Footballsouth's Under-15 side leaves today
for Singapore to compete in the International Youth Sports
Challenge.
Footballsouth is in a group that includes teams from Japan, Singapore A and Hong Kong.
The other group has teams from Australia, Thailand and Singapore B.
Led by general manager Bill Chisholm, on his second trip to the tournament, the coaching staff is Tim Horner and Richard Murray, with Mark Harris as physiotherapist.
Chisholm said the organising committee that set up the Otago Under-17 team's participation in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland followed up on an invitation to attend the Singapore tournament last year.
"It is run by the Singapore Sports School and is part of a broader sports tournament incorporating table tennis, netball and football," Chisholm said.
"We ended up taking a Dunedin Under-15 schools side [last year], given the shorter time frame we were operating under, which was easier to organise and would at least get our participation in the tournament under way.
"It proved to be a really good tournament and was well worthwhile. There were quality teams from Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Qatar, East Timor, South Africa and Australia.
"It fits in with a development programme that Footballsouth would like to see for our federation players."
For some players, this will be their second tournament.
Cam Howieson, Mark Burnett and Shay Kerry all went last year, and emerged as better players after the experience, just as so many Milk Cup players have done after participating against top opposition in Northern Ireland.
Howieson is a good example of Otago's burgeoning talent.
He was recently selected for the Asia Pacific Football Academy, which is based in Christchurch but is part of English Premier League club Everton's coaching network.
Howieson will be required to move to Christchurch and attend school there, as well as attending demanding daily APFA training sessions.
Singapore A is Footballsouth's first opponent, with an evening kick-off on Wednesday.