Brisbane Roar has finalised the remainder of their pre-season schedule with a combination of Brisbane Premier League sides, Queensland State League clubs and Hyundai A-League teams forming ideal preparation for the squad’s quest for back-to-back titles.
Head Coach Ange Postecoglou was pleased with the structure of the pre-season program and the variety of opposing teams the club had secured as competition for the coming months.
“The program has come together pretty well, we-ve been going for a while but the three A-League games will give us good competition and will be good indicators as to where we are at,” he said.
“The local games have been fantastic both from a training perspective but we-ve also been getting good crowds and there-s been a good vibe around all the fixtures.
“Last year at Ipswich was a big day and next Sunday I-m sure it-ll be just as big and Toowoomba last year was a good fixture for us too so we-re looking forward to both of those games.”
After five training matches against BPL and QSL opposition over the past month, Brisbane Roar will face an Ipswich Invitational side next weekend before matching themselves againsst local sides Rochedale Rovers and Wynnum Wolves on the following two Wednesdays and current QSL leaders Brisbane Strikers on August 16.
The inclusion of local football clubs on the Roar-s pre-season tour was important, according to Brisbane Roar CEO Eugenie Buckley.
“While we are Brisbane Roar, we not only represent the city of Brisbane but also the greater Brisbane area,” Buckley said.
“Visiting places like Ipswich and Toowoomba is an important part of our community engagement and by doing so, we hope to make the link between our club and these areas even stronger.”
In an exciting weekend for local football supporters, the Roar will face a QSL Northern All-Stars side in the last weekend of September as part of a double-header with the QSL Grand Final – time and day to be determined depending on results in the competition.
Last week, Wellington Phoenix were confirmed as Brisbane-s first Hyundai A-League pre-season challengers on August 20 in Dunedin with the club now confirming fixtures against Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United in September.
The Roar will travel south to play Melbourne Victory in Tasmania on September 11 before returning to Queensland to take on last year-s third-placed finishers Adelaide United in Toowoomba the following Saturday.
The Hyundai A-League Champions will round out their pre-season program with a training match against BPL side University of Queensland on Saturday September 24, two weeks before their Grand Final re-match against Central Coast Mariners in the first round of the Hyundai A-League season on October 8.
PRE-SEASON TRAINING MATCH SCHEDULE
Sunday July 17: Ipswich Invitational at North Ipswich Reserve, kick-off at 3pm
Wednesday July 27: Rochedale Rovers at Underwood Park, kick-off at 7pm
Wednesday August 3: Wynnum Wolves at Carmichael Park, kick-off at 7pm
Tuesday August 16: Brisbane Strikers at Perry Park, kick-off at 7pm
Saturday August 20: Wellington Phoenix at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, kick-off at 5.30pm
Weekend of August 27/28: QSL Northern All Stars, time and date TBC
Sunday September 11: Melbourne Victory in Aurora Stadium, Launceston, Tasmania, kick-off at 2pm
Saturday September 17: Adelaide United at Toowoomba Sports Ground, kick-off at 7pm
Saturday September 24: University of Queensland at St Lucia campus, kick-off at 3pm
