Subway Joeys’ Head Coach, Brad Maloney has named a 23-player squad to contest the 2024 ASEAN U-16 Boys’ Championship held in Surakarta, Indonesia from 21 June – 4 July.
The tournament – formerly known as the AFF Championship – features 12 Members from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Football Federation.
Australia has been drawn in Group C for the tournament, alongside Malaysia, Thailand and Timor-Leste and will play all their Group Stage fixtures out of Sriwedari Stadium.
The 2024 edition of the Championship – which is also contested at U-19 level – will be Australia’s ninth appearance, having previously won the tournament in 2008 and 2016.
The selected squad is brimming with young talent from Isuzu UTE A-League club academy programs across the country, including brothers, Alexi and James Houridis (Melbourne Victory FC), Quinn MacNicol (Brisbane Roar FC) and Christian Pullella (Perth Glory FC).
Alexander Garbowski (BK Häcken, Sweden) and Noah Slunjski (Hadjuk Split, Croatia) have been selected from overseas leagues, while David Bolongi (Football QLD) and Jordan Graoroski (Football NSW) have earnt selection direct from their respective Member Federation club sides.
A large portion of the squad selected by Maloney for these Championships were part of his assembly in early-April 2024 for friendlies against U-16 Switzerland and U-17 Inter Milan FC. The camp – held at the Australian Institute of Sport European Training Centre in Varese, Italy – represented the beginning of a new cycle for this age group and their first taste of a national team environment.
Maloney will bring together his squad for a brief pre-camp in Indonesia prior to the Subway Joeys’ first game on Sunday, 23 June against Thailand. Australia will then face Malaysia (26 June) and Timor-Leste (29 June), as they look to secure a spot in the tournament’s Semi Finals by topping their Group.
Subway Joeys’ Head Coach, Brad Maloney said the opportunity for his squad to be exposed to tournament football in foreign conditions would be an invaluable experience.
“I’m really happy with the squad we’ve been able to put together, particularly off the back of a couple of strong showings in April,” Maloney said.
“We saw some fantastic individual performances in Italy and players have been rewarded with selection as a result, but most importantly, we were able to begin to implement our principles of play.
“That camp was the perfect foundation to begin this cycle, and while our focus is on our Asian Cup Qualifiers in October and U-17 World Cup Qualification, success at this tournament will go a long way in helping us reach those goals.
“The players are excited for the challenge. They will be playing in new conditions, against a different style of opposition and I believe we’ve got a group that can do well in these Championships.
“They [the Championships] present a tough format with tight turnarounds between games, so we know recovery will be extremely important and the boys will be leaving no stone unturned to get the best out of themselves.
“It’s going to be a great experience for them and we’re all looking forward to getting started,” concluded Maloney.
SUBWAY JOEYS SQUAD | ASEAN U16 BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
| Name | Position | Current Club | Junior Club / Member Federation |
| Jai AJANOVIC | Goalkeeper | Central Coast Mariners FC | Gymea United FC / Football NSW |
| Nickolas ALFARO | Midfielder | Sydney FC | Nepean FC / Football NSW |
| Jonty BENFIELD | Goalkeeper | Melbourne City FC | Taringa Rovers FC / Football QLD |
| David BOLONGI | Attacker | Gold Coast Knights FC | Gold Coast United FC / Football QLD |
| Alex BOLTON | Midfielder | Perth Glory FC | Bayswater City FC / Football West |
| Anthony DIDULICA | Midfielder | Western United FC | St Albans Saints SC / Football VIC |
| Haine EAMES | Midfielder | Central Coast Mariners FC | Camden Haven Redbacks / Northern NSW |
| Noah ELLUL | Goalkeeper | Adelaide United FC | WT Birkalla FC / Football SA |
| Alexander GARBOWSKI | Defender | BK Häcken | Subiaco AFC / Football West |
| Jordan GRAOROSKI | Attacker | Sutherland Sharks FC | Gwawley Bay FC / Football NSW |
| Alexander HOURIDIS | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory FC | Glen Eira FC / Football VIC |
| James HOURIDIS | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory FC | Glen Eira FC / Football VIC |
| Besian KUTLESHI | Defender | Melbourne City FC | North Sunshine Eagles SC / Football VIC |
| Quinn MACNICOL | Midfielder | Brisbane Roar FC | Rochedale Rovers FC / Football QLD |
| Jay MALTZ | Midfielder | Sydney FC | Mongo FC / Football NSW |
| Jayden NECOVSKI | Defender | Melbourne City FC | Pascoe Vale FC / Football VIC |
| Malual NICHOLA | Defender | Adelaide United FC | Para Hills Knights SC / Football SA |
| Charlie PARKIN | Defender | Brisbane Roar FC | Grange Thistle SC / Football QLD |
| Christian PULLELLA | Defender | Perth Glory FC | Perth SC / Football West |
| Marco SANTANGELO | Defender | Sydney FC | Mounties Wanderers FC / Football NSW |
| Noah SLUNJSKI | Attacker | Hadjuk Split | Enfield Rovers SC / Football NSW |
| Amlani TATU | Attacker | Adelaide United FC | Croydon Kings FC / Football SA |
| Rhys WILLIAMS | Midfielder | Brisbane Roar FC | Kawana FC / Football QLD |
SUBWAY JOEYS SQUAD | ASEAN U16 BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 | MATCH SCHEDULE
Thailand v Subway Joeys
Sunday, 23 June 2024
Kick-off: 3.00pm local/ 6.00pm AEST
Sriwedari Stadium, Surakarta, Indonesia
Subway Joeys v Malaysia
Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Kick-off: 3.00pm local/ 6.00pm AEST
Sriwedari Stadium, Surakarta, Indonesia
Timor-Leste v Subway Joeys
Saturday, 29 June 2024
Kick-off: 3.00pm local/ 6.00pm AEST
Sriwedari Stadium, Surakarta, Indonesia
