There are six overseas based players in Kevin Ly, George Mells, Ross Millard, Conor O’Neill, Hyuga Tanner and Taylor Tombides - all based in England - with the remainder of the squad drawn from the AIS, State Institutes and Premier Youth League clubs.

Edwards is excited about the challenges his squad will face as part their preparations for the AFC U-16 Championship which will be played in Iran in September.

“This invitation to play in Saudi Arabia is another important step in the development process of the team with another three quality matches to play”, said Edwards.

“There are exciting times ahead as shortly after this tournament we will travel to  Bolivia for another camp and  I couldn’t be happier with the way our preparations are progressing and the way the boys are gelling as a group both on and off the park.

“This is also the first time that the overseas players will join up with the squad and it will be interesting to see how they have developed since the last time we saw them play at their respective clubs in May.

“From the squad that travelled to Laos, Tony (Vidmar) and I have included eight new players, the available talent pool is very encouraging and these games will provide an opportunity to see how well the overseas based players can integrate into our established team ethos.

“There is such healthy competition amongst this group at the moment and we are all really looking forward to the opportunities and challenges over next few months,” concluded Edwards.

The Qantas Joeys will face the host nation Saudi Arabia in their first match of the tournament on Friday 3 August, then Morocco on Sunday 5 August before meeting China PR in their last match on Tuesday 7 August.

Two weeks after the Saudi Arabia international friendly tournament, the Qantas Joeys will head to South America for an altitude training camp in Bolivia, funded entirely by the AIS, where they will play 5 friendly matches against quality local opposition.

The Qantas Joeys have been drawn in Group B of the AFC U-16 Championship 2012  along with Iraq, Oman and Thailand. The top two teams from each group of the AFC U-16 Championship 2012 will progress to the knockout stage (quarter-finals) and the four winners of the quarter-finals will then play in the semi-finals with the winners advancing to the final.  The semi-finalists will also automatically qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in late 2013.

Football Federation Australia would like to thank the AIS for their ongoing support for the Qantas Joeys Football Program.

Qantas Joeys Squad for Saudi Arabia – International Friendly Tournament – U16 National Teams
3-7 August 2012 – Taif, Saudi Arabia

Name, Club, Country
James BALDACCHINO - South Coast Wolves (NSW)
Aaron CALVER - NSWIS
Daniel De SILVA - WA NTC
Alex GERSBACH - AIS
Jack IREDALE - AIS
Andre JANNESE (gk) - AIS
Steve KUZMANOVSKI - AIS
Kevin LY - Burnley FC, England
Joshua MacDONALD - NSWIS
Darcy MADDEN - AIS
George MELLS - Southampton FC, England
Ross MILLARD - West Ham United FC, England
Matthew NTOUMENOPOULOS - AIS
Connor O’NEILL - Middlesbrough FC, England
Rocco PIZZATA - WA NTC
Liam ROSE - NSWIS
Matthew SCHMIDT - AIS
Lukas STERGIOU - Sutherland Sharks FC
Matthew STEWART - NSWIS
Hyuga TANNER - Blackburn Rovers FC, England
Taylor TOMBIDES - West Ham United FC, England
Jordan THURTELL (gk) - AIS