India U-17 women's football team to travel to Hong Kong for exposure tour

With the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup slated to be held in India, the national team will be flying to Hong Kong for an exposure tour on June 16.

The girls who have been training in Goa since the first week of May under former India international and head coach Alex Ambrose will be playing four matches, the first of which is against Hong Kong U-23 on June 21.

India will meet two club teams- Taipo TBC on June 23 and Citizen on June 27 - before playing against Hong Kong U-18 on June 29.

Although India have played a number of matches against local teams, Ambrose believes the matches in Hong Kong will give his girls valuable experience to test themselves against tough opponents.

"The matches in Hong Kong will serve as a good experience for the girls. Almost 40 per cent of them are new to the national team set-up and are still getting used to the flow. Playing competitive teams will help acclimatise them, and gain an understanding of International football," Ambrose said.

He further said that such matches will help to test the character of the players.

"It will also help us coaches identify the players who have a strong mentality, and tend to take the right decisions even when they are under pressure," he said.

Ambrose said that the key objective remains to prepare the team for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup next year.

"Learning never stops, and that applies to everyone. My players have shown interest, character and the dedication required to be a part of such a big tournament. The future looks good if they keep working hard," he added.

Following is the India U17 squad:

Goalkeepers: Tanu, Msha, Manju

Defenders: Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam, Kritina Devi Thounaojam, Nisha, Naketa, Shilky Devi Hemam, Martina Thokchom

Midfielders: Daisy Castro, Priyanka Devi Naorem, Astam Orain, Anju, Priyanka Sujeesh Pottekkat, Poonam, Aveka Singh, Mariyammal Balamurgan, Karen Estrocio, Kiran, Antrika

Forwards: Sumati Kumari, Lynda Kom Serto, Amisha Baxla, Sai Sanke.

( With inputs from ANI )