Sovereign Hills will feature a representative in the World Cup as the best touch football players from around the globe converge on South East Asia.

Our very own Wayne Gleeson is part of the Australian men’s 40s squad bound for the Malaysian capital for four days of intense competition kicking off on 29 April.

The reigning champions took out both the 2015 World Cup and the 2017 Trans-Tasman clash against New Zealand. The Kiwis are still considered the biggest threat to the Aussie’s 2019 World Cup defence in Kuala Lumpur.

“There are 13 teams in our pool,” explained Gleeson. “Including Japan, England, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, Wales, France, Italy, Belgium, Ireland and the USA, and New Zealand remain our fiercest rivals.”

“Facing the haka is one of the most spine-tingling moments and they don’t hold back on the field.”

Gleeson has been playing touch football in Port Macquarie for 25 years and says his speed and agility have kept him in good stead for World Cup selection.

“We play up to four national tournaments throughout the year to secure a place… A lot of the strategy comes down to team cohesion and I’ve played with many of the team members for 10 years which allows you to form combinations.”

Gleeson will be in good company when he heads to Malaysia, with five Port Macquarie locals joining him. They include his sister-in-law Anna Gleeson (women’s 35), Tahney Luck (seniors mixed) Warren Lorger, Beau Montgomery, and Men’s 40s coach Peter Vincent.

“We’ll play two games a day. We need to drink three litres of fluid a day. It will be 35 degrees and 100% humidity.”

Community and business support has been warmly welcomed by the Port Macquarie contingent which would have otherwise foot the bill for their World Cup participation.

Sovereign Hills is a proud sponsor of Gleeson who continues to give his all to the game and we wish all competitors the best of luck.