The Central Coast Academy of Sport (CCAS) will send its largest ever tour squad to the Hunter Region on April 27 as the 2018 ‘Your Local Club’ Academy Games kicks off. Over 150 Central Coast athletes and coaches will represent the region in AFL, Basketball, Golf, Hockey and Netball, competing against some of the best young athletes in New South Wales.
CCAS is traditionally very competitive in Basketball, Golf and Netball and that trend looks to continue in 2018. The new CCAS AFL junior boys squad will play an exhibition match against Hunter Academy of Sport, followed by the AFL – Girls squad who will feature for the first time at an Academy Games event. The CCAS – UAA Hockey squad are making their debut at the Academy Games and they are looking to perform strongly over the weekend, setting the precedent for future CCAS Hockey squads.
CCAS Sports Programs Coordinator Mark Tipple said of the event: “This is certainly a highlight for Academy athletes across NSW and a very unique experience for athletes and coaches. This is the largest multi-sport squad that represents the Central Coast region annually and for young athletes to have a mini-Commonwealth or Olympic Games experience is always very memorable for them. The athletes and coaches are very excited about the prospect of testing themselves against the high quality of competition they will come up against and CCAS staff are very keen to see them in action.”
Hosted by the Hunter Academy of Sport (HAS), the event will be held across various venues across the region from Friday April 27th to Sunday April 29th. The Games will be bringing together athletes, staff, families and supporters from all 11 Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) across New South Wales. The competing Academies include Central Coast, Far West, Illawarra, Hunter, North Coast, Northern Inland, South East, South West Sydney, Southern, Western Region and Western Sydney Academies of Sport. The Games will also highlight guest Academies, including ACT, Sydney Netball, Albury, Sydney North and Sydney East.
Overall, the Games feature the emerging talent of 1300 athletes across 8 sports including Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Softball, Surfing, AFL and Tennis. The inclusion of AFL male and female tournaments, as well as Tennis is an exciting venture for the Games, as they had not been involved in the past few years.
Chief Executive Officer of the Hunter Academy of Sport Brett O’Farrell stated: “We are very excited to be given the opportunity to host the Your Local Club Academy Games in the Hunter Region. We look forward to building on and improving what was a successful year for the Regional Academies of Sport not just locally, but throughout the state.”
The 2018 Your Local Club Academy Games is proudly supported by Your Local Club, the NSW Government, Newcastle City Council, Lake Macquarie City Council, NBN News, Regional Academies of Sport and the Hunter Academy of Sport.
The 2018 Your Local Club Academy Games will begin on Friday, 27th April with an Opening Ceremony to be held at Newcastle Basketball Stadium at 5pm. It is expected that 3,000 people will attend, with many dignitaries present and speaking at the event.
Location
Newcastle, NSW
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