Bendigo City FC junior teams are preparing for a bumper weekend of soccer at the Tom Flood Sports Centre.
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Bendigo City will host Essendon Royals and Brunswick City in an NPL double-header on Saturday and Sunday.
Bendigo City is seven rounds into the qualifying period of the NPL season and technical director Nathan Claridge is pleased with the club's progression.
"As a club there's been some really positive signs so far this season,'' Claridge said.
"We're excited about where we're heading... and we're looking forward to hosting two days of games at the Tom Flood (Sports Centre) this weekend."
After qualifying for the premier NPL under-18 division last year, this season's under-18 crew look set to play in division three.
Last year's coach Greg Thomas was replaced by Aaron Vissers in the off-season, but Vissers has since been replaced by Nick Daley.
Making Daley's task even tougher was season-ending injuries to key players Noah Rimmer and Archie Goudie.
"The majority of last year's group has moved on, so last year's under-16s have come up to play under-18s,'' Claridge said.
"It's been tough for them, but last week's 2-2 result with Brunswick Juventus was really encouraging.
"Nick Daley is doing a really good job with the young group and they'll have some good results going forward."
The under-16s, which are being coached by Thomas and Claridge, are in fifth place on the ladder with three wins and one draw from seven matches.
With four games remaining the under-16s are well-placed to qualify for the division two section.
The under-15s have a win over Hume City and a draw with Pascoe Vale through the opening seven games.
The under-14s are in 11th place on the qualifying ladder through seven games. They have a great chance of scoring their first win of the season against bottom side Brunswick City on Sunday.
Weekend fixtures for Bendigo City junior teams in the NPL at the Tom Flood Sports Centre:
Saturday v Essendon Royals - 10am: under-14s. 11.30am: under-15s. 1.15pm: under-16s. 3pm: under-18s.
Sunday v Brunswick City - 10am: under-14s. 11.30am: under-15s. 1.15pm: under-16s. 3pm: under-18s.
