The Football Otago Youth Development Trust has finalised its squad for the Villarreal Yellow Cup Easter in April.
Nine under-16 footballers from Dunedin, seven from Invercargill and two from Timaru will get to play against some elite youth opposition at the tournament hosted by the La Liga club.
"We’ve got a good, solid group of young men," coach Tim Horner said.
"Thankfully, we haven’t had too many issues with covering all positions, and we think we’ve got all the bases covered.
"We’ve got what should be a steady defence to go with plenty of attacking industry in midfield and up front."
Anchoring the defensive unit will be promising Dunedin City Royals and Otago Boys’ High School goalkeeper Blaine O’Brien.
Leo Hutton, one of the Timaru contingent, is a technically astute presence in the middle of the park, and youngster Joaquim Bortolan — from a Southland footballing family — is a strapping lad with good footwork who can rotate in the positions on the front line.
The other Timaru player, Ryan Hampton, is a tall and strong central defender.
The Otago youngsters have for years attended the Super Cup tournament, formerly known as the Milk Cup, in Northern Ireland.
After a rejig of that tournament, they were effectively squeezed out, but the invitation to the Spanish event was more than consolation.
"It’s really exciting," Horner said.
"It’s something different. There’s a bit of the unknown because we’re not really sure what the level of football will be like.
"We know it will certainly be a higher level than what our boys compete against in the lower South Island.
"And it’s Spain, so we’re thinking there will be lots of good, technical players, lots of passing, and a really different type of football.
"We might have to adjust to that challenge on the hop but we’re certainly going over there with the intention of being hard to beat, and trying to score some goals.
"It will be a real experience for them, and they’ve been really lucky in terms of amazing support from their parents and the community."
The Otago team will head overseas in late March and get a decent chance to acclimatise and prepare for the April 2-5 tournament.
There is no draw available yet but Horner noted youth teams from Spanish giants Real Madrid, Barcelona and Real Sociedad, Colombia and the United States were listed participants.
Otago’s lads will get to enjoy the beaches of Costa del Azahar while playing at least four games and visiting Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal’s home stadium, also known as El Madrigal.
They leave on March 25 and return on April 10.
Otago youth
Tour squad
Blaine O’Brien (Dunedin City Royals), Kyle Claasen (Grants Braes), Victor Rivollet (Northern), Jakob Noble, Duncan Guest, Lewis Richards, Theo Johnston, Angus Sawyer, Arrsalan Nayle (Roslyn-Wakari), Samuel Ramsay, Samuel Jack, Hugh Dermody, Arley McLaren (Invercargill Old Boys), Cohen Cameron, Joaquim Bortolan, Piers van Miltenburg (Queens Park), Leo Hutton, Ryan Hampton (Timaru United).
