There are 25,000 reasons to cheer on the Newcastle Jets when they tackle Sydney FC at McDonald Jones Stadium this weekend.

Following the A-League Men’s (ALM) club’s success in the Australia Cup, and fabulous 5-2 victory over Melbourne Victory in its first home outing for 2025/26, excitement is brewing among the local football community.

Now, that exhilaration will rise a notch even further on Saturday 1 November.

Newcastle is launching a new fan experience, at half-time, which could net one person $25,000, thanks to Spartan Australia.

“We’re inviting every supporter in the stadium to take part in the Paper Jets Challenge,” CEO Tain Drinkwater.

“It’s a high-flying competition where skill, timing and a little bit of luck might land you a life-changing cash prize.

“So, if your plane lands in the bucket, you’ll claim your share of the spoils.

“If it doesn’t go off, the prizemoney will jackpot when the next Paper Jets Challenge is held.

“Another sponsor, New Balance, is also turning near-misses into wins.

“The four planes that land closest to the bucket will each score a $100 gift voucher.”

HOW IT WORKS

• Upon entry, members and ticket holders will be offered one custom paper plane each
• Each plane includes a QR code. Fans will need to register their entry via the QR code on the paper to be eligible to participate
• At half-time, the field will be cleared and the Spartan Australia bucket will be placed in the centre circle
• When the countdown clock hits zero, fans will launch their planes from the grandstands in a spectacular stadium-wide throw

While that activation is sure to please spectators, young Newcastle attacker Ben Gibson hopes to provide plenty of thrills, too.

He, along with fellow guns Alex Badolato and Oscar Fryer, put five goals on Melbourne to bounce back after the team’s shock loss to the Central Coast Mariners.

“It was good to return to the winner’s circle,” the 22-year-old said.

“We came out of the Australia Cup so hot… and probably dropped the ball in the season opener.

“So, to respond like we did against the Victory was pleasing.

“We played the way we want to play.

“We’re still not there 100%, however it’s definitely the right step forward.”

After limited game time in 2024/25, Gibson is relishing his opportunity in the starting XI.

He also produced a glorious strike in the Jets’ victory over Heidelberg United in the Australia Cup decider.

“It’s been good,” he said.

“Like any player, you just want to play as many matches and minutes as possible.

“So, I’m enjoying this role.

“I’ll keep doing what I do and, hopefully, it continues to work.

“I’m lucky to have Millsy (Mark Milligan) leading the way as well.

“He backs every player, especially the young ones who are coming through.

“Xavier (Bertoncello) and Dobbo (Will Dobson), and those sorts of boys, probably didn’t play as much as they wanted to last season.

“So, it’s good for everyone’s confidence.”

The next challenge for Gibson and his colleagues is Sydney.

The Sky Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat to Adelaide United but accounted for the Central Coast 2-0 in round two.

“It’ll be a tough match,” he said.

“Sydney has shown for years just how good they are.

“But, I’ll back our boys.

“Fingers crossed, we draw a big crowd again.

“It holds us accountable to any mistakes or anything that happens throughout the game.

“For most of the players, they just want to go out and put in a strong performance for our fans, especially those who show up week-in, week-out.

“Personally, I think the bigger the crowd, the better.”

The match kicks off at 5pm.

For more sports stories:

• Knights turn to Dibb following Southwell departure
• Badolato hat-trick powers Jets to win over Victory
• Knights add another piece to NRL puzzle

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