Written by Greg Stock.
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS side to UK and Europe December 1996 Damian Beattie - Fawkner, Victoria Marco Bresciano - Green Gully, Victoria Adriano Caniglia - VIS, Victoria Adam Cimino - Green Gully, Victoria Damon Collina - Bulleen, Victoria Christopher Day - Queensland Academy of Sport, Brisbane Mark Leone - Parramatta Eagles, NSW Glen Meliak - Parramatta Eagles, NSW Zoran Milnar - Stirling Macedonia, WA Paul O'Grady - Parramatta Eagles, NSW Ilija Prenzoski - Canberra Cosmos, ACT Kain Rastall - UTS Olympic, NSW Barney Smith - Australian Institute of Sport, ACT Jason Vukadin - Melbourne Knights, Victoria Aaron Westervelt - Australian Institute of Soprt, ACT Toby Wright - Perth Glory, WA Officials; Chris James - Tour Leader Joe Larecki - Coach Ron Pratt - Manager/Assistant Coach Richard Beazley - Assistant Coach/Physiotherapist
| 1996 a party of 16 players left Australia to tour the United Kingdom and Europe as the Australian Secondary Schools Soccer Association. The group played a number of games throughout December 1996 under the watchful eye of coach Joe Larecki. Their first game was against traditional rivals Kent Schools in London. | ||||
| Played : (Date not known) December 1996 | Venue : London, England | |||
| Kent Schools (ENG)
(Team lineup not available) |
0 | - | 4 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The second match was a day later against South East England Schoolboys in London. | ||||
| Played : (Date not known) December 1996 | Venue : London, England | |||
| South East England Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
0 | - | 1 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team Lineup not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The next game was played in Belgium against the youth side of Ostende. The team for Ostende contained five players with first grade experience. | ||||
| Played : (Date not known) December 1996 | Venue : (Venue not known) Belgium | |||
| Ostende (BEL)
(Team lineup not available) |
0 | - | 1 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorer not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The next match was in Wales against a Welsh colleges side. | ||||
| Played : December 8 1996 | Venue : (Venue not known) Wales | |||
| Welsh Colleges
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
1 | - | 1 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorer not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Asutralia) | ||||
| The following day the side played a schoolboys international against their counterparts from Wales. | ||||
| Played : December 9 1996 | Venue : Aberdare, Wales | |||
| Welsh Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorer not available) |
1 | - | 5 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
| Attendance : 1,200 Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The next opponents were in Dublin where they played the schoolboys side from the Republic of Ireland. | ||||
| Played : December 11 1996 | Venue : Dublin, Ireland | |||
| Republic of Ireland Schools
(Team lineup and goalscorer not available) |
1 | - | 1 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The next match in Ireland left the perfect record of the Australians in tatters. On a frozen artificial surface the side was beaten 4-0 by the Northern Ireland Schools. | ||||
| Played : December 13 1996 | Venue : Belfast, Ireland | |||
| Republic of Ireland Schools
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
4 | - | 0 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||
| The last match on tour was against an Essex Schoolboys side. After this match the side travelled to Rome where a reception at the Australian embassy was held in their honour. The side also had the oppurtunity of meeting Socceroo Paul Okon. The game scheduled against the Italian club Lazio's youth side was cancelled and the team then returned to Australia. | ||||
| Played : (Date not known) December 1996 | Venue : Essex, England | |||
| Essex Schoolboys
(Team lineup not available) |
0 | - | 3 | Australian Schoolboys
(Team lineup and goalscorers not available) |
| Coach : Joe Larecki (Australia) | ||||