The national selection process for the 2011 Scotland under-17 squad is looming closer. Here’s a preview of what is in store for the coming weeks and months. There will be three initial national selection fixtures. These are as follows:

National Selection Fixture 1-Wednesday 2 March 2011

Borders v Glasgow (Murrayfield, kick-off 6pm)
Edinburgh v Caledonia (Murrayfield, kick-off 7.30/7.45pm)

National Selection Fixture 2-Wednesday 9 March 2011

Winners 1 v Winners 2 (Murrayfield, kick-off 6pm)
Losers 1 v Losers 2 (Murrayfield, kick-off 7.30/7.45pm)

National Selection Fixture 3- Wednesday 16 March 2011

Team A v Team B (Murrayfield, kick-off 6pm)
Team C v Team D (Murrayfield, kick-off 7.30/7.45pm)
 
Davie Wilson and Stevie Scott
After the selection process has been completed the confirmed Scotland under-17 squad will be announced on Friday 18 March. Once the squad has been announced, the players will have a short period of time to prepare for their upcoming international fixtures. The programme after the squad announcement is currently as follows:


Scotland under-17 squad programme

International preparation 1 at Fettes College, Edinburgh (Weekend of 25-27 March)

International preparation 2 at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh (Weekend of 1-3 April)

England U17 v Scotland U17 West Park, Leeds (Weekend of 8-10 April)

U17 Wellington International Festival Wellington School, Somerset, England (16-23 April)

Scotland U17 v France U17 Philliphaugh, Selkirk (Weekend of 30 April-1 May)

Newly appointed under-17’s head coach Davie Wilson said:” We want to try and get as much accurate information about the boys as possible. This has been aided by the close working relationships with their regional coaches, giving us that extra insight.

“We are looking for those boys to perform the key national themes and apply these within their games, showing technical qualities as well as the physical aspects of their game. It’s going to be a very quick learning curve for them.

“The key national themes which we are looking for are hand catching, ball presentation, offloading and individual tackling. These themes will assist the players in developing their general speed of play, attacking options and improve the key aspects of their defence.

“It’s the first step on the ladder for these guys and it’s probably going to be an exciting time for them."
 

This article was posted on 21-Feb-2011, 18:49 by Hugh Barrow.