The Maitland Sportsground is becoming a favourite with the Newcastle Jets and their fans after another big crowd watched them smash the Western Sydney Wanderers 4-0 on Saturday.
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More than 1600 people flocked to the game filling the grandstand and spilling out on to the excellent grassed terraces.
The atmosphere created by fans being right on top of the action gave the game, although a trial two weeks out from the start of the A-League season, an electric atmosphere and the Jets players responded in kind continuing their exciting brand of football which took them to last year’s grand final.
Newcastle Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna and coach Ernie Merrick were all smiles with the result and excited about the potential of fixturing games at the facility.
Officials were delighted with the crowd numbers given there was little time to promote the game in advance and it coincided with the long-weekend and start of the school holidays.
A crowd of 3200 attended the Jets trial against Central Coast Mariners with the added attraction of the local derby and the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt making appearance.
Several thousand fans also attended a NRL trial match between Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels earlier this year.
Maitland City Council is now setting its sights on hosting a country round of the NRL
Councillors voted unanimously in favour of an urgent business motion submitted by new deputy mayor Mitchell Griffin, calling on council to approach the NRL about hosting a country round in the 2019 or 2020 season.
Cr Griffin said the match would be a “great opportunity” for the city.
“I thought, given the success of the NRL match earlier this year – between Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels – it was a great opportunity for us to put our hand up,” he said.
“We aren’t talking about a trial match – this is the real deal. Whereas earlier in the year we had a match that was livestreamed, this one is actually broadcast on television right across Australia so the exposure that it has to bring to Maitland is quite enormous.”
The Jet’s next official fixture will be their Round 1 clash with the Phoenix in Wellington on Sunday 21 October.
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