The England U17 Head Coach will pit his side against Portugal, Italy and Turkey in The FA International Tournament.
Tuesday, 28 July, 2009
Portugal, Italy and Turkey to also compete in The FA International Tournament.
The FA International TournamentEngland, Italy, Portugal & TurkeyWednesday 26 August - Sunday 30 August 2009Northampton Town FC, Burton Albion FC, Notts County FCTickets are priced £3 in advance, £1 for concessionsTicket hotlines:England v Italy (Burton Albion FC) - 01283 565 938England v Turkey (Northampton Town FC) - 01604 683 777England v Portugal (Notts County FC) - 0115 955 3994See below for group booking and Charter Standard informationEngland U17s will host an international tournament against high profile European opposition in August.Italy, Portugal and Turkey will be the visitors as the U17 Head Coach, John Peacock, looks to introduce last season’s U16 Montaigu and Victory Shield champions to a brand new football age group.Both Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium and the Pirelli Stadium at Burton Albion have been confirmed as host venues for the tournament along with Sven-Goran Eriksson’s new home at Notts County’s Meadow Lane.Peacock commented: "Kenny Swain will be with me in the dugout and he managed these players last season so I’m looking forward to meeting up and assessing their strengths ahead of both this tournament and the European Championship qualifying campaign."And the Head Coach is also pleased with the level of opposition that will make up the annual four-team tournament: "We’re delighted that Portugal are coming over as we get on brilliantly with everyone involved in that team and we try to reciprocate by playing in their Algarve competition."They play the game in the right way and we’ve had some tight matches in the past so I’m sure it will be another close encounter at Notts County."Italy has a reputation for good players and they play in a defensive style which will be hard to break down. They played in this tournament last year and we beat them 2-0 but they also reached the semi-final of the European Championship at the end of the season so you know they’ll be high calibre."Peacock is also pleased to see Turkey confirm their attendance and they’ll kick-off the tournament against Portugal at Northampton Town on 26 August at 3pm: "It’s great to have Turkey over here and taking part as they’ll bring a different style of play altogether."We’ve had some great games with them over the years and they beat us 3-2 in a brilliant match at the 2005 European Championships in Italy."We didn’t win but it gave the likes of Theo Walcott, Michael Mancienne and Fabrice Muamba a proper taste of international football."All three games will serve as valuable match experience for England before commencing their UEFA European U17 Championship qualifying campaign in Azerbaijan."It will certainly be different out there but these tournaments are all about giving our youngsters experience in the first stages of their football careers."The U17s get their season underway on 28 July when they take on Denmark in the Nordic Tournament. You can see how The Young Lions fared on TheFA.com.The FA International Tournament ScheduleWednesday 26 August:Portugal v Turkey – Northampton Town FC, 3pmEngland v Italy – Burton Albion FC, 7pmFriday 28 August:Italy v Portugal – Notts County FC, 3pmEngland v Turkey – Northampton Town, 7pmSunday 30 August:Portugal v England – Notts County, 3pmTurkey v Italy – Burton Albion, 3pmTicket informationEngland v Italy - Charter Standard booking formEngland v Italy - Group Booking formEngland v Turkey - Charter Standard booking formEngland v Turkey - Group booking formEngland v Portugal - Charter Standard booking formEngland v Portugal - Group booking form