International soccer officially arrives in Shepparton this week with the AFC Under-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers getting under way.
Featuring Australia’s under-17 side along with China, Cambodia and the Northern Mariana Islands in Group G, the six-game qualifiers will hit the McEwen Reserve pitch at 3pm Wednesday.
A great chance for people from the region to see the sport’s future stars, a quality Australian line-up has been named and with tickets free there is no excuse not to get around this rare event.
Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference, City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali welcomed all four squads to the region.
“Hosting this international tournament is a significant coup for the region as the leading sporting and event destination for regional Australia,” Sali said.
Sali said about 160 players and 3000 spectators were expected in Shepparton across the tournament, with an economic boost of “upwards of a million dollars’’.
“We’re really looking forward to a high quality international event being hosted here,” he said.
“This is another international event that we’ve provided world class facilities for, so it’s another reason why we should feature in the Commonwealth Games.”
Named on Saturday, Australia’s 23-man squad for the tournament is full of young talent, with the likes of 16-year-old Adelaide United gun Nestory Irankunda, joining recently announced team captain Anthony Pavlesic as ones to watch.
Coming off an intense training camp, the Australians will be gunning to book a spot in next year’s AFC U-17 Asian Cup and coach Brad Maloney said it was a privilege to host the games in Shepparton.
“After a two or three-year hiatus at this age group it’s great that international football is back on the calendar,” Maloney said.
“We arrived in Shepparton on Saturday and have had several training sessions so far for the tournament and I can say that the facilities are fantastic and it’s really great for us to be here and be involved.”
With tickets free, Maloney said it would be great to see the local community get down and support the event.
“Not just for us and to have their support, but I think it would be fantastic for the community to see these players here,” he said.
“It’s not often that you get to host such an event and if the community come out and watch the six games in five or 10 years’ time they might see the same players playing on the senior national stage.”
China and Cambodia will open proceedings Wednesday afternoon at McEwen Reserve with kick-off at 3pm, while Australia is set to battle the Northern Mariana Islands at 7.30pm.
Tickets for the event are free and available at https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/afc-u17-asian-cup-qualifiers-group-g-1089649
AFC U-17 Asian Cup Fixtures — All games at Shepparton’s McEwen Reserve
Wednesday, October 5
3pm, China PR v Cambodia
7.30pm, Australia v Northern Mariana Islands
Friday, October 7
3pm, Northern Mariana Islands v China PR
7.30pm, Cambodia v Australia
Sunday, October 9
3pm, Australia v China PR
7.30pm, Cambodia v Northern Mariana Islands