England U17s to face Malta, Netherlands and Turkey in Euros

Wednesday 09 Apr 2014
The England U17 team prior to their final qualifier with Italy

England have been drawn alongside Malta, Netherlands and Turkey in Group A of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship.

The Young Lions will kick-off the tournament when they face host nation Malta in the opening game on Friday 9 May.

In Group B Germany were paired with Switzerland, Scotland and Portugal.

The group stage matches will be contested on 9, 12 and 15 May at the Ta' Qali National Stadium, Paolo's Hibernians Stadium and Gozo Stadium.

The top two from each section advance to the semi-finals on 18 May in Ta' Qali, where the decider will also be held three days later.

The 2014 competition will be the last eight-team final tournament before the expansion to a 16-nation event in Bulgaria in 2015.

The draw was made by UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee chairman Jim Boyce and tournament ambassadors Father Hilary Tagliaferro and former Malta international David Carabott.

By Gary Stonehouse Staff Writer