The India U-16 national team, represented by the All India Football Federation’s U-16 Kalyani Regional Academy, reached Heemskerk, The Netherlands on Tuesday afternoon for a two-week Exposure Tour where they will play the academies of PSV Eindhoven, FC Schalke 04 and a host of other top academies.

The boys will be having two training sessions today before they move to Feyenoord Rotterdam, also known as Varkenoord where the feted academies of Feyenoord and Excelsior are based. They will be touring the stadium and other facilities tomorrow. The Dutch experience will commence with a match against FC Dordrecht on August 6.

The 18-member team mainly consisting of the India U-16 national team which won the SAFF U-16 Championship last year along with taking part in the 2014 Asian Champions Trophy, will be playing the Broersen International Youth Tournament in Heemskerk on August 9-10, and the RKTVC B Top Tournament a week later in Tiel.

In the Broersen International Youth Tournament, the boys will be facing academies of Dutch outfits S.B.V. Excelsior, FC Volendam and Spanish side Deportivo Saint Maickol.

A week later the SAFF U-16 Cup champions will be playing against academies of FC Twente and AZ Alkmaar along with RKTVC’s own Youth Team.

Besides the two competitions, the AIFF Colts would also be playing friendly matches against the academy sides of PSV Eindhoven, FC Schalke 04 of Germany and KRC Genk of Belgium.

The two highly rated Youth Competitions will provide the opportunity for the boys to rub shoulders with some of the best youth academies of the world. To accommodate three matches in a day, the duration of games will be reduced to forty minutes.

(Report & Pictures courtesy AIFF Media)