The England squad has been named for a four-team mini-tournament in Croatia this month with the prize at stake a place at the UEFA WU17 EURO.
Led by head coach Natalie Henderson, the Young Lionesses flew to Split on Thursday 9 March to take on hosts Croatia, Belgium and Norway over the following ten days. Only the group winners will qualify for the finals in Estonia between 14-26 May.
Henderson said: “We are looking forward to what should be three very competitive fixtures in Croatia. We had a good prep camp last month with two matches against the United States at St. George’s Park and will hope to build on that this week. These UEFA tournaments are invaluable for player development and I hope it will be a very positive
experience for them all.”
England will begin against Croatia at the Gradski Stadium in Sinj on Sunday 12 March (kick-off 10am GMT). That will be followed by a fixture with Belgium at the same venue on Wednesday 15 March (kick-off 2pm GMT) before the group concludes in Hrvace against Norway on Saturday 18 March (kick-off 10am GMT).
The Young Lionesses had qualified for this stage by winning three matches out of three in the first round back in October against Ukraine (11-0), Estonia (3-0) and Denmark (3-1).
England’s best-ever showing at the UEFA WU17 EURO was third place in the 2016 edition in Belarus when Alessia Russo top scored at the tournament with five goals, while Niamh Charles was close behind on four goals. The bronze-winning squad also included four other current Lionesses in Ellie Roebuck, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone.
England WU17 squad
Goalkeepers: Katie Cox (Chelsea), Sophia Poor (Leicester City)
Defenders: Daisy Hind (Chelsea), Scarlett Kagalwala (Chelsea), Lucy Newell (West Bromwich Albion), Katie Reid (Arsenal), Mari Ward (Bristol City)
Midfielders: Ava Baker (Leicester City), Lola Brown (Chelsea), Holly Deering (Manchester United), Araya Dennis (Arsenal), Laila Harbert (Arsenal), Lola Nesbeth (Chelsea), Erica Parkinson (SC Leixoes), Alexia Potter (Chelsea), Zara Shaw (Liverpool)
Forwards: Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal), Vivienne Lia (Arsenal), Milly Round (Aston Villa), Ruby-Rae Tucker (Aston Villa)
