The Young Lionesses squad, selected by head coach Natalie Henderson, kick-off their UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship matches today.
England play the Group A opener against Norway on Sunday (12pm BST), before taking on tournament hosts Sweden next Wednesday and concluding their group on Saturday 11 May against France, who won the competition last year.
The three group stage matches will be broadcast live by BBC Sport, with BBC Sport also set to show the semi-finals and the final.
The top two from both Group A and Group B will progress to the semi-finals and have hopes of lifting the trophy come the final in Malmo on Saturday 18 May.
The semi-finalists will also be vying for a trio of places up for grabs at October’s FIFA WU17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic. UEFA has three qualification spots available, meaning a World Cup play-off between the losing semi-finalists to determine who will join the two UEFA finalists.
Henderson told englandfootball.com: “For our players, to represent England at a European Championship is a special privilege and we want to go there and give it our best. Of course, this is a valuable stage in their development and as much as we want to do well in the games, it is really important that we enjoy the experience, and get that understanding of what tournament football is all about – on and off the pitch.”
England have never been crowned European champions at WU17 level, with the best showing being a third-place finish in 2016. Spain, four-time winners at this level, Belgium, Poland and Portugal make up Group B – and Henderson knows that competition will be fierce.
She added: “The standard in our game across Europe is rising all the time, we have seen that at senior level and it is no different across the development pathway. That’s what makes this a great challenge.”
The squad
Goalkeepers: Rebekah Dowsett (Leicester City), Hope McSheffrey (Arsenal)
Defenders: Eva Gray (Arsenal), Sophie Harrison (Arsenal), Nelly Las (Leicester City), Rachel Maltby (Aston Villa), Niamh Peacock (Arsenal), Simone Sherwood (Leicester City), Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Oxford United)
Midfielders: Emily Cassap (Sunderland), Laila Harbert (Arsenal/Watford), Vera Jones (Barry Town), Omotara Junaid (Arsenal), Erica Parkinson (FC Valadares)
Forwards: Lola Brown (Chelsea), Mia Endacott (Plymouth Argyle), Isabella Fisher (Arsenal), Isabel Hebard (Devon ETC), Olivia Johnson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jane Oboavwoduo (Manchester City)
The Fixtures
England v Norway
12pm BST, Sunday 5 May
Live on the Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app
England v Sweden
5.30pm BST, Wednesday 8 May
Live on the Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app
England v France
2.30pm BST, Saturday 11 May
Live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app
