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Draw For Hong Kong Sevens Made
Written by Newcastle Utd
The draw for the Hong Kong Football Club Citibank Soccer Sevens has been made, with Newcastle United drawn in Group A
By Tom Easterby - Newcastle United Club Reporter
The draw for the Hong Kong Football Club Citi Soccer Sevens has been made, with Newcastle United drawn in Group A alongside Aston Villa for next month's tournament.
Peter Beardsley will take a squad of under-21 players out to take part in the seven-a-side competition, and as well as facing five-time champions Villa, they will also play against local side Kitchee - winners of the 2011 tournament - and Hong Kong Football Club.
It will be held in the Happy Valley region of Hong Kong, where the Magpies will look to repeat their success of 2012, when they picked up the title.
They are one of five English clubs taking part in this year's event, which takes place between Friday, 20th and Sunday, 22nd May.
In Group B, Stoke City have been drawn to face Australian A-League side Wellington Phoenix, a team yet to be named from the Hong Kong Premier League and Yau Yee League Select.
Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers will play FC Seoul, Thai Youth Football Home and HKFC Captain's Select in Group C.
And there will be an all-English clash in Group D, as Leicester City and West Ham face each other, along with HKFA under-21s and Singapore Cricket Club.
Chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Football Association, Mark Sutcliffe, said: "It's a fantastic draw to see HKFA under-21s pitted against the possible champions of the Premier League and a team that may well end up in the Champions League, so that's a highlight.
"It's also a wonderful opportunity for players from Hong Kong to test themselves; we're trying to develop football here and the only way to do that is to play against better players.
"I'm really looking forward to the weekend; it's always an excellent tournament with some fantastic players of the past, present and future."
HKFC Citi Soccer Sevens tournament director Chris Plowman added: "We're delighted with the line-up we've put together and we're looking forward to another all-action, exciting tournament.
"We've got clubs from as far apart as Newcastle in the north of England to Wellington in New Zealand taking part.
"I'm also particularly pleased to have two major soccer leagues in Asia represented in the J.League and the K-League Classic, with FC Seoul doing particularly well at the moment."
In the Masters tournament for over-35s, Wallsend Boys Club have been drawn to play Citi All Stars, HKFC Veterans, Singapore Cricket Club Tigers and Yau Yee League Masters in Group B.
Ajax All-Stars are the big name in Group A, where they will face USRC, HKFC Chairman's Select, Kowloon Cricket Club Veterans and Discovery Bay.
