The Macca’s Festival of Football is just days away as Western United prepares to bring elite men’s football to Tasmania in 2022.
Two Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s matches will see the Green and Black take on Perth Glory and Macarthur FC, and there will be a whole lot more family football fun to get involved with in Launceston across the Easter weekend.
One of the first pieces of action across the weekend will be a big meeting between two top Tasmanian sides at UTAS Stadium.
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Hobart United will meet Launceston City in the Round of 16 of the Lakoseljac Cup, with kick-off set for 1pm on Saturday April 16.
This fixture will serve as a curtain raiser for United’s meeting with Perth, with John Aloisi’s side taking on the Glory at 5:05pm that evening.
The Lakoseljac Cup is a statewide knockout tournament in Tasmania that is run annually, bringing together all sides in the state across the Northern and Southern Leagues.
The competition is named after Milan Lakoseljac, a striker who played for Glenorchy Knights and sadly passed away in 1999. The cup was instituted the following year and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019.
Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley welcomed the opportunity to showcase local football at UTAS Stadium.
“We’re delighted to be able to showcase Hobart United vs Launceston City in an A-League curtain-raiser at UTAS Stadium, giving players and officials involved the opportunity to get a taste of what it’s like to play at a professional venue,” he said.
“It will be a day the players and officials never forget, and you never know, may even lead to bigger and better things if someone catches the eye.
“I know both clubs are thrilled to be part of the day’s footballing action along with Western United and Perth Glory and I encourage all sports fans to settle in for an afternoon and take in both exciting fixtures.”
Launceston City was founded in 1957 and had a strong period in the early 2000s, making the final of the Lakoseljac Cup five times in six years between 2002 and 2007 and winning it twice.
Hobart United is a much newer club having only made its debut in 2003 after being founded in the African communities in Tasmania in 2002.
Hobart beat South East United to reach the Round of 16, coming back from 1-0 down at half-time to win 2-1 and advance to the next stage.
Western United fans can enjoy some of the best local talent that Tasmania has to offer with a fantastic knockout cup match ahead of watching the Green and Black take to the pitch for the first A-League Men match in this year’s Macca’s Festival of Football.
