The Football Association face an extremely hard sell in marketing the upcoming World Cup qualifiers (the Scotland game apart) after another early tournament exit and one which really did deflate even England-enthusiasts such as myself who have always believed that the national team is the pinnacle of the sport and one which can do plenty of good for all levels of it.
But, below senior level there continues to be a lot of hard work done taking the age group teams around the country and providing a very affordable means of watching international football and the first week or so of September provides plenty of opportunity to do just that.
Under 21: Gareth Southgate’s squad did manage to lift some silverware in the summer, winning the Toulon Trophy and briefly putting their manager in the frame for the top job, at least on a temporary basis.
Southgate seemed to make it clear he was happy to stay where he was and he will now try and guide England to the 2017 European Championship finals in Poland.
Qualification resumes with the visit of Norway to Colchester United’s Community Stadium on Tuesday 6 September with kick-off scheduled for 5:45pm.
Tickets are priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions with a Family ticket available for £20.
Under 20: There were also positive reviews over the summer for Aidy Boothroyd’s Under-19 charges as they reached the semi-final of the European Championship and thus qualified for the 2017 Under-20 World Cup in South Korea.
An attractive friendly against Brazil should prove a popular attraction at Kidderminster’s Aggborough ground on Sunday 4 September at 3pm.
Under 19: A friendly against the Netherlands is scheduled for Thursday 1 September, kick-off 12:30pm at the New Bucks Head Stadium home of AFC Telford United.
Under 18: England play twice in four days as part of a mini-tournament in the North-West. Fleetwood Town host the game against Italy on Thursday 1 September at 7pm and then the action moves to Morecambe for the meeting with Israel on Monday 5 September at the same time.
The FA website has full details of the fixtures with tickets for the U-20, U-19 and U-18 fixtures all priced at £3 Adults and £1.50 for OAP’s and Under-18’s with discounts for group bookings.
No comments:
Post a Comment