There’s a strong Wellington Phoenix presence in the New Zealand U-16 squad named for the upcoming FIFA Youth Series in Zurich.
Joseph Chalabi, Willem Des Tombe, Cailean Hamilton, Joe McIntyre and Ben Trenberth are heading to Switzerland next week for the six nation tournament.
Chalabi and Hamilton joined the academy from Christchurch United and Fencibles United respectively this year, while Des Tombe, McIntyre and Trenberth played locally for Western Suburbs, Stop Out and Petone FC before moving to Fraser Park.
The FIFA Youth Series is designed to provide under 16 players the chance to train, compete, and showcase their skills on the international stage.
New Zealand men’s U-16 head coach Martin Bullock says it’s a fantastic tournament to be part of.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to expose a number of these players to international football for the first time, especially ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup coming up later this year,” Bullock said.
“This is an exciting new group so I’m looking forward to assembling as a team together in Zurich and testing ourselves against some quality sides.”
New Zealand will play Switzerland on May 19 and Guatemala on May 20 before a playoff against either Malaysia, Paraguay or Tunisia from group B.
The tournament will be broadcast live and free on FIFA+.
