Newcastle Jets defender Nigel Boogaard has penned this update to let club Members and fans know what the squad has been up to in Armidale!
G’day from chilly Armidale!
We’ve been in the New England for two days now, and tonight will step up our preparations for our Westfield FFA Cup clash against Perth Glory on August 11 with an intra-club hit out at Sport UNE.
It’s been a big week on #JETSTOUR, but we have certainly felt the love from communities and football lovers in Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, and Armidale.
Tomorrow when we wrap up the tour in Tamworth – a town I used to call home – the club and players will have completed 21 separate community engagement initiatives – some haul when you consider that we’ve done it all in six days!
One of the highlights of our time in Armidale thus far was Thursday’s community football clinic at Rologas Fields. It was a pleasure for the boys to help coach 120 boys and girls from the region aged between six and 16 at their local fields!
The clinic finished with one of a number of funny moments throughout the Tour. As we lined up for a group photo – kids sprawled everywhere – Labi Haliti, who was not yet in shot, screamed to the parents clicking away on their iPhones and cameras to please hold their horses – “Hey! Guys! It’s not a photo if Labi isn’t in it,” he joked!
On a more official note, as a club we’d sincerely like to thank everyone in Armidale for their interest in the club throughout our stay.
From the staff at UNE, to the kids from Kelly Plains Public School who visited our Friday morning session, to the young men and women from BackTrack who took time out to come and meet us, to every single boy and girl we have met along the way, we have genuinely felt a buzz from you all.
Hopefully we will see you at tonight’s training match, or at Rologas Fields in the morning when some of the team visit some junior football matches before departing to Newcastle.
I will be heading to Tamworth in the morning as we visit the Greater Building Society on Peel Street between 10:00am and 11:00am, and head over the Gipps Street Football Fields to take in some local action.
Catch you again soon, Armidale!
Nigel Boogaard – Newcastle Jets Defender 
