A POPULAR junior soccer carnival will come full circle when it returns to the New England region for the first time since 2017.
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The Joeys Mini World Cup will be played at the Inverell Sporting Complex and the Cameron Park fields in September.
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The inaugural event was played at Inverell in 2010 before a four-year stint at Hervey Bay in Queensland.
It looked to have found a new home at Lismore last year, but will return to its roots where tournament director Heinrich Haussler is based.
![The Joeys Mini World Cup is returning to Inverell this year. Picture by Cathy Adams. The Joeys Mini World Cup is returning to Inverell this year. Picture by Cathy Adams.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/PMrCA3Rpn38pKDFxaenbSb/047baa53-796e-4d3b-80b3-71cf972e1e47.jpg/r0_0_5360_3299_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Haussler wants to run a bigger carnival this year and will offer Lismore teams free entry as they continue to rebuild from the floods.
He is expecting over 2000 visitors with 900 players during the week-long tournament running from September 25.
An estimated 50 to 70 teams will play with teams from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Germany.
"It will be, without any doubt, Inverell's most significant money-making event this year," Haussler said.
"If Inverell and Council embrace the tournament it may stay at least for another two years."
Haussler will be joined by former Australian and World Cup coach Rale Rasic, who has had a long association with the event.
In the under-12 and under-14 division a coach and a player from each playing category will receive a fully paid nine-day football and coaching tour of Japan.
Forty players will also receive a $500 subsidy towards that tour.
In the under-16, under-19 and open women sections three players and a coach will be awarded a fully paid 26-day tour of Germany.
Forty players will also be awarded a $1000 subsidy towards that tour.
Two more coaches will receive a $3000 subsidy to join them next year on a football tour of a lifetime, visiting one of the power houses of world football.
All coaches and managers receive a Joeys Mini World Cup jacket while players take home a playing strip, t-shirt, a back sack, a fully coloured 40 page cup booklet and all teams receive two match balls.
There will be an official launch for the event on April 14.
On April 15 and 16, host club Inverell will hold coaching clinics for players from under-10s to under-19s.
The clinic is sponsored by the Joeys Mini World Cup and participants can enter free of charge.
They will receive a playing shirt and Joeys Mini World Cup merchandise while Rasic will be among the coaches.
For more information visit https://joeysminiworldcupinverell.com/.
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