THERE will be no one cheering louder than the volunteers from Broadmeadow Magic football club if the Socceroos beat China in the Asian Cup quarter-finals.
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Australia will qualify for a semi-final clash, potentially against defending champions Japan, at Hunter Stadium next Tuesday if they overcome China on Thursday night in Brisbane.
A victory will also mean the Socceroos will grace Magic’s pitch at Wanderers Oval which, along with No.2 Sportsground, is a training ground for the Asian Cup sides in the Hunter.
‘‘Most of us on the committee have our tickets sorted out for the semi-final and we’ll definitely be waiting with bated breath watching the games tomorrow to see what’s going on and who we get,’’ Magic club manager Andrew Bozinovski said.
Mr Bozinovski and Broadmeadow president Steve Foteff were among Cup volunteers at their home ground when Japan and Palestine and then Oman and Kuwait used it to prepare for matches at nearby Hunter Stadium.
Along the way, Magic have had Japan and Kuwait jerseys signed by the respective teams as keepsakes for the club. Now they are eyeing a signed Australian shirt to add to their collection, which includes signed Young Matildas and Young Socceroos jerseys from club products Andrew Hoole, Ben Kantarovski and Libby Sharpe.
‘‘We’ve got Socceroos jerseys that are club keepsakes and any player that represents Australia, we get them to sign one,’’ Mr Bozinovski said. ‘‘It’s like a running honour roll, but we’ll definitely look to get a fresh one for the team to sign.
‘‘It’s not often that you get Australia here with a chance to win an Asian Cup on home soil. It probably won’t happen in my lifetime again anyway.
‘‘It’s good the town has an opportunity to show its colours.’’
The semi-finalists will have one session each at No.2 Sportsground and Wanderers Oval in the three days leading up to the match.
Mr Foteff said it was exciting to have the prospect of the two tournament favourites, Australia and Japan, heading to Broadmeadow.
‘‘We hope to have both of them here and from our point of view, it will be a huge thrill,’’ Mr Foteff said.
As well as the thrill of being part of the Cup, Magic have gained revamped facilities through Asian Football Confederation funding.
In a co-funded, dollar-for-dollar deal, Broadmeadow have secured $65,000 in drainage upgrades.
AFC also built a new 2.4-metre fence, replacing the 1.2-metre-high perimeter fence to meet security requirements.
