Heatwave forces Jets' game to be relocated

The Newcastle Jets' match against Wellington scheduled to be played at Maitland Sportsground on Sunday has been moved to No.2 Sportsground due to predicted extreme heat.

Kick-off time remains at 5pm.

The temperature is forecast to hit 39 degrees in Maitland on Sunday, compared to around 33 degrees in Newcastle.

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The decision to move the round-15 fixture was made by the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) after taking into account the A-Leagues heat policy, which considers a wet bulb globe temperature and an ambient temperature.

Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske told the Newcastle Herald the APL's weather forecast suggested their would be significant temperature differences between Maitland and Newcastle on Sunday.

No.2 Sportsground is the Jets' A-League Women's base but three of their 2023-24 fixtures were scheduled for Maitland Sportsground for the first time.

Games against Brisbane (February 17) and Perth (March 3) are also set to be played there.

"Maitland is an important region. We've got a lot of fans who come from that region and we know just how big football is throughout that broader area," Mattiske said.

"We had a lot of interest in our men's Australia Cup game at Maitland and we were really excited about being able to bring professional women's football to the region for the first time through this package of three games.

"So, it's disappointing that the weather has conspired against us but that's a decision we need to make for the welfare of our players."

The Jets, who are ninth on 17 points after losing 2-0 to Central Coast last Sunday, still plan to hold an opening training session at Maitland Sportsground on Saturday morning.

Phoenix are seventh on 19 points and beat Newcastle 2-0 in Wellington in round nine.