NORTHERN NSW representative teams will face the Newcastle Jets as part of the A-League club’s pre-season preparation.
Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) will select senior men’s and women’s representative teams to take on the Jets’ two A-Leagues sides.
Similar matches have previously appeared on the football calendar but the formal partnership between Northern NSW Football and Newcastle Jets has cleared the way for the fixtures to return annually.
“We are thrilled to grow our partnership with the Newcastle Jets and relaunch the Northern NSW All Stars v Newcastle Jets showcase matches in 2025,” said NNSWF CEO Peter Haynes.
“Newcastle Jets represent the region’s professional football presence in the A-League Men’s and Women’s competitions. “Enhancing our strategic relationship with the Jets provides a direct avenue for our most talented players and coaches to be exposed to elite environments and pathways.”
NNSWF will select its teams from players identified through its premier competitions including NPL Women’s NNSW, NPL Men’s NNSW, HIT106.9 Northern League One, Northern NSW Regional Super League and Premier Youth League.
Newcastle Jets CEO Tain Drinkwater said the matches would be important preparation for the club’s A-Leagues campaigns. “The All-Stars match will be a great occasion for the Newcastle and northern NSW football family and one of our core focuses is to be a football club that is the pride of the region,” Drinkwater said.
“These two matches will further strengthen our commitment to the community and the Newcastle Jets.
“It is going to be a day of celebration for football in the region.”
NNSWF Technical Director Ryan Doidge was excited to give players another opportunity to shine and potentially be identified.
“These matches are a fantastic chance to showcase talented, identified players from NNSWF’s premier competitions from across the whole region,” Doidge said.
“Players like Jason Hoffman, Taylor Regan, Nigel Boogaard, Clare Wheeler, Gema Simon and Jemma House started their journey in our premier competitions before progressing to play at national and international levels.
“I am excited to help provide opportunities for northern NSW players to compete and test themselves in a representative environment against our local A-League program and potentially be identified.”
Peter McGuinness and Jim Cresnar will be the coaching team behind the men’s Northern NSW All Stars while Heath Whyte and Craig Atkins will coach the women’s Northern NSW All-Stars team.
The coaches were selected via a merit-based system and will contribute to the identification and selection of players. NNSWF’s Technical Department will select men’s and women’s 25-player squads made up of the best talent from across northern NSW.
NNSWF will ensure appropriate preparation for its players for the matches while acknowledging the limited window available.
The preparation program will also respect club commitments particularly during finals series matches.
Final 18-player matchday squads will then be chosen to feature in the matches against the Jets.
Northern NSW All-Star 25-player squads will be announced on NNSWF’s website and social media channels in August.
The matches will take place on Saturday 20 September at Darling Street Oval in Hamilton.
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