Sunshine Coast footballers to visit Xiamen

A team of young Sunshine Coast footballers will have the opportunity to represent our region abroad as well as engage in some tough but friendly competition in China next week.

Sunshine Coast Football has accepted an invitation to participate in the Xiamen Invitational Youth Football Tournament taking place in the city of Xiamen, a port city on China’s south-east coast, on August 7-15.

The Sunshine Coast team consists of 16 players from various Coast football clubs, accompanied by four coaches/managers.

Sunshine Coast Council has a friendship city agreement with Xiamen and is facilitating Sunshine Coast Football’s participation in the event.

“This is going to be a very memorable trip for these talented Coast footballers,” Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said.

“As well as the football tournament, the team and their officials will get the chance to experience traditional Chinese culture and on-campus classes with their hosts.

“Xiamen and the Sunshine Coast have a relationship that has evolved over nearly 20 years and our team’s participation in this invitation tournament is another dimension to the areas of mutual interest to both locations.

“I’m sure that these boys will be great ambassadors for our region and we wish them well in what I’m sure is going to be a great competition.”

Mayor Jamieson said the tournament would feature two teams from Xiamen as well as Shanghai, Qingdao, Inner Mongolia and Yanbian, as well as representatives from the Czech Republic, South Korea and Malaysia.

Cr Jenny McKay, who is an honorary citizen of Xiamen, Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace and Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Latchford farewelled the team prior to their training session at Caloundra Football Club last night.

The team was presented with a letter to give to the Xiamen Municipal Government officials, some small gifts for the players to exchange with their Chinese hosts and a gift that will be exchanged with the Xiamen High School which will host the Coast team.

Xiamen has a long tradition of modern football.

In the middle of the 19th century, British navy sailors stationed in Xiamen introduced the modern game  of football to China and built the country’s first football pitch on the Gulangyu Islet.

SUNSHINE COAST FOOTBALL TEAM MEMBERS

Mr Tony McCrae, Team Manager

Mr Scott Grimshaw, Team Coach

Mr Iain Dalton, Team Assistant Coach

Mr Mark Dixson, Team Coordinator

Tyler Morse, Team Captain

Josh Wall

Sean Pateman

Addison Brader

Alex Richardson

Ben Parkinson

Blake Howden

Shane Dixson

Terone Wattegedara

Kobe Fuller

Jake Phillips

Michael Cuttler

Jake Nalder

Taj Suffolk

Jez Lofthouse

Marcus Worthington