Brisbane Strikers coach Chay Hews has hailed the announcement by Football Queensland that Brisbane Roar’s Foxtel National Youth League squad will join the NPL Queensland competition this year.

In making the announcement Football Queensland quoted Brisbane Roar Football Director Ken Stead saying that the move was “a major step forward for Brisbane Roar” that would provide their players “an opportunity to play football and develop their skills all year round.”

When asked his reaction to the news, Hews saw it in similar terms, saying “It’s good for the Roar boys. They’ll be playing in a senior men’s competition and it’ll be tough for them.”

“I think the point for them is that they’ll be getting more games and that’s great," Hews continued.

"When you compare us to countries overseas, kids there will be getting a lot more games throughout a season and I think it’s probably what we need in Australia – more competitive games for some people that we’re trying to develop into future stars.”

Hews said that he expected the Roar Youth team to be one of the better teams in the NPL in a technical sense, but that their players would benefit from having to test themselves physically older players.

“When I say it’s going to be tough for them I don’t mean that they are going to struggle”, Hews said. “I think it will be tough for them because of the physicality of the (other) teams’ football. But I think football-wise they’ll probably do better than most teams”.

The inclusion of the Roar’s youth team (and also of its Westfield W-League team in the NPL Boys Under-15s competition) will add at touch of A-League glamour to the NPL in its second year while providing diehard Roar supporters a winter outlet for their football passions.

It will also bring the Roar into closer week-to-week contact with players from other clubs anxious to press their claims for A-League contracts.

Hews admitted that this would be a shot in the arm for the Strikers' roster of playing talent.

“Motivation-wise I don’t think it will be a problem for our team because we’ll have quite a young squad and I think a lot of our players would like to be (at Roar) and to show themselves against the Roar”, Hews said.

Hews also said he thought the introduction of the Roar would offer plenty of interest for football purists.

“I think there will be a couple of teams that are going to try and keep the ball on the ground and play an attractive style of football and it could be a good game against us”, Hews predicted.

Strikers and Roar are the only Queensland clubs to claim national championship titles, with Strikers winning the National Soccer League Grand Final in 1997, while Roar won back-to-back A-League Grand Finals in 2011 and 2012.

Words: Steve Pitman (Brisbane Strikers FC)