Welcome to the first edition of my CEO column – I plan to touch base each week with an update about what is happening at Jets HQ.
Hi Jets Members and supporters
Welcome to the first edition of my CEO column – I plan to touch base each week with an update about what is happening at Jets HQ.
It has been a busy week as we have moved offices from Wickham to our new headquarters at Tutor Street.
At our new office and under the one roof now are staff from the Knights and the Hunter Sports Group. It is certainly an exciting time as we all work together towards a common goal.
My office on the first level is right next door to Knights CEO Matt Gidley and I am looking forward to working alongside Matt. I believe that having both Clubs under the same roof will be very beneficial too all involved.
It would be remiss of me to not thank all of our Members who have joined up for the 2011/12 A-League season. I am pleased to report we have almost hit the 5000 mark and that is getting us closer to our 10,000 Member target.
Our membership packages are great value for money and it is fantastic to see Nathan Tinkler-s vision come to life.
A couple of week-s ago I had the pleasure to sit down with the Squadron and I was given a great insight into their thoughts of the upcoming season. I plan to have another sit down with this supporter group as we move closer to the season kicking off.
After a relaxing two week break, the team are back in training for the third and final phase of their pre-season. We traveled to Sydney on Wednesday evening for the first of nine pre-season fixtures, we came away from this one with a 2-1 win over Sutherland. It was a great result and the team will be back in action next week for the second of these pre-season games.
It was such a thrill to see local boy Ben Kantarovski selected in the Young Socceroos squad. This is a huge achievement for Ben and we are so proud of him.
Ben is currently in camp over in the USA. We are working really hard to develop the talents of our juniors and I look forward to seeing more young players succeed on the world stage.
On the injury front, Kasey Wehrman is recovering from ankle surgery. I know all too well what Kasey is going through and wish him all the best in his recovery and we can-t wait to see Kasey back on the track.
The arrival of Brazilian defender Tiago Calvano has given the team a big boost. Tiago is such a great asset to the team and has already settled in well. Even though he only arrived in the country last Tuesday, Tiago is already fond of his new home and is counting down the days until his wife and daughter join him in Newcastle.
Over the last few weeks I have been exploring the University of Newcastle. HSG CEO Troy Palmer, Matt Gidley and I have plans to meet with the Uni in the hope of further enhancing this relationship. I will keep you posted on any developments.
In next week-s column I will give you an update on how our Youth and Women-s League teams are progressing.
Robbie Middleby
