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India U-16 to visit Norway ahead of AFC U-16 says senior NT keeper Gurpreet

By TFG Team
April 19, 2016

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THE INDIAN U-16 SQUAD will get some more international exposure ahead of playing in the AFC U-16 Asian Championship in September and the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year, according to none other than senior national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

The squad, which will make history as the first ever Indian team to take part in a football world cup of any age group, has been kept together since last year and has undergone intensive training and expository camps abroad, including Germany and Turkey. AIFF Academy Instructor Scott O'Donell has been in charge of the whole operation, and he has also frequently conducted trials across the country to look for fresh talents to be included in the squad.

The first major international tournament this team will take part in will take place in Goa this year as the U-16 teams of the best Asian countries converge there to fight for the continental championship. And according to Gurpreet, who plays for a Norwegian top division club Stabaek FC, the squad will make its way to Norway to play practice matches against the Norway U-16 national team, and the U-16 squad of Gurpreet's own club, Stabaek FC.

Have heard some exciting news today that the @AiffMedia U-16 boys are coming to Norway in June to play against @Stabaek and Norway U-16s
— Gurpreet Singh (@GurpreetGK) April 19, 2016

Playing against international academy teams and different national teams away from home has been key to the preparations this team has undergone, and the positive results were visible in the qualifier tournament for the AFC U-16 Championship, where India participated for practice despite having gained automatic qualification for the finals as the host nation.

Playing in Norway is expected to expose the youngsters to a different climate, and some strong opponents to test themselves against. It will also have the added advantage of shielding from the worst days of Indian summer so that their preparations for September's big tournament can go on uninterrupted.