Sydney FC to face three TeleChoice Premier League clubs

Sydney FC will play Blacktown City at Gabbie Stadium (Seven Hills), Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw (Miranda) and Manly United at Cromer Park (Dee Why).
The matches will be hosted by the TeleChoice Premier League clubs with gate receipts going back into the local football club with Sydney FC also supporting the promotion of the matches through targeted marketing and promotional programs leading into the game.
These three trial matches, on top of Sydney FC?s home matches in the Pre Season Cup at Campbelltown and Wollongong, gives all football fans across Sydney the chance to see the team play before the start of the Hyundai A-League.
?The Sydney FC players have spent the last month getting out to local clubs and Associations and the next step is to take matches to these areas,? said Sydney FC CEO Stefan Kamasz. ?We have tried to spread the matches out to take the games to all areas of Sydney.
?Manly, Sutherland and Blacktown are very strong junior football areas with NSW Premier League sides so not only will they give John Kosmina and the team good opposition they also allow us to spread the games out evenly across Sydney.?
Sydney FC?s commitment to taking the game, team and players to the football community has also seen an early surge in Memberships for the 2008/09 season with more than 4,000 Memberships (which all include season passes) already purchased, three months from the start of the season.
On the pitch, Sydney FC will get some strong hit outs in the trial matches with the Sutherland Sharks and Manly United sitting first and second on the TeleChoice Premier League table.
Coach John Kosmina will be using the games to begin the process of integrating the new players into the side in the lead up to the opening Hyundai A-League game of the season against Melbourne Victory at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday 16 August.
Sydney FC has built up well in the off season with John Aloisi, Simon Colosimo, Mark Bridge, Stuart Musialik and Mitchell Prentice joining the club.
?We have some new players to the club, some very good players, and they need to integrate into the framework of the team as best as possible before the A-League season starts,? Kosmina said. ?These games will help them do that before we get into the Pre Season Cup and then the A-League.
?I?ve said all along that it?s important for Sydney FC to become more Community-based and taking the team to the south, north and west to play games against Sutherland, Manly and Blacktown is important for the club.?
Sydney FC Pre Season Schedule:
Trial matches
Wed 25 June – Sydney FC v Blacktown City, Gabbie Stadium 7pm
Wed 2 July – Sydney FC v Sutherland Sharks, Seymour Shaw  7pm      
Wed 9 July – Sydney FC v Manly United, Cromer Park 7pm
Pre Season Cup
Sat 19 July – Sydney FC v Qld Roar, Campbelltown Sports Stadium 7pm
Sun 27 July – Central Coast v Sydney FC, Bluetongue Stadium 3pm
Sat 2 August – Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix, WIN Stadium 7pm