Sydney FC hopes to maintain their goals from last year, with Men’s Academy Coach Jimmy Van Weeren enthusiastic for what this season will hold, as players from previous NPL seasons have returned to this squad.
“[I’m really] excited.
“I think the potential of the group is high this year, and we’ve had a lot of players who have had multiple seasons in the NPL.“
With returning players back in the NPL after a season of exposure to men’s football Van Weeren is keen to see them grow more this year.
“As a coach it’s always helpful to have guys coming back for their second season.
“They’ve had a taste of what it’s like to play in the men’s comp.
“I think then the players normally have a year of transitioning in where they’re more inconsistent, and then the consistency takes a step forward, and they’re able to string together a number of positive performances as a group, which always helps.”
This is especially positive for maintaining player camaraderie and expanding on the players’ developmental repertoire with returning players from A-League, despite a constantly changing squad week by week due to first-team demands, team connection remains strong.
“When you don’t have 50% of your starting team until match day, it’s not ideal for competing in a senior men’s competition. “
“It’s part of seeing the bigger picture at the club. It’s about providing players for the first team. And we understand where we sit in the internal system in the club. So for us it’s very clear that the first team is the priority.”
The NPL acts as a stepping stone into further career development and many players have gone from NPL to A-League players in recent years.
With plenty of experience in seeing talent, Van Weeren and the Sydney FC Academy have done their research into the ideal time of development.
“Over the last 10 years, internal Academy research shows that players who start to play upward of 40 NPL games seem to have the best chance to transition and become a starting 11 player in the A-League men’s competition.”
It is rewarding to see players move from NPL to A-Leagues or overseas and other youth national teams is highly rewarding, not just for me, but for the entire academy program and all the staff that contributed to their development”.
Sydney FC will kick off their NPL season on Friday night against SD Raiders back at Rockdale Illinden and once again, the action will be live on YouTube.
Squad List: 1 Gus Hoefsloot GK,
3 Reef Farias DEF
4 Caelan Marshall-Witte DEF
5 Nicholas Zdrilic DEF
6 Nicolas Calder DEF
7 Jordan Graoroski FWD
8 Sam Lancaster MDF
8 Wataru Kamijo MDF
9 Zac Fowler FWD
10 Taye Hedley MDF
11 Junior Conde MDF
12 Jared Williams GK
14 Jared Middleton DEF
19 Mitch Glasson FWD
19 Jay Maltz MDF
20 Tiago Quintal MDF
21 Zac De Jesus DEF
22 Mathias Macallister FWD
26 Nickolas Alfaro MDF
27 Lachlan Middleton MDF
29 Joe Lacey MDF
30 Alexander Zaverdinos GK
33 Marin France MDF
34 Tyler Williams DEF
44 Akol Akon MDF
