Brisbane Roar skipper Matt McKay says the team are enjoying their new training set-up and admits he’s impressed by the standard of the facilities at Ballymore.
The Roar today played an internal match at Ballymore Stadium as pre-season training begins to heat up.
“We have a good surface here and it feels like a home for us now,” he said.
“We’ve got three weeks to go and we’ll make sure we’re ready for the opening game.”
The Roar senior squad will travel to Sydney next week to take on Perth Glory at Leichhardt Oval on Tuesday, September 20 in a pre-season hit-out behind closed doors.
The Roar pre-season will conclude with an exhibition match against a PS4 NPL QLD Under 23 Select squad, to be played at Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre (QSAC) on Saturday, 24 September (3pm KO).
A similar encounter in last year’s pre-season harvested an opportunity for former Western Pride striker Harry Sawyer, who featured prominently in the Young Roar’s Foxtel NYL and PS4 NPL QLD 2016 campaigns.
Brisbane’s Jayden Prasad and Joseph Champness also both previously played for PS4 NPL QLD clubs before joining the Roar’s Youth ranks.
McKay says the encounter will provide the match practice the Roar need during pre-season as well as offering an incredible opportunity to those Under 23 players selected.
“First and foremost it’s a great opportunity for them but for us it’s ideal because we need this match practice,” he said.
“For all these guys playing in the NPL Select side, it’s a great chance to show what they’re capable of.
“We have a lot of young players from the Young Roar who have been training with us this off-season and impressing.
“If they’re doing well, the Boss [Roar Head Coach John Aloisi] has said they’ll get opportunities in the A-League.”
