PGFC Academy duo Alex Bolton and Christian Pullella are set to head to Saudi Arabia next month having been named in the Joeys (Australia U17) squad for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025.
Head Coach, former Glory midfielder Brad Maloney, will gather his group for a pre-camp from March 21 ahead of their first Group B game which is against Vietnam on April 4 (local time).
The Joeys will then face United Arab Emirates on April 7 (local time) and Japan on April 10 (local time) and should they progress to the knockout stages, will secure a place at FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025.
The youngsters head into the tournament in impressive form having won the recent Hattrick U17 International Tournament and enjoyed a successful ASEAN U16 Boys Championship and Maloney is excited to see what they can produce in Saudi Arabia.
“We’ve been progressively building towards this Asian Cup and I feel we’re in a great position heading into our pre-camp,” he said.
“I’ve been really impressed with all the players that have been involved in our program.
“I can’t fault their application and effort in implementing both our playing style and off-field standards.
“They’ve helped shape a strong culture that’s become integral to our success.
“We’ve had some positive results throughout this cycle, which has been a great reward for the hard work from both the players and staff.
“This is a very important step in our journey and we’re fully focused on achieving the goals we set as a group during our first assembly in Europe in early 2024.”
Midfielder Bolton and defender Pullella have been mainstays for the Joeys throughout the build-up to the Asian Cup, while also featuring regularly for the PGFC Academy.
You can see how they get on at the tournament via 10Play which will be screening all the games live and free (more details below).
Subway Joeys v Vietnam U17
Friday, 4 April 2025
Okaz Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 6.00pm local / 11pm WST
Broadcast: 10 Play
United Arab Emirates U17 v Subway Joeys
Monday, 7 April 2025
King Fahd Sports City Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 8.15pm local / 1.15am WST (Tuesday 8 April)
Broadcast: 10 Play
Japan U17 v Subway Joeys
Thursday 10 April 2025
Okaz Stadium, Taif
Kick-off: 6.00pm local / 11pm WST
Broadcast: 10 Play
The senior PGFC Academy teams, meanwhile, return to NPL WA action on Saturday by visiting Macedonia Park for a Round 2 clash with 2025 Night Series Finalists, Stirling Macedonia.
The Under-18s will get the action underway at 11am, followed by the Under-20s at 1pm and the First Team at 3pm.
Do get along and support the lads if you can.
#ONEGlory
