Newcastle Jets players and coaching staff visited the prestigious Kanga Cup junior football tournament in Canberra today.
The Newcastle Jets playing and coach staff made an appearance at the prestigious Kanga Cup junior football tournament in Canberra on Tuesday afternoon.
The Kanga Cup is the largest international youth football tournament in the southern hemisphere.
The tournament is open to clubs and schools and features male and female teams from under 10-s through to under 18-s.
Three divisions are available in each age group to cater for elite or representative teams as well as participation. In total, 230 teams and 3,700 players participate in the competition.
Taylor Regan was one of the members of the Jets squad who mingled with the junior footballers and posed for photos and signed autographs.
The under 14-s Charlestown City team which Regan coaches during his spare time are among those competing at the Kanga Cup tournament.
“I coach an under 14-s Charlestown team and both the under 13-s and 14-s are here,” Regan said.
“Jim Foley, a well known local coach, is in charge of both of those squads. From what I-ve heard, the 14-s played really well yesterday and won 5-1 and then had a 4-4 draw today.
“They-re at the top of their pool and are hoping to win the tournament which would be great, not only for them, but for Newcastle as well.”
Regan said the Kanga Cup provides young footballers with a great opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the country from their respective age groups.
“The Kanga Cup is a great tournament for kids to showcase their skills and play against kids from all around Australia,” he said.
“It-s a great opportunity to test yourself outside of your own region and it is an experience I-m sure all these kids will remember.
“As a youngster you look forward to tournaments like this. As a kid you don-t get as tired, so you can afford to play a couple of games a day and things like that.
“It-s good for development as well. There-s probably a few coaches here who have coached at a high level who can help their players out.”
