Sydney FC will travel north to face the Gold Coast Premier League All Stars in the Gold Coast Cabs Challenge at Pizzey Park, home of Burleigh Bears Sports Club, on Thursday 13th August (kick off 7pm).

The Sky Blues will contest the pre-season friendly as part of a week-long training camp on the Gold Coast as Head Coach Graham Arnold looks to get his squad into peak shape for the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 season.

New marquee signing Filip Holosko, Serbian recruit Milos Ninkovic and returning overseas stars Mickael Tavares and Jacques Faty will join full training for the first time this pre-season, having flown into Sydney this week while their Sky Blues teammates were in Perth defeating Sorrento FC in the Westfield FFA Cup.

Arnold’s charges will be put through their paces twice a day and the Sydney FC Head Coach said he was looking forward to the camp.

“It’s always good to take the boys away and have them mix with each other in a team environment,” he said.

“This training camp provides me with the perfect opportunity to assess all my players and build on their hard work to date in pre-season.

“I’m looking forward to facing the Gold Coast All Stars. Pizzey Park has a great surface and I’m sure they’ll provide a good challenge for us.

“I’d like to thank The City of Gold Coast and Gold Coast Cabs for combining to put on this training camp.”

The Sky Blues will host their training base at The Southport School (TSS) during their seven day stay.

Their opponents on Thursday night will be a team made up of players from the BLK Gold Coast Premier League who will be coached by Murwillumbah Head Coach and current Football Gold Coast Coach of the Year David Lonie.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is looking forward to welcoming Sydney FC to the city.

“It’s wonderful to have the team here to experience our excellent training facilities and our great winter weather, which are two of the main reasons we get so much interest from sporting clubs to train here,” he said.

“Since we implemented our inaugural Sport Plan in late 2013, we have hosted 42 elite training camps in the city which have brought $5.3 million into the local economy. Our reputation as a sporting destination continues to grow from strength to strength.”

The Sydney FC squad will depart Sydney on Sunday 9 August and return the following Saturday, 16 August. Entry to the Thursday night fixture is free of charge.

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