In 2009, Football Federation Australia (FFA) and NAB launched the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award to unearth the future stars of Australian football.
SYDNEY
3 August 2010
In 2009, Football Federation Australia (FFA) and NAB launched the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award to unearth the future stars of Australian football.
The inaugural winner of the Award, Tommy Oar from Brisbane Roar, has experienced what could be described as a meteoric rise through the ranks of football since his October nomination.
He has gone on to debut and star for his national team in a World Cup qualifier, experience a taste of football-s showpiece event in South Africa, (as part of an extended Socceroos squad) and signed a five year contract with Dutch powerhouse FC Utrecht.
So who will be Tommy Oar-s successor in the 2010/11 NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award?
A host of young stars under the age of 21 will take to the field this weekend for week one of the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season, in the hope of emulating the feats of Tommy Oar.
Mathew Leckie (Adelaide United), Luke Devere (Brisbane Roar), Oliver Bozanic (Central Coast Mariners), Tahj Minniecon (Gold Coast United), Jason Hoffman (Melbourne Heart), Mate Dugandzic (Melbourne Victory), Ben Kantarovski (Newcastle Jets), Sean Rooney (Newcastle Jets), Chris Payne (North Qld Fury) and Terry Antonis (Sydney FC) may not be household names in the Hyundai A-League yet, but there-s every chance their name and number could adorn the shirts of Hyundai A-League fans across the country by season-s end.
“The Hyundai A-League has a wonderful history of unearthing exciting young players such as Tommy Oar, Bruce Djite, Nathan Burns and Scott Jamieson to name a few,” said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.
“The NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award is an important element in identifying and celebrating our best young performers and we again look forward to seeing which exciting talent emerges this season to take out the award.”
The NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award is presented to the best U/21 player during the home and away season. Under the competition format, an expert judging panel will convene each month to choose a monthly nominee.
In addition to the title of NAB Young Footballer of the Year, the winner will receive a $10,000 personal investment portfolio from NAB, along with a Private Client Manager to assist with banking and financial services.
To acknowledge the role junior clubs play in the development of the next generation of footballers, NAB will also present an equipment pack to the value of $3,000 to the junior club nominated by each of the monthly nominees.
Joseph Healy, Group Executive Business banking, said NAB is looking forward to continuing its commitment to grassroots football in season 2010/11.
“What an amazing journey it-s been for Tommy Oar since taking out the NAB Young Footballer of the Year last season,” said Mr Healy
At NAB we are committed to supporting the game at all levels, but in particular we take great pride in playing a role in the identification of the next wave of Australian football talent as the strive to achieve their dreams.”
Tommy Oar has also sent his best wishes back home to the young players competing this year.
“Winning the NAB Young Footballer of the Year was a huge and unexpected honour for me last season,” said Oar. “It certainly kick-started an amazing six months for me personally and I wish all the contenders for this year-s Award the very best of luck.”
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Click here to view the NAB Young Footballer Of The Year 2009/10 Recap
