Newcastle is set to welcome A-League Men heavyweights Western Sydney Wanderers and Macarthur FC to the Hunter this week.

And, eagerly-awaiting their respective arrivals are local outfits Broadmeadow Magic FC and Newcastle Olympic FC.

Both clubs came out on top of their Northern NSW pool to book berths in the round of 32 of the highly sought-after FFA Cup.

The Australian knockout tournament features more than 700 organisations throughout the country.

The Magic will tackle the Wanderers on Wednesday evening (10 November) at No. 2 Sportsground, while Olympic hosts Macarthur FC at the City of Newcastle venue three nights later, on Saturday (13 November).

City of Newcastle chief executive officer Jeremy Bath said he was looking forward to seeing Newcastle back in the national spotlight.  

“It’s been months since major sporting fixtures were staged in Newcastle due to COVID-19,” he explained.

“The recent lockdown left our facilities empty and resulted in the cancellation and postponement of many fixtures.

“So, it’ll be great to see our city broadcast across the country once again through the FFA Cup matches.

“Council is committed to maintaining high-quality sporting facilities and has invested $21.3 million into improvements throughout the LGA (local government area) during the past four years. 

“We’re proud to support local football teams Broadmeadow Magic and Newcastle Olympic by providing No. 2 Sportsground as the venue for their FFA Cup matches.

“Tickets are still available to those who’ve missed the atmosphere of attending live sport.”

Broadmeadow Magic FC president Tony Temelkovski said the team was keen to take the field in front of a crowd after an interrupted season. 

“We’re extremely appreciative of City of Newcastle’s support to enable our club to host such a momentous match at a venue like No. 2 Sportsground,” he stated.

“There is no better feeling than running out of the tunnel to be greeted by spectators cheering on in support.

“So, to have the chance to do that in front of a home crowd is all the more exciting.

“We hope to do Novocastrians proud as we face off against the A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers tomorrow.”

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