Steve Cooper is hoping a full house at Rotherham can inspire his England Under-17s to victory over Germany.
His Young Lions entertain ‘Die Mannschaft’ at New York Stadium on Friday night, live on BT Sport.
Having seen a number of England sides roared on by a large backing in recent years, the former Liverpool head of academy is hoping that atmosphere can be replicated come kick-off.
England v Germany
Under-17s International
7.45pm, Friday 20 November
New York Stadium, Rotherham United
Live on BT Sport
“We are really pleased to have the chance to bring an England team back to Rotherham after several memorable matches for our Under-18s, U19s and Women’s sides over recent years,” Cooper told TheFA.com.
“Whenever us national coaches meet together we have always talked about the good experience the players have had at Rotherham.
“That was the idea about coming back here for this match and we are really grateful that they were willing to host us again.
“If we can replicate that with a good number through the door then it will be another fantastic experience for the players.”
A large crowd in attendance will not only benefit his players on the night according to Cooper, he believes the experience will have a long-term impact on his youngsters.
“It will give them an insight into playing in front of a big crowd in a nice stadium,” he explained.
Rotherham hosted England U19s versus Italy last season
“If they stay within the England system, which we want them all to do, then they are hopefully only going to get more of that.
“The more experiences we can give them like that the better and hopefully Rotherham will be a fantastic occasion.”
And the opportunity of his side playing in front of big crowd is not the only thing Cooper is looking forward.
“The games programmes we are looking to create for our youth sides is designed to get our players competing against top quality opposition as much as possible, and obviously Germany offer us that,” he explained.
“They will be full of top players, who play in a good system. Also, any England versus Germany game is going to be a good event.
“The contest itself will be a good spectacle, but it will also give the players a good understanding of the history behind some of the rivalries we have against some of the leading nations, and this fixture is a really good example of that.”
England v Germany is live on BT Sport on Friday evening, kick-off 7.30pm.
Over 7,000 tickets have already been sold for the event. You can purchase yours, £3 adults and £1.50 kids, by clicking here.
