After a highly-successful NPL campaign, the PGFC Academy First Team will be looking to take that form into the Foxtel Y-League which kicks off on Saturday when Brisbane Roar will provide the opposition at Dorrien Gardens (kick off at 10.30am).
The league will see ten clubs divided into two conferences, with Glory drawn in Conference A alongside Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar, Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.
Conference B, meanwhile, consists of Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United, Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, with the winners of each conference set to contest the Grand Final.
Former Glory, Hull City and Socceroos midfielder Richard Garcia will take charge of the Glory youngsters this season and he can’t wait for the games to start.
“It’s a great challenge for the group, but it’s one we’re ready for,” he said.
“We’ve brought in some new faces to the squad and they have strengthened in all positions, so we are really excited and have prepared well for the new Foxtel Y-League season.”
Garcia went on to stress that his charges will need to start quickly and be at their best throughout what is shaping up to be an intense campaign.
“The lads performed well in the NPL last season and it will hold them in good stead for the Y-League,” he said, “but this is a tough competition with some of the best players in the country.
“It’s a short season, so we need to be on the front foot early and it is important to open up with a win and a positive performance against a good Brisbane side.”
Midfielder Zayd Farah, meanwhile, was impressive in his debut season for the PGFC Academy First Team in the NPL and he’s relishing the prospect of challenging himself in the national competition.
“We’re all looking forward to continuing the good run we’ve had for the last couple of months In the NPL,” he said.
“Although we didn’t get the result that we wanted at the end of the season, we know that there were many positives to take from our performances.”
Farah also played several games for the Hyundai A-League side in pre-season and feels that those friendly outings will stand him in good stead this year.
“It was an amazing experience playing with A-League team,” he said, “and hopefully I can bring that experience to my youth league performances.
“We are well aware it’s a tough competition and starting off with a win will set us up nicely for the season, so the first three points is important if we want to get ahead of teams early on in the season.”
Perth Glory Foxtel Youth Squad 2018-19
GK Jackson Lee, GK Nicolas Speca, Daniel Walsh, Nick Walsh, Zayd Farah, Nick McDonald, Walter Scott, Cameron Murray, Ethan Brooks, Abias Bukuru, Jordan Abrahams, Trent Ostler, Jack Leech, Jayden Leader, Henry Hore, Kristian Popovic, Kristian Santich, Sasa Njegic, Jai Selden, Gabriel Popovic, Daniel Stynes
Admission to all Foxtel Youth League games is FREE, so do try and get along to support the lads this Saturday if you can.
#OneGlory
