This weekend, the NPL NNSW Youth competition gets underway with the young Jets set to take on local powerhouse Broadmeadow Magic in week one of the competition.
Sunday’s series of matches will be the first competitive tests of the season for the four Jets Academy sides, who will be hopeful of building on the successes of last season and building for the future.
Before that though, meet the men in the technical areas and the boys looking to showcase their skills in 2019.
U/12 Boys team
The U/12s side is coached by Dean Mayer, a gaffer with experience from the technical area both here and abroad.
After coaching a number of school sides, originally as a hobby in Sydney, it eventually grew into a full-time position which allowed Mayer to head to England and spend nine months working with Birmingham City FC in the academy set-up.
A move back to Australia saw Mayer take a role with Football NSW working with the state representative team, before accepting a full-time position with the Jets Academy in 2017.
This will be the U/12 boys first time playing in the NPL NNSW, and Mayer’s second time coaching the group.
Goalkeeper: Oscar ARCHBOLD
Defenders: Lewis HOUSTON, Kye SCHUMACHER, Will HARVEY, Ben MEWETT, Cooper HANCOCK, Max MILLER
Midfielders: Max COOPER, Stanley MANNING, Alex NUNEZ, Luca WEST, Regan JOSE, Sam MURPHY
Forwards: Jayden JENSON, Jesse HILL, Will DOBSON
U/13 Boys team
The U/13s side is coached by Scott Oliver, an Englishman who has been in the Jets system for a number of years after first stepping into representative side coaching back in 2012.
A member of the Emerging Jets coaching staff since the summer of 2013, Oliver has played a part in coaching sides at tournaments such as the Dallas International Cup, the Australia National Youth Championships, the National Training Challenge and the Manchester Nike Cup.
In 2017, Oliver stepped into the Jets Academy as coach of the U/14 boys side for the 2017/18 and is now in charge of the U/13 boys for 2018/19.
Playing as U/12s in last year’s NPL NNSW U/13s competition, the young Jets finished second on the ladder.
Goalkeeper: Samual ESQUILANT
Defenders:Reece MCMANUS, Caleb REED, Hughie BROWNE, Aiden WORKUM, Tyler BERIC
Midfielders: Wil HUNTER, Liam CRAIG, Janni RAFTY, Taye HEDLEY, Angus MUDDLE, Angus MARTIN
Forwards: Kurtis WHITE, Mason RAE, Benjamin HARDING, Cooper RADLEY
U/14 Boys team
The U/14s side is coached by Leo Bertos, a former professional footballer who played for Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix in the Hyundai A-League, as well as 56 appearances for the New Zealand national team.
Bertos first stepped into coaching back in 2011 as a Coerver Coaching Franchise owner in Wellington, before joining the Jets in 2015 as a SAP Coach with the U/11 boys.
Since then, he has acted as Technical Director for both Macquarie Football (2016-17) and the Emerging Jets SAP program (2017-Present), as well as the NNSWF coach for the TSP and Boys sides at Nationals.
Last season, the side (playing as U/13s in the U/14s competition) finished top of the table with 20 wins and 4 losses.
Goalkeeper: Blair FITZPATRICK
Defenders: Ben VAN DORSSEN, Oscar CRAKANTHORP, Kyle MCSEVENEY, Xavier BERTONCELLO, Nicholas RICH
Midfielders: Jerick LOACHAIVAJ, Jerome ABRAHAMS, Cameron DAVIES, Billy EICK, Blake ROBINSON
Forwards: Ethan GILMORE, Regan CLARKE, Kayden SOPER, Anthony TAN, Bailey NEWTON, Isaac COLLINS
U/15 Boys team
The last of the sides playing in the NPL Youth competition, the U/15s are coached by Ryan Campbell.
Ryan has coached in the Academy for a number of years and has coached on both boys and girls teams in previous years. Last season, he coached both the U/13 and U/15 boys teams.
Ryan has previously worked for Northern NSW Football in their Skill Acquisition Program.
In 2018, the side finished in sixth place – four points outside the top four.
Goalkeeper: Ben CONWAY
Defenders: Dominic ARCHBOLD, Jagger WHOLERT, Nicholas KACEV, Ned AIMDY, Harrison LAMBLEY
Midfielders: Joe SMITH, James CRESNAR, Cooper LARKIN, Thomas Brian O’CONNOR, Max BAILEY, Lachlan WEST, James REID
Forwards: Ian MATTHEWS, Archie GOODWIN
