Newcastle Jets today officially concluded its tour of Northern New South Wales in Tamworth, having visited, trained and been involved in community activations in Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Armidale over the past six days.
While in Australia’s country music capital and one of the region’s most vibrant football hubs, the club announced its intentions to repeat Jets Tour in 2016 as it aims to grow its relationship with the community in Northern New South Wales.
Indeed, in association with Destination Tamworth – part of Tamworth Regional Council, The Wests Entertainment Group Tamworth, and the Greater Building Society, the club can confirm that it is seeking to incorporate a pre-season trial match against a Hyundai A-League opponent in Tamworth next year as part of its Northern NSW tour.
Jets Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mitchell Murphy, said that adding a fully-fledged trial fixture to the club’s tour of Northern NSW next year ought to add an exciting element to the initiative.
“Last night’s intra-club training match in Armidale was a superb occasion and success, with hundreds of locals turning out to Sport UNE (University of New England) to watch the team play three intense 20 minute periods,” Murphy said.
“However we believe that next year we can make the tour even bigger and better, and have resolved to working with Destination Tamworth, The Wests Entertainment Group Tamworth, and our Major Community Partner, The Greater, so that an A-League pre-season trial can form part of the trip.”
“Playing in Tamworth, as we have done in the past, will enable fans from many parts of Northern New South Wales, Newcastle and elsewhere to watch the Jets in action. The newly developed Scully Park Regional Sporting Precinct is an impressive facility that any A-League team would be honoured to play at,” he said.
Mr Craig Dunstan, Manager – Destination Tamworth said that his organisation are continually seeking to secure high profile events for the people of the region to enjoy.
“Events like this help place Tamworth on the map as a premier sporting destination, and also bring visitors to the city from outside the region,” Dunstan said. “We’re excited to partner with the Jets and The Wests Entertainment Group to bring this event to Tamworth.”
“We encourage fans to keep an eye on the Destination Tamworth website over the coming months as the finer details of the match are confirmed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Murphy moved to officially thank the Northern New South Wales community for their support and interest in the club’s 2015 tour of Northern New Wales – a tour that saw the Jets complete 1000 kilometres on the road and conduct 21 separate community engagement initiatives.
“On behalf of the club we’d like to thank all our tour partners, particularly the Greater Building Society, Sport UNE, Armidale Dumaresq Council, Slater and Gordon Lawyers, and McDonalds, for helping us make Jets Tour 2015 a reality,” Murphy said.
“To the people of Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Armidale, and Tamworth, thank you for your hospitality – we have truly been blown away by your warm reception. We are proud to represent this region in the A-League,” he concluded.
