Football Queensland (FQ) can today reveal the 25 players selected in the combined NPL All-Stars and Queensland State Team Men’s squad for the Kappa Festival of Football.

Drawn from the state’s top-tier National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland Men’s competition, the squad will take on Brisbane Roar’s A-League side at Dolphin Stadium on 5 December before facing New South Wales at Perry Park on 12 December.

Both matches will be played as part of double-headers involving the combined NPL All-Stars and Queensland State Team Women’s squad.

FQ has selected a 25-strong squad in recognition of the fact that some players have advised their participation is limited to one match and to provide adequate coverage for any other factors, including injuries, which may impact availability throughout the Kappa Festival of Football.

From this group, Head Coach Ben Cahn and Assistant Coach Aaron Philp, along with FQ’s State Technical Director Gabor Ganczer, will have the opportunity to select 18-player match day squads for the 5 and 12 December games.

“For me, these games are all about the players,” said Cahn, who is preparing to lead Olympic FC into this Saturday night’s NPL Men’s Grand Final.

“We’ll work hard to create an environment that everybody can work hard in and enjoy playing in.

“We have to find a way to maximise the abilities of the players and give them a chance to showcase themselves.

“I think the NPL Queensland gets stronger every year,” he added. “This year in particular I think you’ve seen another rise in the level with the COVID circumstances surrounding Victoria. Lots of Queenslanders that were playing down there have come back in 2020.

“The level is great. Victoria and New South Wales get a lot of good publicity but I think certainly the NPL Queensland can compete with both of those competitions.

“It’s just as entertaining and the level is just as high.”

The combined NPL All-Stars and Queensland State Team Men’s squad is scheduled to train together on four occasions across the two weeks following this weekend’s Football Queensland Premier League (FQPL) and NPL Men’s and Women’s Grand Finals, which mark the official beginning of the Kappa Festival of Football.

Full details, including tickets and hospitality packages, can be found on footballqueensland.com.au/festival-of-football.

NPL ALL-STARS / QUEENSLAND STATE TEAM MEN’S SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Lachlan Hunter (Olympic FC), Joshua Langdon (Gold Coast Knights)

Defenders: Cameron Crestani (Peninsula Power), Ajdin Fetahagic (Olympic FC), Kazuya Ito (Olympic FC), Hayden McHenery (Peninsula Power), Matthew Schmidt (Gold Coast Knights), Corey Sewell (Olympic FC), Michael Thwaite (Gold Coast United)

Midfielders: Max Brown (Gold Coast Knights), Jackson Courtney-Perkins (Moreton Bay United), Mitch Hore (Lions FC), Daniel Leck (Olympic FC), Mitch Nichols (Gold Coast Knights), Sam Roper (Peninsula Power), Thomas Strickland (Peninsula Power), Steve Whyte (Olympic FC)

Attackers: Joe Duckworth (Lions FC), Henry Hore (Lions FC), Jez Lofthouse (Olympic FC), Jheison Macuace (Gold Coast Knights), Andy Pengelly (Peninsula Power), Harrison Sawyer (Gold Coast Knights), Tasuku Sekiya (Olympic FC), Abrahim Yango (Eastern Suburbs)