AUCKLAND – The World Cup hopes of New Zealand’s U-17 men’s football team have received a double lift with relocation of their qualifiers to home soil, and an invitation to the Sanix Cup in Japan.

With Fiji unable to host the Oceania U-17 Championship to due flood damage, New Zealand will host Vanuatu, Tahiti and New Caledonia in Auckland from 20-24 April with the prize a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in October.

The Young All Whites will already have plenty of game time under their belts by that time, having accepted an invitation from the Japan Football Association to enter the March 19-23 Sanix Cup. In pool play, New Zealand will play Japan’s U-17s, another yet-to-be-confirmed national U-17 team and a Thailand secondary schools selection during the four-day Sanix Cup.In total, the Young All Whites will play up to six 70 or 80 minute matches – some against local U-17 selections – with a 90 minute friendly against Japan on day five completing the tour.

Head coach Steve Cain, said while home advantage during World Cup qualification was an obvious bonus, the matches against quality opposition in the build-up beforehand could not be underestimated.

“The experience of the U-20s [missing out on the U-20 World Cup] proves what we’ve known all along – qualification through Oceania is never assured, so preparing these players for what will be very tough qualifiers has only taken on more importance.”

“We have to be competitive if we get to Nigeria, but we have to be competitive to get there in the first place.”

“We’ve got a talented group of players who did well in two losses to Chile’s U-18 side and they’ll relish another strong test against a side like Japan.”

Steve Cain has named a 20-strong squad to contest both events, with UK-based Cameron Lindsay (Blackburn Rovers) and Andrew Milne (Glasgow Rangers) called back from their respective academies.Young All Whites Squad for OFC U-17 Championship and Sanix Cup

New Zealand U-17 Squad:

Goalkeepers

Alex Carr (Central United)

Coey Turipa (Nelson Suburbs)

Defenders

Nicholas Paterson (Bay Olympic)

Cameron Lindsay (Blackburn Rovers, UK)

Gordon Murie (Birkenhead United)

Ross Haviland (Eastern Suburbs)

Adam Thomas (Central United)

Ashton Pett (Bay Olympic)

Midfielders

Jack Hobson-McVeigh (Birkenhead United)

Dylan Windust (Seiritsu High School, Japan)

Zane Sole (Central United)

Jamie Doris (Nelson Suburbs)

Stephen Kibby (Auckland Grammar)

Fergus Neil (Napier City Rovers)

Thomas Spragg (Central United)

Michael Built (Hamilton Wanderers)

Ernesto Lopez (Ellerslie)

Forwards

Andrew Milne (Glasgow Rangers, UK)

Nicolai Molijn (Ellerslie)

Andrew Bevin (Hawke’s Bay United)

Management Staff

Steve Cain (Head Coach)

Aaron McFarland (Assistant Coach)

Jonathan Gould (GK Coach)

Adam Crump (Physiotherapist)

Andy Fosket (Sport Scientist)

Sanix Cup:

March 19-23 – match schedule yet to be confirmed

OFC U-17 Championship:

April 20-24, Auckland – match schedule to be confirmed

Story and image courtesy of NZF Media

For the latest new in New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz