Pignata said the signing of Ifill vindicated Phoenix's decision to take their time in signing strikers for the 2009/10 campaign.

"There has always been a lot of pressure around signing a marquee-type player but we believed it was important to find the sort of player that was hungry to achieve and still had the passion to bring something to the club," he said.

"In that respect we had very good reports regarding Paul and we are delighted to sign him. We wanted the right people and we're pleased we've got that.

"Paul has pace, height and international experience - all the qualities we were looking for. With Paul and Chris we've got very, very good attacking options."

Ifill has played more than 360 matches at British elite level, most recently with Crystal Palace. The son of English and Barbadian parents, he has represented Barbados at international level, scoring six goals in 10 matches.

Phoenix will continue their hunt for an additional striker before the 2009/10 season kicks off, with two strikers on trial with the team on its current pre-season tour to China and Australia.

Brazilian Anderson Potty and Chinese under-23 international Jiang Chen will take part in tonight's match against Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals before the team moves on to play Central Coast Mariners in Dubbo on Saturday.

Pignata added: "We've now found the target man we've been looking for but we'll see what other options we have also."