Wanderers Dean Bosnjak, Miguel Di Pizio, Ayman Gulasi and Anthony Pavlesic have been selected to represent Australia at the AFF U16 Youth Championship 2022 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Australia has been drawn in Group C and will face Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia in the 12-team tournament commencing on 31 July 2022.
The selection of the final squad for this tournament follows a week-long Joeys (Australia U17) camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in mid-July, a National U16 Identification Camp held in Townsville during April, and an ongoing assessment in collaboration with technical staff at Member Federations.
This Australia U16 representative team will be led in Indonesia by former Joeys National Team Assistant Coach and current Football South Australia Technical Director, Michael Cooper.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this tournament will be the Joeys’ first international activity since 2019.
“After such a long hiatus due to the pandemic, it’s wonderful to see our men’s national youth team programs competing again on the international stage,” explained Trevor Morgan, Football Australia Head of Technical Direction, Pathways & Coach Education.
“Football Australia has been working closely with technical staff at Member Federations to identify the best emerging talent for our Joeys program, which has led to two highly competitive national camps over recent months.
“This AFF U16 Youth Championship in Indonesia will not only be a proud moment for the players and parents as they represent Australia for the very first time but also presents a wonderful opportunity for these young men to get their first taste of international competition in what we hope will be a long and prosperous career in the green and gold,“ concluded Morgan.
Australia’s AFF U-16 Youth Championship campaign will kick off against Myanmar on Tuesday, 2 August at the Sultan Agung Stadium in Bantul.
The team will return to the same venue three days later to challenge Cambodia, before rounding out their Group Phase campaign with a meeting with Malaysia at the Maguwoharjo Stadium in Sleman on Monday, 8 August.
Each of Australia’s Group C fixtures at the AFF U-16 Youth Championship will kick off at 3 pm local time (6 pm AEST).
Australia will need to finish first in Group C, or as the best overall runner-up in the three pools, to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The knockout phase of the tournament will be played exclusively at the 31,000-seat Maguwoharjo Stadium.
Australia has won the AFF U-16 Youth Championship twice in the past, claiming the crown in 2008 and 2016. The green and gold also finished second in 2012, and third in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
AFF U16 Youth Championship 2022 | Sunday, 31 July – Friday, 12 August 2022 | Jakarta, Indonesia
| Name | Position | Club, Country | Junior Club |
| Peter ANTONIOU | Defender | Melbourne City FC, Australia | FC Bulleen Lions (Football Victoria) |
| Daniel BENNIE | Forward | Perth Glory FC, Australia | Sorrento FC (Football West) |
| Dean BOSNJAK | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Freeman Sports Club (Football New South Wales) |
| Luka COVENY | Defender | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | Essendon Royals SC (Football Victoria) |
| Zachary DE JESUS | Defender | Sydney United 58 FC, Australia | Lakeside Lions FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Miguel DI PIZIO | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | AC United (Football New South Wales) |
| Ben DUNBAR | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC, Australia | Doncaster Rovers (Football Victoria) |
| Ayman GULASI | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Sydney Olympic FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Gus HOEFSLOOT | Goalkeeper | Sydney FC, Australia | Helensburgh Thistles (Football New South Wales) |
| Jesse HOEY | Forward | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | FC Bulleen Lions (Football Victoria) |
| Pearson KASAWAYA | Forward | Sydney FC, Australia | Griffith City FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Daniel LAZAREVSKI | Forward | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | Lalor United Sloga (Football Victoria) |
| Andriano LEBIB | Defender | Perth Glory FC, Australia | Dianella White Eagles (Football West) |
| Jared MIDDLETON | Defender | Sydney FC, Australia | Collaroy Cromer Strikers (Football New South Wales) |
| Lachlan MIDDLETON | Midfielder | Sydney FC, Australia | Collaroy Cromer Strikers (Football New South Wales) |
| Alex NASSIEP | Goalkeeper | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | Caloundra FC (Football Queensland) |
| Anthony PAVLESIC | Goalkeeper | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Sydney United 58 FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Jaylan PEARMAN | Midfielder | Perth Glory FC, Australia | Kingsley Westside FC (Football West) |
| Isiah QUINN | Defender | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia | Brisbane Olympic FC (Football Queensland) |
| Tiago QUINTAL | Forward | Sydney FC, Australia | Baulkham Hills FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Dylan ROSE | Midfielder | Sydney FC, Australia | Mounties JSC (Football New South Wales) |
| Xav STELLA | Defender | Melbourne City FC, Australia | Templestowe United FC (Football Victoria) |
| Nicholas ZDRILIC | Defender | Sydney United 58 FC, Australia | St George FA (Football New South Wales) |
Shadow Squad
| Name | Position | Club, Country | Junior Club |
| Rylan BROWNLIE | Forward | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia | Moreton Bay United (Football Queensland) |
| Oscar FRYER | Forward | SD Raiders, Australia | Hurlstone Park Wanderers FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Mikey GHOSSAINI | Forward | Glen Eira FC, Australia | Glen Eira FC (Football Victoria) |
| Daniel GRASKOSKI | Goalkeeper | Northcote City, Australia | Northcote City (Football Victoria) |
| Jordan HOEY | Forward | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | FC Bullen Lions (Football Victoria) |
| Angelo KALAMVOKIS | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Gymea United FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Cyrus MALSAWMKIMA | Attacker | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia | Logan Lightning FC (Football Queensland) |
| Justin MOYA | Defender | Brisbane Roar FC, Australia | Southside Eagles (Football Queensland) |
| Alexandro NUNES | Midfielder | Newcastle Jets FC, Australia | Litchfield FC (Football Northern Territory) |
| Andre PARKES | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | Castle Hill United FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Andre RIZGALLA | Midfielder | Sydney FC, Australia | St George FA (Football New South Wales) |
| Fabian TALLADIRA | Midfielder | Adelaide United FC, Australia | Adelaide City FC (Football South Australia) |
AFF U-16 Youth Championship 2022 – Match Schedule (Australia)
Australia U-16 v Myanmar U-16
Date: Tuesday, 2 August 2022
Venue: Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul, Indonesia
Kick-off: 3pm (local); 6pm (AEST)
Cambodia U-16 v Australia U-16
Date: Friday, 5 August 2022
Venue: Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul, Indonesia
Kick-off: 3pm (local); 6pm (AEST)
Malaysia U-16 v Australia U-16
Date: Monday, 8 August 2022
Venue: Maguwohharjo Stadium, Sleman, Indonesia
Kick-off: 3pm (local); 6pm (AEST)
Semi-Finals: Wednesday, 10 August 2022
Medal Matches: Friday, 12 August 2022
