A-League heavyweights Sydney FC has enjoyed strong links to top Illawarra-bred talent in recent years, with Socceroos great Luke Wilkshire and current national team defender Matt Jurman both donning the Sky Blue.
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From next season the national league giants will be able to add another four players to the list when Gus Hoefsloot, Jacob Fakhoury, Baxter Hanley and Levi Martin all take up spots at the club’s academy.
The talented quartet were all part of the Football South Coast SAP program.
They have been selected to link up with the Sky Blues under 13s squad for next season.
Their signings again highlights the important connection the Illawarra and South Coast regions have with Sydney FC, according to the club’s youth development director Kelly Cross.
“We cast our net far and wide and always recognise there is talent in Wollongong,” he said.
“In fact from this same age group we picked two guys last year and now we have another four from the same crop if you like.
“It shows that Wollongong is a hot bed of talent and it always has been.
“In every squad there is at least one player from Wollongong of any generation in my opinion and Sydney FC continues to have a partnership with Football South Coast that has been in place for about four years so the relationship is there.”
All four players were scouted to join the Sky Blues academy after an extensive process which lasted close to nine months.
“There was bout 40 or 50 players that we look very closely at. For these four to make it after such a detailed, meticulous and lengthy process means a lot to get where they are,” Cross said.
“It is a detailed process where we filmed and analysed at training right through to reviewing their school reports.
“We really found out as much about these guys on and off the field as we could. These are four good lads.”
Sydney FC also has Helensburgh’s Aaron Calver currently in their first team squad for next season.