MAJOR A League franchises the Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar will play a trial match at Coffs Harbour next month in a significant fillip for the biggest sport on the North Coast - football.
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Today's announcement that the Jets and Roar will play a pre-season game on Saturday, December 12, at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium is a welcome boost for the sport.
Several thousand tickets will go on sale through Ticketek next week. This match will be the Jets last major pre-season hit out before the A-League season starts on Sunday, December 27.
"It's great to be coming back to Coffs Harbour for what will be a very important trial match in the lead-up to the new A-League season," Newcastle Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna said.
"We have fond memories of our A-League game against Melbourne City in Coffs Harbour back in 2017, which we won 2-1, and had almost 8000 people come out to get behind our boys.
"Coffs Harbour and the entire North Coast are a very important region for the club. As a club, we're excited to be able to bring our boys back to Coffs for a training camp and game."
Mr McKinna said the Jets would undertake several activities while here to give local players the chance to watch and meet his team.
North Coast Football general manager Andrew Woodward said the match would be a perfect window for locals to see top tier players.
"Several million dollars worth of football talent will be on display when the Jets play the Roar in Coffs," Mr Woodward said.
"Teams of their standing demand a high-quality pitch and stadium as well as great training facilities, quality accommodation and excellent local support services.
"The A-League trial reaffirms the region's status as a destination for high-quality sport.
"The staging of the match is a real vote of confidence in Coffs and boosts our bid to be a base camp for a team visiting Australia and New Zealand for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup."