A collaboration of football expertise has been formed between the Newcastle Jets and Northern NSW Football.
A collaboration of football expertise has been formed between the Newcastle Jets and Northern NSW Football. The partnership was jointly announced on Tuesday afternoon by Newcastle Jets CEO, John Tsatsimas, and NNSWF CEO, David Eland, and will be formally known as the “Northern Alliance”
The new partnership recognizes the responsibility of both organizations to promote and develop the game in this region. The primary aim is to build and nurture a sustainable football community and to provide a potential pathway for elite players in this region. This message was reinforced with Newcastle Jet-s players Ben Kennedy, Jobe Wheelhouse and Taylor Regan participating in small sided games with junior players from the Cooks Hill Football Club. Along with Ben Kantarovski, who is currently in Vietnam with the Australian U20 team, all three players are local players who came up through the local competitions. Northern/NSWIS players Alex Palozzi & Andrew Hoole, who are currently trialing with the Jets youth team, were also present at the launch.
Under the new partnership, a number of opportunities have been put forward such as the My Club program which is an initiative aimed at strengthening and developing the relationship between the Newcastle Jets and local junior clubs by making regular visits to clubs and participating in registration days, training clinics and a number of other club activities. The Newcastle Jets recently donated a family season membership to over seventy local junior clubs from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley. Each club was given the opportunity to use the family season membership to raise funds for their respective clubs through activities such as a raffle, auction or trivia nights. The clubs each raised between $200 to $5,000, with an estimated combined total of around $175,000 going back to the junior clubs.
Other initiatives include
• Small sided games at EAS stadium at half time of all A-League matches
• Junior club participation in halftime entertainment via centre circle mat
• My Club membership – season family membership to families who have a child under the age of twelve registered with a local junior club.
• Ball Boys participation from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter association development squads
• Provide players who have passed through the NNSWF development process the opportunity to be identified as potential Newcastle United Jets players via training opportunities and trials by invitation.
• Newcastle Jets participation in NNSWF Cottees 5 a side school gala days and Come try days
• Volunteer day – recognize the contribution of volunteers working at local clubs
John Tsatsimas stated “We see the partnerships as part of our commitment to growing the game at a broader level. As a relatively young club, it’s also a way of us getting our footprint out into the local community. For the past 12 months, our logo has been “United as One” and this alliance is a firm commitment to unify the Newcastle footballing fraternity as one that is close in nature for the benefit and future of Newcastle football.
NNSWF-s CEO David Eland said “I-m thrilled with the partnership. A strong, sustainable and successful A-League club is essential to the long term growth, development and promotion of the Sport in the region. NNSWF is looking forward to assisting the Jets to form even stronger links with the local football community, which consists of approximately 25,000 players”
