The squad will be finalized in the next three to four weeks with a series of trial matches as curtain-raisers to A-League pre-season cup games giving Deans an opportunity to assess his charges.

But he told au.fourfourtwo.com that young talent from Lake Macquarie, South Cardiff and Broadmeadow Magic were in the mix.

"Players like Jarred Ross from Lake Macquarie, Simon Mooney from Broadmeadow Magic, Joel Witherton from South Cardiff and Taylor Regan, who has experience training with the first team squad over the last 18 months, are being looked at," he said.

"We'll look at 16-18 players from which the final 10-12 will come from. Mostly they'll be from the Newcastle area. It's great for the young kids to have this available and the future of football in the Hunter."

However, there will be one major omission from the Jets youth squad.

"Ben Kantarovski is actually too young for our youth team. He'll probably work more with Gary [Van Egmond] and Mark Jones more as he has a first team contract," said Deans of one of the most talented 15-year-olds in Australia and who is currently playing for the Joeys.

Two Newcastle-born AIS students Matt Harper and Marko Jesic (the latter two are coming back from knee injuries currently) will also be assessed.

The Jets youth plan to train three nights a week during the season and will play at Energy Australia stadium as a curtain raiser to the senior games. The only exception will be when senior fixtures are given afternoon kick offs in December and January (due to the heat)

"You just don't know but traditionally Newcastle has produced some great talent. There's no reason why some of the local boys can't go on like Stuart Musialik, Jobe Wheelhouse and Ben Kennedy," added Deans.

The new Youth A-League coaches met yesterday to discuss various issues with the FFA at a forum in Sydney. "Being the youngest and most inexperienced youth coach there, was good for me to meet all those guys," said Deans.

Deans, 34, has coached a local youth team in Newcastle but that is the extent of his coaching CV. So this is a big step up for the former Jets, Glory and Carlton defender who officially finished his playing career last season.

And the former defender feels lucky that he's in the coaching slipstream of two of the A-League's most talented, up and coming coaching tag-teams.

"I'm very fortunate to work with Gary Van Egmond and Mark Jones. Over the last two years I've learnt more from them by being at the club than I learnt in the previous ten as a player.

"Obviously Gary with a Dutch background works a lot on technique and he's pretty forceful on getting the guys to work in those guidelines. Hopefully it's something they can pass on to me and I guess they see my philosophy as being similar to theirs."

Deans added: "I know they'll be there to give me a hand. I'm just lucky they've given me this opportunity. I might be half decent at the job, I may be no good. Only time will tell."