An international youth football fixture will take place in Broadmeadow next week when Clayton Zane’s Newcastle Jets Youth side challenge China’s Shandong Luneng Taishan’s U19 outfit.
Shandong’s first team have been in Australia twice in 2016 for games against Adelaide United and Sydney FC in the AFC Champions League, however now Newcastle’s National Premier League (NPL) side will have the opportunity to test themselves against some of the Chinese Super League club’s best youngsters.
The international youth friendly will take place on Friday 17 June 2016 at Magic Park, Broadmeadow. Kick-off is at 6:00pm and admission is free.
Newcastle Jets Youth Head Coach Zane said the opportunity to take on Shandong’s U19 squad represents a great opportunity for his charges to measure themselves against some of China’s best youth players.
“We are endeavouring to provide our youth squad with a 50 game season to assist with their development however rarely do we have the chance to play against a team of this standing or a side from a nation separate from our own,” Zane said.
“This will be a fantastic test for the boys. Shandong are an unknown quantity for us, and we naturally seek to prepare our players heading into each match with information about our opponents. In this instance we don’t know what to expect, so it will be a good challenge for us to adapt and react throughout the game.”
“Hopefully Jets Members and fans take advantage of the free admission next Friday night to support our youth team and watch a unique match in Newcastle’s football history,” he said.
Shandong Luneng Taishan come from from the city of Jinan, which is the capital of the Shandong province. The club’s first team has won the Chinese Super League (CSL) three times in its history, while its reserve team – who many of their under 19 players graduate to – remarkably won the CSL Reserve League six times in a row from 2010 to 2015. The club has participated in the CSL every season since 2004.
Jets Youth are not currently scheduled to play NPL football next weekend due to Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 June being dedicated to the final phases of Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 Qualifying in the Northern New South Wales Member Federation. Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 Qualifying fixtures will be played next weekend at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility (LMRFF) in Speers Point.
Jets Youth’s final fixture prior to their clash with Shandong’s U19s will take place this Saturday 11 June when the team travels to the Coalfields to challenge Weston Workers Bears FC at Rockwell Automation Park. Kick-off on Saturday is at 2:30pm with lower grades played beforehand.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FRIENDLY
Newcastle Jets Youth vs. Shandong Luneng Taishan U19 (China)
Friday 17 June 2016
Magic Park, Broadmeadow
Kick-off: 6:00pm
Admission: Free
