The three games will be played at McLean Street in Coffs Harbour on Sunday, April 2 kick-off at 1pm. The fixture is the first home game for North Coast Football in this competition, and is a stern test to follow from last week’s strong performances away from home.

NCF’s three youth teams defeated Newcastle-based Valentine FC in all divisions last Saturday; the U13’s winning 5-0, U14’s winning 4-0 and the U15’s winning 4-2.

However, the level of competition is set to rise considerably, and NCF Technical Director Gary McGinnis says the boys are ready to face Newcastle’s best.

“We’re a bit underdone compared to the Emerging Jets, but we are very much looking forward to the game and the challenge.”

“All of our squads are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to go and play the best teams, and the Jets are one of the best. We’ve seen some of these players before, at State Championships and gala days, so they aren’t completely foreign to us. The boys are ready for the challenge.”

Whilst club football kicks off this weekend, the National Premier League is now four months into training, and McGinnis said the dedication to the program will soon be evident.

“Already we’re up to around 50 training sessions since we started the NPL in November - that’s more than club teams do in two years - and we’ve done it in a matter of four-five months. The combinations are starting to form, and over the next few weeks I think we’ll start to reap the rewards of our hard work.”