PGFC Academy duo Alex Bolton and Christian Pullella have been named in the Joeys squad which will travel to Indonesia later this month for the 2024 ASEAN U-16 Boys’ Championship.
Head Coach, former Glory midfielder Brad Maloney, has named 23 players for the 12-team tournament which was previously known as the AFF Championship, with Australia set to face Malaysia, Thailand and Timor-Leste in the group stage.
The squad will gather for a brief pre-camp in Indonesia prior to their first game on Sunday 23 June against Thailand.
The Joeys will then face Malaysia (26 June) and Timor-Leste (29 June) as they look to secure a spot in the tournament’s Semi Finals by topping their group.
Maloney believes that the trip to Indonesia will prove hugely beneficial in terms of his young charges’ development.
“While our focus is on our Asian Cup Qualifiers in October and U-17 World Cup Qualification,” he said, “success at this tournament will go a long way in helping us reach those goals.
“The players are excited for the challenge.
“They will be playing in new conditions, against a different style of opposition and I believe we’ve got a group that can do well in these Championships.
“They [the Championships] present a tough format with tight turnarounds between games, so we know recovery will be extremely important and the boys will be leaving no stone unturned to get the best out of themselves.
“It’s going to be a great experience for them and we’re all looking forward to getting started.”
Midfielder Bolton and defender Pullella will be joined in the Joeys squad by their former PGFC Academy teammate Alex Garbowski who completed a move to Swedish top-flight club BK Hacken earlier this year.
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