England U16s will play their first games of 2014 in February, when St. George's Park hosts a special four nation UEFA Development Tournament.
Kenny Swain's squad will be joined by Spain, Denmark and Belgium in Burton, with all three teams facing each other over the space of six days.
And it's a week which Head Coach Swain has been looking forward to since the new schedule for this season was put together last summer.
England U16s Head Coach Kenny Swain watching his side in action this season.
After their annual Victory Shield games last year, the Young Lions also travelled to Florida for a Nike-sponsored competition which saw them take on USA, Brazil and Portugal.
Now they will face three of Europe's top nations in youth development, before March's Montaigu Tournament in France winds up the U16 campaign.
“This promises to be an exciting season for the U16s, with a new increased programme in place for us,” said Swain.
“We had the three Victory Shield games first and then quickly after that, just before Christmas, we had the Nike Tournament against Brazil, USA and Portugal.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to play against those sort of nations, particularly Brazil and USA.
The Fixtures (Behind Closed Doors)
Sunday 9 February 2014
England v Spain (2pm)
Denmark v Belgium (5pm)
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Belgium v Spain (2pm)
England v Denmark (5pm)
Friday 14 February 2014
Denmark v Spain (11am)
England v Belgium (2pm)
“Then there is the Montaigu Tournament in France to look forward to at Easter, so it really brings the U16s into a more challenging environment for the players who need it.
“Over the last four or five years, the number of players challenging for a place in the squad has increased and there are now more players threatening to get into the squad than ever before.
“This year, we’ve got around 50 players to look at, whereas in the past it has been closer to 30.
“As a result, the opportunities to give all of these players time on the pitch is becoming more difficult so with that, came a fantastic opportunity for us to extend the programme and therefore the opportunities for players.
“We need to challenge our best players more on the international stage and give more opportunities to the players who are really threatening to get into the squad.
“When you have 50-odd players, the opportunities are very limited but now they are going to get more game-time and opportunities which can only enhance the players’ experience and our ability to monitor their progress."
The games at St. George's Park will be played behind closed doors.
