JUNIOR soccer players are ready to kit up and represent Greater Bendigo at this weekend\u2019s Victorian country championships.<\/p>\n
Operations manager at Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, Lauren Stevens, said this year there\u2019ll be 11 Bendigo squads competing from under-11 to under-16, and just under 170 players in total.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year it\u2019ll be hosted by Geelong, every year it moves around to a different host association,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had two years of not being able to have the country championships because of COVID, so we\u2019re really excited this year to finally get the kids back there.\u201d<\/p>\n
During COVID-19 restrictions, Ms Stevens said the BASL representative squad still trained, however players are looking forward for the chance to compete against top opponents from Ballarat, Albury and Wodonga, Gippsland, the La Trobe Valley, Mildura, Shepparton, and Warrnambool.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really special opportunity for our players,\u201d she said. \u201cThey all play at club level and it\u2019s an opportunity for these kids to come together with kids from other clubs across our association.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really nice for those who want a bit of an extra challenge on top of their club football\u2026 it\u2019s an opportunity as well for potential scouting for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kids just want to play, they want to put on that Bendigo kit and go and represent Bendigo and that\u2019s really what draws them to this program and tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tournament kicks off on Saturday, 11 June and concludes on Monday, 13 June.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some squads that are looking very strong, so we expect to see a bit of success at the tournament,\u201d Ms Stevens said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe measure the success of this program in lots of different ways, but we\u2019re certainly excited to see some of the results come in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JUNIOR soccer players are ready to kit up and represent Greater Bendigo at this weekend\u2019s Victorian country championships. Operations manager at Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, Lauren Stevens, said this year there\u2019ll be 11 Bendigo squads competing from under-11 to under-16, and just under 170 players in total. \u201cThis year it\u2019ll be hosted by Geelong, every […]<\/p>\n