Newcastle Jets lose Hoffman to Melbourne Heart

The Melbourne Heart Syndicate has further bolstered its inaugural Hyundai A-League squad by signing Australia U20 international Jason Hoffman.

Hoffman will join the competition newcomers on a multi-year deal and he becomes the fourth Hyundai A-League player to sign with the Heart Syndicate, after Qantas Socceroos Kristian Sarkies, Matt Thompson and Dean Heffernan.

Melbourne Heart Syndicate Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said he was impressed by Hoffman’s versatility and is pleased to have secured his services for next season and beyond.

“Jason is a player with great capacity to improve and become a regular first XI player in the Hyundai A-League. He is an excellent professional who works very hard, which is the sort of player that we are hoping to bring to the club,” he said.

“He can play in a number of positions, can score goals and is very athletic so he will give us some extra flexibility within the squad. If he can continue to work hard and improve, he will complement the established players we have already managed to sign in Kristian, Matt and Dean.”

A product of the New South Wales Institute of Sport, Hoffman made his Hyundai A-League debut at the age of 18 and played an important role in the Newcastle Jets 2007 championship campaign, making 15 appearances on his way to a winner’s medal.

His second season was derailed by a severe knee injury, but the 20-year-old bounced back in fine fashion during Newcastle’s Asian Champions League campaign earlier this year.

Hoffman scored the winning goal in the Jets final group game against Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai to secure the club’s passage to the knockout stages of the tournament.

The Novacastrian then carried across his form to the Hyundai A-League season, finding the back of the net twice in six appearances to earn selection to the Qantas Young Socceroos squad for the U/20 World Cup in Egypt, starting in the games against Brazil and Czech Republic.