Newcastle Jets and Lake Macquarie City FC will collaborate on facility upgrades and ways to utilise these facilities more effectively as part of a strategic relationship, which will also provide Lake Macquarie the benefit of coaching expertise and specialised resources.
The home site of Newcastle’s academy is directly next door to Lake Macquarie City, thus a relationship is only logical. Greater accessibility to academy personnel and other resources will be advantageous for Lake Macquarie as they have A-League quality resources at their disposal.
Lake Macquarie undoubtedly benefit from this partnership, while Newcastle seek to take advantage of the strategy by using their partners fields as part of their youth academy. Both clubs are working on ways to bring new investments into facilities. This partnership also grows football in the region as Lake Macquarie City raise excitement for local players and communities with the partnering of an A-League side, effectively creating further opportunities in the future.
On the back of this strategic partnership, the Newcastle Jets will pursue supporting other Premier Clubs throughout the region (Northern NSW) to assist in player development. The initiative shown by Newcastle Jets is a positive step in the right direction for football in Australia as more action must be taken into growing the next generation of footballers the country has to offer. The Jets are setting a strong template for other clubs to follow by not only investing heavily in youth academies, but by allowing the jump from NPL to A-League become more realistic for players that are talented enough to do so.
Lake Macquarie President Steve Graham stated via press release:
“We are focused on the benefits that can be created by promoting a strong working relationship, and collaboration between the Newcastle Jets Football Club and Lake Macquarie City Football Club to deliver tangible football outcomes for our Club,” he said.
“We acknowledge the strong and vital histories that each club brings and the values we share on player development and ensuring each organisation’s activities are sustainable into the future.”
Ultimately, the collaboration will be built on a focus on possibilities and overlaps for knowledge exchange and support, effective facility utilisation and development.
